Historically dominated by an agricultural economy and a rural lifestyle, South Dakota has recently sought to diversify its economy in an effort to attract and retain residents. The state is still largely rural, though, with one of the lowest population densities in the United States. The centrally-located city of Pierre serves as the state capital, and Sioux Falls, with 145,000 people, is the largest city in the state.

South Dakota is bordered to the north by North Dakota; to the south by Nebraska; to the east by Iowa and Minnesota; and to the west by Wyoming and Montana. It is one of the six states of the Frontier Strip.

Get in

By air
South Dakota is served by two major airport,. Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD) in the southeast, and Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) in the west. Sioux Falls Regional Airport is served by airlines Northwest, United, Delta and Allegiant. Rapid City Regional is served by airlines Northwest, United, Delta and Allegiant. Aberdeen, Watertown and Pierre also have scheduled commercial air service.

By car
Two major interstates cross the state, Interstate 90, which runs from Seattle, Washington to Boston, Massachusetts, and Interstate 29, which runs from Kansas City, Missouri north to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Additionally, federal highways running east-west include 12, 212, 14, and 18; north-south highways 85, 385, 83, 183, 281 and 81 also traverse the state.

By train
South Dakota is not served by Amtrak passenger rail.

Attractions

National Parks and Monuments
South Dakota contains several sites that are protected by the National Park Service. Two national parks have been established in South Dakota, both of which are located in the southwestern part of the state.
• Badlands National Park. Created in 1978, the park features a highly eroded, brightly-colored landscape surrounded by semi-arid grasslands.
• Wind Cave National Park. Established in 1903 in the Black Hills, it contains an extensive cave network as well as a large herd of bison.
• Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Located in the Black Hills and established in 1925, the well-known attraction features a mountain carved by sculptor Gutzon Borglum to resemble four former U.S. presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt).
• Custer State Park. A variety of wildlife calls this 73,000 acre lot home.

Other areas managed by the National Park Service include Jewel Cave National Monument near Custer, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, which features a decommissioned nuclear missile silo, and the Missouri National Recreational River.

Activities

• Bear Country U.S.A., 13820 South Highway 16, Rapid City, (605) 343-2290. Take a walk, or better yet, drive on the wild side at this family owned and operated drive-through wildlife park.
• Evans Plunge, 1145 North River Street, Hot Springs, (605) 745-5165. Treat the kiddies, or yourself, with an afternoon at the world's largest natural warm water indoor swimming pool and water park. Lifeguards always on duty.
• Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science, 301 South Main Avenue, Sioux Falls, (605) 367-6000. Lose your mind or find yourself in one of the Pavilion's four sections - the Performing Arts Center, Visual Arts Center, Science Center and CineDome Theatre.
• Reptile Gardens, 8955 South Highway 16, Rapid City, 800-335-0275. Four daily shows exhibit the world's largest collection of reptiles.
• Storybook Island, 1301 Sheridan Lake Road, Rapid City, (605) 342-6357. Live in the world of your favorite fairytale characters. Admission is free. Donations are welcome.

Face of Thomas Jefferson, Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Regions

• Southeast
• Glacial Lakes
• Great Lakes
• Badlands and Black Hills

Get around

Because South Dakota is rather sparsely populated and little mass transit is available, most residents and visitors use the state's roads and highways to travel from place to place. However, traffic is light and roads are straight and direct making it easy to get to your destination.

Climate

During the summers, the average high temperature throughout South Dakota is close to 90 °F, although it often cools down to close to 60 °F at night. It is not unusual for South Dakota to have severe hot, dry spells in the summer with temperatures hitting above 100 °F for days or weeks at a time. Winters are cold with high temperatures in January averaging below freezing and low temperatures averaging -10 °F in most of the state.

Precipitation in the state ranges from around 15 inches of annual precipitation, in the northwestern part of the state, to about 25 inches in the southeast portion.

South Dakota has its share of severe weather.  The eastern part of the state is often considered part of tornado alley. The rate of tornadoes per square 10,000 miles is similar to parts of Oklahoma or Kansas, although the western part of the state is also vulnerable to tornadoes.