Spencer, South Dakota

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spencer is a city in McCook County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 157 at the 2000 census. The town was almost completely destroyed by a violent F4 tornado on May 30, 1998 which killed 6.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 The Tornado
4 See also
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Spencer is located at 43°43′40″N, 97°35′31″W (43.727853, -97.592033)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²), all land.

Spencer has been assigned the ZIP code 57374 and the FIPS place code 60060.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 157 people, 64 households, and 44 families residing in the city. The population density was 233.1/km² (596.7/mi²). There were 73 housing units at an average density of 108.4/km² (277.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.73% White, 0.64% Native American and 0.64% Asian.

There were 64 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,250, and the median income for a family was $34,688. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,164. About 7.0% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 14.8% of those sixty five or over.

[edit] The Tornado

On 30 May 1998, the most destructive and second deadliest tornado in South Dakota history -- and the most intensely observed and analyzed -- struck Spencer. It began as a large, dust-cloaked tornado NW of Farmer, South Dakota in Hanson County, concurrent with the demise of the "Fulton" tornado. Continuing toward the ESE, it struck several farmsteads before crossing the Hanson/McCook County line a half mile WNW of Spencer. At this time, the tornado was being observed by the OU Doppler on Wheels crew, whose mobile Doppler radar data showed up to 246 mph winds in the tornado a few tens of meters above ground level^[1].

The city has since been rebuilt, using a mixture of Federal, state and private money^[2].