| Brookings, South Dakota | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Main Street in downtown Brookings | |
| Location in Brookings County and the state of South Dakota | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| County | Brookings |
| Incorporated | 1883[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Tim Reed |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12 sq mi (31.1 km2) |
| • Land | 11.9 sq mi (30.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,621 ft (494 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 22,056 |
| • Density | 1,853.4/sq mi (713.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 57006-57007 |
| Area code(s) | 605 |
| FIPS code | 46-07580[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1254074[3] |
| Website | www.cityofbrookings.org |
Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is the fourth largest city in South Dakota, with a population of 22,056 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County,[4] and home to South Dakota State University, the largest institution of higher education in the state.[5] The mayor is Tim Reed.
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The county and the city got their names from one of South Dakota's pioneer promoters, Wilmot Wood Brookings. Brookings set out for the Dakota Territory in June 1857. He arrived at Sioux Falls on August 27, 1857, and became one of the first settlers there. He and his group represented the Western Town Company. After a time in Sioux Falls, Brookings and a companion set out for the Yankton area to locate a town in an area that was soon to be ceded by the Native Americans. This trip was begun in January 1858, and the two soon encountered a blizzard that froze Brookings' feet which both had to be amputated.
He rose to a high position in the Territory, once being a member of the Squatter Territorial Legislature and later being elected Squatter Governor. Brookings then became appointed superintendent of a road that was to be built from the Minnesota state line west to the Missouri River about 30 miles north of Ft. Pierre. It was during the construction of this road that Brookings came into contact with land that was part of this county at the time. Because of his drive to settle the Dakota Territory, Brookings County and city were named for a spirited pioneer promoter. Wilmot W. Brookings made settlement of this area a real possibility for many people.
The first actual town that was organized in Brookings County was Medary in 1857. Up to this point, the area had been traveled and utilized by only Native Americans, with a few indistinct traces left showing the penetration of the area by explorers, missionaries, trappers, and traders. Along with Sioux Falls and Flandreau, Medary was one of the first three European settlements to be established in South Dakota.
The first actual site of Medary was located by the Dakota Land Company out of Minnesota which was led by Alpheus G. Fuller and Major Franklin J. DeWitt and accompanied by engineer Samuel A. Medary, Jr. In 1857, the men put up quarters in preparation to live out the winter in Medary. Many other settlers moved into the area in 1858. But in the spring of that year, a large group of Yankton and Yanktonnia Indians drove the settlers from the area, and Medary remained nearly abandoned for the next 11 years.
In 1869, a group of 10 Norwegian pioneers moved west into the Dakota Territory and resettled the area of Medary, which was located about four and one half miles south of present-day Brookings. The county of Brookings was formally organized in Medary in the cabin of Martin Trygstad on July 3, 1871. The original boundaries of the county extended to two miles south of Flandreau, until the territorial legislature relocated the boundaries of the county to the current location on January 8, 1873. Two other small settlements, Oakwood and Fountain, appeared in the Brookings County area around this time. All three settlements hoped that they would be the lucky town by which the railroad would decide to lay tracks through as it moved westward.
The first people to inhabit the Brookings area were the Native Americans. These people are evidenced by mounds found around the Oakwood Lakes area where early inhabitants buried their dead. The Mound Builders have left their legacy to us in the mounds, stone hammers, and stone implements that later Indians and white settlers found as they traversed the area. Many of the Sioux Indians and branches of the Sioux tribe made the area their home, also. Their presence has been accounted by white settlers.
The first white men assumed to have ventured into the Brookings area were fur traders as early as 1750. However, the first white man definitely known to have trekked the Brookings County area was a fur-trader named Joseph LaFramboise. LaFramboise established a trading post near what is now Flandreau. He operated the trading post from 1822 to 1827. It is likely that during the time of his operating the trading post that LaFramboise made his way into the southeastern part of Brookings County.
As it turned out, none of the three towns were chosen to be passed through by the railroad. When the businessmen of Medary and Fountain found out that the railroad had no plans of laying tracks through the two towns, they began a push to find a central location. In a sense, their attitude was 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!' Many private meetings and much effort on the part of the men of Medary and Fountain led to the railroad deciding to lay its tracks through what would become the city of Brookings.
In a letter sent to Chicago on September 30, 1879, Land Commissioner Charles E. Simmons communicated the layout of the series of towns in Brookings County to be passed through by the railroad. These towns were to be Aurora, Brookings, and Volga. Many merchants of Medary and Fountain packed up their businesses and belongings and moved to Brookings, which was surveyed and platted on October 3 and 4, 1879. Fountain ceased to exist after this turn of events, while Medary and Oakwood continued to exist for a while but eventually faded away. A monument still stands at the site of the old Medary as a reminder of the people who once lived there.
The railroad crossed the Minnesota state line and into Brookings County on October 2, 1879. With tracks being built at about one mile per day, the track and first train reached Brookings' Main Street on October 18, 1879. The railroad station was opened a month later.
Major employers include (estimated employment):
The unemployment rate in Brookings is 3.1 percent, with a projected ten-year job growth of 20.6 percent.
Brookings is located at (44.306253, -96.788105).[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.0 square miles (31 km2), of which, 11.9 square miles (31 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.58%) is water.
Brookings has been assigned the ZIP code range 57006-57007 and the FIPS place code 07580.
Brookings due to its high latitude of 44°18′23″N and location far from moderating bodies of water or mountain ranges has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification) Dfb, with summer wetter than winter, and average temperature of the warmest month under 72°F (22°C). The average temperature during summer is 69°F (20°C) and during winter the average temperature drops to 15°F (-9°C). The maximum temperature recorded in the city is 109°F (42°C) and the minimum −41°F (−41°C).
Winter lasts from late November to early March, during this time temperatures may not rise above freezing point, forming accumulation of layers of snow called snowpack, in which can cause spring floods due to sudden melting when temperatures start to rise.[7] Snow accumulation at the end of the winter average 20 inches (50 cm).
Spring is a time of major transition, March is the month with most snowfall, although with higher temperatures during this period snow doesn't last.
| Climate data for Brookings, SD | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) |
69 (21) |
85 (29) |
93 (34) |
106 (41) |
105 (41) |
109 (43) |
106 (41) |
102 (39) |
93 (34) |
77 (25) |
68 (20) |
90 (32) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 22 (−6) |
28 (−2) |
40 (4) |
56 (13) |
69 (21) |
78 (26) |
83 (28) |
81 (27) |
72 (22) |
59 (15) |
40 (4) |
26 (−3) |
55 (13) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 11 (−12) |
18 (−8) |
30 (−1) |
44 (7) |
57 (14) |
66 (19) |
71 (22) |
69 (21) |
59 (15) |
49 (9) |
30 (−1) |
16 (−9) |
43 (6) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 0 (−18) |
8 (−13) |
21 (−6) |
33 (1) |
44 (7) |
54 (12) |
59 (15) |
57 (14) |
46 (8) |
34 (1) |
20 (−7) |
6 (−14) |
32 (0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −41 (−41) |
−41 (−41) |
−23 (−31) |
−2 (−19) |
7 (−14) |
28 (−2) |
37 (3) |
28 (−2) |
12 (−11) |
−9 (−23) |
−22 (−30) |
−36 (−38) |
−5 (−21) |
| Rainfall inches (mm) | 0.32 (8.1) |
0.40 (10.2) |
1.29 (32.8) |
2.03 (51.6) |
2.95 (74.9) |
4.23 (107.4) |
3.11 (79) |
2.94 (74.7) |
2.48 (63) |
1.78 (45.2) |
1.00 (25.4) |
0.26 (6.6) |
22.79 (578.9) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 4.3 (10.9) |
4.5 (11.4) |
5.8 (14.7) |
2.5 (6.4) |
0.2 (0.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.3) |
0.4 (1) |
2.5 (6.4) |
3.6 (9.1) |
23.9 (60.7) |
| % humidity | 68 | 70 | 70 | 60 | 60 | 65 | 65 | 67 | 63 | 61 | 65 | 70 | 65 |
| Source no. 1: The Weather Channel [8] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: Weatherbase [9] | |||||||||||||
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 18,504 people, 6,971 households, and 3,422 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,549.7 people per square mile (598.4/km²). There were 7,359 housing units at an average density of 616.3 per square mile (238.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.49% White, 0.44% African American, 0.99% Native American, 1.88% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 1,518 |
|
|
| 1900 | 2,846 | 87.5% | |
| 1910 | 2,971 | 4.4% | |
| 1920 | 3,921 | 32.0% | |
| 1930 | 4,376 | 11.6% | |
| 1940 | 5,346 | 22.2% | |
| 1950 | 7,764 | 45.2% | |
| 1960 | 10,558 | 36.0% | |
| 1970 | 13,717 | 29.9% | |
| 1980 | 14,951 | 9.0% | |
| 1990 | 16,270 | 8.8% | |
| 2000 | 18,504 | 13.7% | |
| 2010 | 22,056 | 19.2% | |
There were 6,971 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.9% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.4% under the age of 18, 36.6% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,266, and the median income for a family was $49,246. Males had a median income of $31,276 versus $22,763 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,028. About 7.3% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
The two largest ancestries in the city are:[10]
The largest religious affiliations of the people of Brookings are:[11]
| AM radio stations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | Call sign | Name | Format | Owner | City |
| 910 AM | KJJQ | The Ranch AM 910 | Country | Three Eagles Communications | Volga |
| 1430 AM | KBRK | Adult standards | Three Eagles Communications | Brookings | |
| FM radio stations | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | Call sign | Name | Format | Owner | Target city/market | City of license |
| 88.3 FM | KESD | South Dakota Public Broadcasting | NPR | SD Board of Directors for Educational Telecommunications | Brookings | Brookings |
| 88.7 FM | K204FH | Christian Contemporary WLOG-FM translator |
Edgewater Broadcasting, Inc | Brookings | Brookings | |
| 89.7 FM | K209DX | Christian WJFM-FM translator |
Jimmy Swaggart Ministries | Brookings | Brookings | |
| 90.7 FM | KSDJ | New Rock 90.7 | Alternative Rock | South Dakota State University | Brookings | Brookings |
| 93.7 FM | KBRK-FM | B93.7 | Hot AC | Three Eagles Communications | Brookings | Brookings |
| 95.5 FM | K238AX | Minnesota Public Radio | NPR | Minnesota Public Radio | Brookings | Brookings |
| 105.5 FM | K288EV | The Refuge | Contemporary Christian WJRF-FM translator |
Refuge Media Group | Brookings | Brookings |
| 102.3 FM | KKQQ | K-Country 102.3 | Country | Three Eagles Communications | Brookings | Volga |
| 107.1 FM | KDBX | 107.1 The Hawk | Classic Rock | Three Eagles Communications | Brookings | Clear Lake |
Brookings is served by Interstate 29 (north-south) and U.S. Route 14 (east-west).
Brookings Regional Airport no longer offers commercial flights. Watertown, SD, Huron, SD, and Sioux Falls are the nearest cities offering air transportation.
The City of Brookings owns nearly all city services and utilities including:
In addition, the city-owned telephone company, Swiftel, operates as a Sprint PCS affiliate, providing mobile telephone service to much of the Interstate 29 corridor, running from the Iowa/Nebraska border, north to Watertown. Cable TV is not provided by the city, however. The franchise holder is Mediacom.
The city has 34 places of worship, 19 ball fields, two public swimming pools, five movie screens, one daily newspaper (The Brookings Register), five commercial radio stations and one public station. In 2000, the assessed city value was $467,255,920.
On October 7, 2005, Brookings was featured on the reality-TV show Three Wishes.
Brookings is the host city of the annual Summit League Women's Soccer Championship. The winner of that tournament clinches an automatic berth into the Division 1 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship.
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