Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County
Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls
Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls
Map of South Dakota highlighting Minnehaha County
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
Map of the United States highlighting South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°41′N 96°47′W / 43.68°N 96.79°W / 43.68; -96.79
Country United States
State South Dakota
Founded1862 (created)
1868 (organized)
Named for"rapid water"
SeatSioux Falls
Largest citySioux Falls
Area
 • Total814 sq mi (2,110 km2)
 • Land807 sq mi (2,090 km2)
 • Water6.7 sq mi (17 km2)  0.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total197,214
 • Estimate 
(2023)
206,930 Increase
 • Density239/sq mi (92/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districtAt-large
Websitewww.minnehahacounty.org

Minnehaha County is a county on the eastern border of the state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 197,214,[1] making it the state's most populous county. It contains over 20% of the state's population. Its county seat is Sioux Falls,[2] South Dakota's most populous city. The county was created in 1862 and organized in 1868.[3] Its name was derived from the Sioux word Mnihaha, meaning "rapid water," or "waterfall" (often incorrectly translated as "laughing water").[4]

Minnehaha County is part of the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, the state's largest.

  1. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2006. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  4. ^ Stewart, George R. (1945). Names on the Land. Random House. p. 291. In the language of the Sioux, a waterfall was haha; water itself was minne. White men by a misunderstanding had coupled the two words, and produced Minnehaha Falls, a name thus meaning "water-waterfalls-falls". By a complete though natural misunderstanding of haha, the name had been romantically translated as Laughing Water