Yankton, South Dakota

Yankton, South Dakota
City
Yankton (right) along the Missouri River with the Meridian Bridge connecting Nebraska, looking west
Yankton (right) along the Missouri River with the Meridian Bridge connecting Nebraska, looking west
Nickname: 
"Mother City of the Dakotas"
Location in Yankton County and the state of South Dakota
Location in Yankton County and the state of South Dakota
Coordinates: 42°53′02″N 97°21′54″W / 42.88389°N 97.36500°W / 42.88389; -97.36500
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Dakota
CountyYankton
Incorporated1869[1]
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • MayorNathan Johnson[2]
 • City ManagerAmy Leon[3]
Area
[4]
 • City8.91 sq mi (23.08 km2)
 • Land8.67 sq mi (22.45 km2)
 • Water0.24 sq mi (0.62 km2)
Elevation
[5]
1,243 ft (379 m)
Population
 (2020)[6]
 • City15,411
 • Density1,777.51/sq mi (686.31/km2)
 • Metro
23,297 (US: 485th)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
57078-57079
Area code605
FIPS code46-73060[7]
GNIS feature ID1267665[5]
Websitecityofyankton.org

Yankton is a city in and the county seat of Yankton County, South Dakota, United States.

The population was 15,411 at the 2020 census, making it the 7th most populous city in South Dakota,[8] and it is the principal city of the Yankton Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entirety of Yankton County and which had an estimated population of 23,297 as of July 1, 2021. As the first capital of Dakota Territory, it was named after the Yankton tribe of Western Dakota people; Yankton is derived from the Dakota word I-hank-ton-wan ("the end village").[9]

Yankton is located on the Missouri River just downstream of the Gavins Point Dam and Lewis and Clark Lake, and just upstream of the confluence with the James River. The United States National Park Service's headquarters for the Missouri National Recreational River are located in the city. The Human Services Center was established as a psychiatric hospital in 1882 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Yankton is commonly referred to as the "River City",[10] due to its proximity to the Missouri River and the importance the river played in the city's settlement and development. Yankton has also earned the nickname "Mother City of the Dakotas", due to the early important role it played in the creation and development of the Dakota Territory, which later became the 39th and 40th U.S. states of North and South Dakota.[11]

Owing to the early exploitation of Fort Hays Limestone for cement manufacture, including shipment of cement to the construction of the Panama Canal,[12] Yankton once also had the nickname "Cement City".[13]

  1. ^ "SD Towns" (PDF). South Dakota State Historical Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 10, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  2. ^ "Boards and Committees". City of Yankton. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  3. ^ "City Manager". Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  4. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  5. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Yankton, South Dakota
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  8. ^ "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  9. ^ Riggs, S.R., The Reverend (1852) – Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge: Grammar and Dictionary of the Dakota Language. Smithsonian Institution/G.P. Putnam, New York, N.Y. pp. 297, 336.
  10. ^ "City of Yankton, South Dakota". South Dakota Magazine. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  11. ^ "SC 18 Honoring the city of Yankton on the one hundred fiftieth anniver..." sd.us. Archived from the original on March 7, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  12. ^ Kathy K. Grow; Lois H. Varvel (2004). Yankton, South Dakota in Vintage Postcards. Arcadia. p. 24. ISBN 9780738532332. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  13. ^ Paula Kapitan (January 26, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Gurney, Charles, Hotel". National Park Service. Retrieved August 5, 2019. With accompanying pictures