Vermillion, South Dakota

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Vermillion Waséoyuze
City
Vermillion, South Dakota
Downtown Vermillion
Location in Clay County and the state of South Dakota
Vermillion Location in the United States
Coordinates: 42°46′52″N 96°55′37″W / 42.78111°N 96.92694°W / 42.78111; -96.92694Coordinates: 42°46′52″N 96°55′37″W / 42.78111°N 96.92694°W / 42.78111; -96.92694
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
County	Clay
Incorporated	1877[2]
Government
• Type	Council–manager[1]
• Mayor	Kelsey Collier-Wise
Area [3]
• Total	4.57 sq mi (11.83 km2)
• Land	4.57 sq mi (11.83 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,224 ft (373 m)
Population  (2010)[5]
• Total	10,571
• Estimate  (2019)[4]	10,926
• Density	2,392.38/sq mi (923.67/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code	57069
Area code(s)	605 Exchanges: 624,638,677
FIPS code	46-66700
GNIS feature ID	1258745[6]
Website	City of Vermillion

Vermillion (Lakota: Waséoyuze;^[7] "The Place Where Vermilion is Obtained") is a city in and the county seat of Clay County.^[8] It is located in the southeastern corner of South Dakota, United States and is the eleventh largest city in the state. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 10,571. The city lies atop a bluff near the Missouri River.

The area has been home to Native American tribes for centuries. French fur traders first visited in the late 18th century. Vermillion was founded in 1859 and incorporated in 1873. The name refers to the Lakota name: wa sa wak pa'la (red stream). Home to the University of South Dakota, Vermillion has a mixed academic and rural character: the university is a major academic institution for the state, with its only law and medical schools and its only AACSB-accredited business school. Major farm products include corn, soybeans, and alfalfa.

History[]

Lewis and Clark camped at the mouth of the Vermillion River near the present-day town on August 24, 1804. The previous day, they had killed their first bison; the following day, they climbed Spirit Mound. In May 1843, John James Audubon visited the Vermillion ravine to view the bird life. The town was considered for the location of South Dakota's first mental institution (now the Human Services Center) in 1873, but the hospital was eventually awarded to nearby Yankton. The original town was entirely below the bluffs on the banks of the Missouri River, and three-quarters of it washed away in the Great Flood of 1881...

William Jennings Bryan and William Howard Taft—candidates for the U.S. presidency in the 1908 election—spoke in Vermillion on September 28 and 29, 1908, respectively. Along with Eugene Chafin, they toured South Dakota by train, including stops in Mitchell, Tripp, Yankton, and Elk Point.^[9]

John Philip Sousa conducted the Sousa Band on October 26, 1926, at the facility that in 1929 became known as Slagle Auditorium.^[10]

On March 24, 1967, in Vermillion, Thomas James White Hawk and William Stands murdered jeweler James Yeado and raped his wife.^[11]

Geography[]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.03 square miles (10.44 km²), all land.^[12]

The elevation of the city is 1,221 feet (372 m).

Climate[]

Government[]

Vermillion operates under the council-manager form of government. Its governing body has nine members. Eight City Council members are elected from four wards, with two members representing each ward. The Mayor is elected at-large and presides over City Council meetings. The mayor may vote on all matters coming before the governing body. With the consent of the City Council, the mayor appoints individuals to serve on the Library Board and Planning Commission. The Library Board oversees the operations of the Vermillion Public Library and appoints a Library Director. All services and programs provided by the library are overseen by the board. The Planning Commission is charged with overseeing the long-range planning of the community, including zoning issues, subdivisions and formulation of the Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission serves a vital role in recommending major policy changes to the governing body for the development of the community.

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	714		—
1890	1,496		109.5%
1900	2,188		46.3%
1910	2,187		0.0%
1920	2,590		18.4%
1930	2,850		10.0%
1940	3,324		16.6%
1950	5,337		60.6%
1960	6,102		14.3%
1970	9,128		49.6%
1980	10,136		11.0%
1990	10,034		−1.0%
2000	9,765		−2.7%
2010	10,571		8.3%
2019 (est.)	10,926	[4]	3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]

2010 census[]

As of the census^[5] of 2010, there were 10,571 people, 3,811 households, and 1,692 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,623.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,012.8/km²). There were 4,043 housing units at an average density of 1,003.2 per square mile (387.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.6% White, 1.7% African American, 3.6% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 3,811 households, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.8% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 55.6% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.90.

The median age in the city was 23.4 years. 15.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 41.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.7% were from 25 to 44; 14.4% were from 45 to 64; and 8.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census[]

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,765 people, 3,647 households, and 1,801 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,549.3 people per square mile (984.4/km²). There were 3,967 housing units at an average density of 1,035.6 per square mile (399.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.95% White, 1.29% African American, 3.37% Native American, 2.46% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 1.07% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,647 households, out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.6% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.5% under the age of 18, 36.2% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 13.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $24,095, and the median income for a family was $40,109. Males had a median income of $28,180 versus $20,975 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,909. 26.2% of the population and 16.2% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 19.0% are under the age of 18 and 14.8% are 65 or older.

For the population 25 years and over, 90.7% have a high school education or higher; 45.4% have a bachelor's degree or higher; and 21.2% have a graduate or professional degree.

For ancestries, 36% claim German ancestry; 14.2% Norwegian; 13.4% Irish; 6.6% English; 5.5% Dutch; and 4% Swedish.

Major employers[]

Company	Employees (est.)[15]	Location
Dakota Care Center of Vermillion	90	125 S Walker St
Cafe Brule	70	24 W. Main St
Eagle Creek Software Services	50	1215 W. Cherry St
Hy-Vee	135	525 W Cherry St
Polaris Industries	120	1997 Polaris Pkwy
Sanford Health Network	233	20 S Plum St
Sesdac Inc	130	1314 E Cherry St
	96	PO Box B434
University of South Dakota	800	414 E Clark St
Vermillion City	157	25 Center St
	170[16]	17 Prospect St
Walmart	100	1207 Princeton St

Parks[]

Vermillion's nine parks, totaling 91 acres (37 ha), include several major city parks: Prentis Park, Cotton Park, Barstow Park, and Lions Park. Lions Park offers camping.^[17] Prentis Park includes a new swimming pool opened in 2017, with a waterslide, diving board, shallow play area, "lazy river", and snack bar. The park also features a disc golf course and a baseball diamond which was the home of the , of the . The baseball field is currently home of the Vermillion High School, Post 1 American Legion, University of South Dakota club, and VFW teams. The city owns and operates The Bluffs Golf Course,^[18] an 18-hole championship golf course that overlooks the river bluffs. Vermillion also offers a bike trail along the Vermillion River and several neighborhood parks: Bliss Park, JC Park, Ty Park, Bluffs Park, and Rotary Park.^[19]

Museums[]

The University of South Dakota's National Music Museum (NMM) is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in Washington, D.C., and is recognized as "A Landmark of American Music" by the National Music Council. It includes more than 15,000 American, European, and non-Western instruments.^[20]

Murals[]

Vermillion currently has five murals located in the downtown business district, three of which are community based murals. All three community murals are painted on the Coyote Twin Theater building; the first was painted in 2017, the second was painted in 2019, and the third was painted in 2020.^[21] The first mural - Painting the Town - was designed as the first mural for the Vermillion Community Mural Project by Amber Hansen, a painting professor at the University of South Dakota.^[22][21]

During the summer of 2019 and summer of 2020, Reyna Hernandez was the lead artist on two murals on the Coyote Twin Building the form a larger cohesive mural.^[23] Hernandez is of the Yankton-Sioux Tribe tribe was assisted by Elizabeth Skye of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and Inkpa Mani lead group discussions to help create imagery centered around Native Americans and Native American creation stories.^[23][24]

Notable people[]

• Rachael Bella, actress
• Joseph Bottum, writer
• Kevin Brady, U.S. Representative (R-Texas)
• Shawn Colvin, singer-songwriter
• Doug Dickey, college football coach
• Carl Gunderson, former Governor of South Dakota
• Jon Hoadley, Michigan state legislator
• Chelsea Houska, television personality (Teen Mom 2)
• Jeanne Ives, Illinois state representative
• Tim Johnson, U.S. Senator (D-South Dakota)
• John L. Jolley, U.S. Congressman (R-South Dakota)
• Jeff Kidder, lawman
• Ben Leber, NFL football linebacker
• Andrew E. Lee, South Dakota's third Governor
• Paradise Fears, alternative pop-rock band (Cole Andre, Jordan Merrigan, Samuel Miller, Marcus Sand, Michael Walker, Lucas Zimmerman)
• Byron S. Payne, Attorney General of South Dakota^[25]
• Billy Yost, musician (The Kickback)
• Todd Tiahrt, U.S. Representative (R-Kansas)
• Abby Whiteside, piano teacher and theorist
• , radio personality^{[26][circular reference][27]}
• , oldest college baseball player at 42, local golf legend ^[28]

Media[]

AM radio[]

AM radio stations
Frequency	Call sign	Name	Format	Owner	City
570 kHz	WNAX	WNAX Radio 570	News/Talk	Saga Communications	Yankton
1450 kHz	KYNT	Yankton's Home Team	Soft Adult Contemporary	Riverfront Broadcasting LLC	Yankton
1570 kHz	KVTK	1570 "The Ticket"		5 Star Communications	Vermillion

FM radio[]

FM radio stations
Frequency	Call sign	Name	Format	Owner	Target city/market	City of license
89.7 MHz	KUSD	South Dakota Public Broadcasting	National Public Radio	SD Board of Directors for Educational Telecommunications	Yankton/Vermillion	Vermillion
91.1 MHz	KAOR	Coyote Radio 91.1	College	The University of South Dakota	Yankton/Vermillion	Vermillion
93.1 MHz	KKYA	KK93	Country	Riverfront Broadcasting LLC	Yankton/Vermillion	Yankton
94.3 MHz	KDAM	The Current	Top-40	Riverfront Broadcasting LLC	Yankton/Vermillion	Hartington
104.1 MHz	WNAX-FM	The Wolf 104.1	Country	Saga Communications	Yankton/Vermillion	Yankton
106.3 MHz	KVHT	Classic Hits 106.3	Classic Hits	5 Star Communications	Yankton/Vermillion	Vermillion

Sister city[]

Ratingen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been the sister city of Vermillion since 1969.^[29]

See also[]

• List of cities in South Dakota

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vermillion, South Dakota.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Vermillion (South Dakota).

• Official website
• Vermillion EMS
• Vermillion Plain Talk - local newspaper
• University of South Dakota