Aberdeen is a city

City

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

 in and the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Brown County, South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, about 125 mi (200 km) northeast of Pierre

Pierre, South Dakota

Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...

. Settled in 1880, it was incorporated in 1882. The city population was 26,091 at the 2010 census. The American News is the local newspaper. It is the home of Northern State University

Northern State University

Northern State University is a four-year public university located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States. NSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and offers 38 majors and 42 minors, as well as six associate, eight pre-professional and nine graduate degrees.-History:Founded on the...

 (NSU), and Presentation College (PC).

Aberdeen is the principal city of the Aberdeen Micropolitan Statistical Area

Aberdeen micropolitan area

The Aberdeen Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in South Dakota, anchored by the city of Aberdeen...

, which includes all of Brown and Edmunds

Edmunds County, South Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,367 people, 1,681 households, and 1,210 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile . There were 2,022 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...

 counties and has a population of 40,602 in 2010.
Aberdeen is located in northeastern South Dakota, in the James River

James River (Dakotas)

The James River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 710 mi long, draning an area of in the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota...

 valley, approximately 11 miles (18 km) west of the river.