Aberdeen is a
cityA 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 seatA 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 DakotaSouth 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 StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, about 125 mi (200 km) northeast of
PierrePierre 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 UniversityNorthern 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 AreaThe 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
EdmundsAs 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.
Geography and climate
Aberdeen is located in northeastern South Dakota, in the
James RiverThe 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. The James River enters northeastern South Dakota in Brown County, where it is dammed to form two reservoirs northeast of Aberdeen. The city is bisected by
Moccasin Creek, a slow-moving waterway which flows south and then northeast to the James River.
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 13 square miles (33.7 km²), of which, 13 square miles (33.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.54%) is water.
Aberdeen has been assigned the
ZIP codeZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
range 57401-57402.\
Climate
Aberdeen is subject to wide extremes and fluctuations in temperature. Average temperatures range from 11 °F in January to 72 °F in July, and records from −46 °F in 1895 and 1912 to 115 °F (twice) in 1936.
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration maintains a National Weather Service office in Aberdeen. Their area of responsibility includes northern and eastern South Dakota and two counties in west-central Minnesota.
History
Settlement
Before Aberdeen or Brown County was inhabited by European settlers, it was inhabited by the Sioux Indians from approximately 1700 to 1879. The first appearance of Caucasians was with the founding of fur trading posts during the 1820s; these trading posts remained operational until the mid 1830s. The first “settlers” of this region were the
Arikara IndiansArikara are a group of Native Americans in North Dakota...
, but they would later be joined by others.
The first group of Caucasian settlers to reach the area that is now Brown County was a party of only four people, three horses, two mules, fifteen cattle, and two wagons. This group of settlers was later joined by another group the following spring, and eventually more and more settlers migrated towards this general area which is currently
Columbia, South DakotaColumbia is a city in Brown County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 136 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Columbia is located at ....
. This town was established on June 15, 1879.
The majority of the settlers were Caucasian, with the next largest group being Native American, a trend that has continued to this day.
Creation of the town
Aberdeen, like many towns of the Midwest, was built around the newly developing railroad systems. Aberdeen was first officially plotted as a town site on January 3, 1881, by Charles Prior, the superintendent of the Minneapolis office of the
Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul RailroadThe Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...
, or the Milwaukee Road for short, which was presided over by
Alexander MitchellAlexander Mitchell was a Scottish-born banker, railroad financier and Democratic politician in Milwaukee.He was born in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and immigrated to the United States in 1839...
. Mitchell, Charles Prior’s boss, was born in
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Scotland, after which the town of Aberdeen, South Dakota, was named. Aberdeen was officially founded on July 6, 1881, the date of the first arrival of a Milwaukee Railroad train. Aberdeen then operated under a city charter granted by the Territorial Legislature in March, 1883.
As Aberdeen grew, many businesses and buildings were constructed along Aberdeen’s Main Street. However, this soon became a problem due to Aberdeen’s “unique” geography; Aberdeen is, after all, referred to as “The Town in the Frog Pond”. At first, this unique condition presented no problem to the newly constructed buildings because it had not rained very much; but eventually, citizens would see how inconvenient the problem would become. During dry periods, this Frog Pond caused no trouble and was unnoticeable; but when heavy rains fell, the Pond reappeared and flooded the basements of every building on Main Street, causing many business owners and home owners much turmoil. When this flooding happened, the city had only one little steam pump that had to be used to dry out the entire area that had been flooded, which would take days, if not weeks – and more often than not, it would have rained again in this time period and caused even more flooding, even in the basements that had already been emptied of the water. And then, even once the water was gone from the basements, the city still had to deal with the mud that was also a result of the heavy rains. It was because of this Frog Pond that the city decided in 1882 to build an artesian ditch, which was later upgraded and developed into an artesian well in 1884 to combat the heavy rains and keep the basements from flooding. Even though the artesian well was designed by the city engineers to prevent flooding and develop a water system, this was not how things happened; during the digging of the well, the water stream that was found underground was too powerful to contain due to the built up pressure, which caused the water to come blasting out with violent force and soon had the entire Main Street under, in some cases, four feet of water. The engineers realized the previous flaws of the artesian well plan and soon added a gate valve to the well to control the flow of water, giving Aberdeen its first working water supply.
By 1886, Aberdeen had three different railroad companies with depots built in the newly developing town. With these three railroads intersecting here, Aberdeen soon became known as the “Hub City of the Dakotas”. When looking down on Aberdeen from above, the railroad tracks converging in Aberdeen resembled the spokes of a wheel converging at a hub, hence the name “Hub City of the Dakotas”. These three railroad companies are the reason why Aberdeen was able to grow and flourish as it did; however, only one of these railroads is still running through Aberdeen, the railroad today known as the Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
Aberdeen is the county seat of Brown County. The original county seat was, however,
ColumbiaColumbia is a city in Brown County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 136 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Columbia is located at ....
. During the days of the railroad construction, plans were laid to bring the railroad through Columbia, then the county seat. When word of this spread, land in and around Columbia soared in price due to speculation. When time came for the railroads to purchase land, the increase in land prices led them to change their decision and instead to route the rail lines through Aberdeen. However, once Aberdeen became a town in 1881, there was a long-running controversy concerning which town would be the county seat, which continued until 1890, when it was declared by the newly formed South Dakota state constitution in 1889 that a majority vote could move the county seat if the county seat in question had originally been established by less than a majority vote. The result of the vote declared that Aberdeen would be the county seat once and for all, so all of the records were once again transferred to Aberdeen’s courthouse; during the battle for county seat, the records had been moved from Columbia’s courthouse to Aberdeen’s courthouse (which was built from 1886 to 1887), and back again to Columbia’s in what seemed to be a never-ending cycle of the transferring of records. This was typically done in the form of nighttime raids from the two towns.
May 2007 flood
During a 48-hour period beginning on the morning of Friday, May 4, and ending on the morning of Sunday, May 6, Aberdeen received 9.12 inches (231.6 mm) of precipitation. This rain flooded city streets, making many of them impassable for a short time, and caused water damage to many homes. Within 2 weeks of the storm, over 300 families had requested assistance from disaster response agencies. By May 25, 104 houses had been condemned due to the damage; of these, 47 were declared unlivable. Brown County, which includes Aberdeen, was declared a disaster area.
Demographics
As of the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 24,658 people, 10,553 households and 6,184 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,902.1 per square mile (734.4/km²). There were 11,259 housing units at an average density of 868.5 per square mile (335.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.61% White, 0.37% Black or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 3.17% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.99% from two or more races. 0.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 53.7% were of
GermanThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, 15% Norwegian and 8.5%
IrishIrish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 10,553 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% 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 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,276, and the median income for a family was $43,882. Males had a median income of $30,355 versus $20,092 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,923. About 7.6% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
Public schools
The Aberdeen School District 6–1 has five elementary schools. These are C.C. Lee, Lincoln, May Overby, O.M. Tiffany and Simmons. The two middle schools are Holgate, which serves the north side of Aberdeen, and Simmons, which serves the south side of the city. There is one high school,
Central High SchoolCentral High School is a high school located in Aberdeen, South Dakota with an enrollment of approximately 1,200 students. Since 2004, the school has been located at a new site located at 2200 South Roosevelt Street. The new location is on the outskirts of the southeast side of town.The Thomas F....
. The
Hub Area Technical School is located in the district. Aberdeen also has an alternative middle and high school.
The Aberdeen School District’s enrollment for the year 2006–2007 was approximately 3,650 students, and the average class size was in the low to mid twenties. Due to a projected increase in enrollment and the modernization of facilities, Simmons Middle school will be significantly remodeled with the demolition of the original 1929 building and the addition of a new classroom and cafeteria building. The public school in Aberdeen is AA under the SDHSAA.
Parochial schools
Aberdeen has several parochial schools, including the Catholic-affiliated
Roncalli High SchoolRoncalli High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Aberdeen, South Dakota. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls.-Athletics:Roncalli is a member of the South Dakota High School Activities Association...
, the nondenominational
Aberdeen Christian School and the
Trinity Lutheran School (WELS).
Special programs
The
South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually ImpairedThe South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a state-supported school located in Aberdeen, South Dakota that provides services to meet the educational needs of sensory impaired children from birth through twenty-one in South Dakota. SDSBVI is governed by the South Dakota Board...
is a state special school under the direction of the
South Dakota Board of RegentsThe South Dakota Board of Regents governs South Dakota's six public universities: Black Hills State University, Dakota State University, Northern State University, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, South Dakota State University, and the University of South Dakota...
.
Northern State University
Northern State UniversityNorthern 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...
is a public university that was founded in 1901 and today occupies a 72 acres (291,373.9 m²) campus. 2,528 students, ranging from first year to graduate students, attended NSU for the 2006–2007 school year. The student to teacher ratio is 19:1.
NSU was originally called the Institute of South Dakota before changing its name to Northern Normal and Industrial School in 1901. It changed its name again in 1939 when it became the Northern State Teachers College, and again in 1964, becoming Northern State College before finalizing at Northern State University in 1989.
NSU offers thirty-eight majors and forty-two minors as well as other degrees, and also has nine graduate degree areas for students wishing to further their education after achieving their first degree.
The mascot of NSU is the wolf.
Presentation College
Presentation CollegePresentation College is a Catholic private college, with campuses located in Aberdeen and Eagle Butte, South Dakota, and Fairmont, Minnesota. The college, founded in 1922, has a current enrollment of 786 students.- History :...
is a Catholic college on a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) campus. PC had approximately 800 students in the 2006 spring semester. PC offers 26 programs between the main Aberdeen campus and the other campuses located throughout the state. Most of the degrees offered are in the health-care field. The student to teacher ratio is 12:1. Presenation's mascot is the Saint, giving it the nickname the Presentation College Saints.
Healthcare
Aberdeen’s main healthcare provider is the
Avera St. Luke’s Hospital. There are several nursing homes in the area, including Avera Mother Joseph Manor,
Manor CareManor Care, Inc., through its operating group HCR Manor Care, is a major provider in the United States of both short-term post-acute and long-term care. As of 2007, it had more than 500 skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers, assisted living facilities, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and...
, Bethesda, Angelhaus and Gellhaus Carehaus.
Arts and culture
The Aberdeen area has several cultural organizations.
The Aberdeen Area Arts Council publishes a small monthly newspaper,
ARTiFACTS, with information on area events.
The Aberdeen Community Theatre was created in 1979 and performs at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Aberdeen. The Capitol Theatre was originally built in 1926 and donated to the Aberdeen Community Theatre in 1991; since then more than $963,000 has been spent on renovating and preserving the historical aspect of the Capitol Theatre. Today, the Aberdeen Community Theatre performs five mainstage productions and three youth productions per year.
The NSU Theater Department puts on plays during the school year.
The ArtWorks Cooperative is a partnership of artists who work to market their artwork in a gallery setting. The ArtWorks Cooperative sells artists’ work and provides an environment that will benefit the artist in terms of artist-to-artist communication, and public interest.
There are four galleries in Aberdeen: Presentation College’s Wein Gallery,
Northern State UniversityNorthern 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...
’s Lincoln Gallery, the Aberdeen Recreation & Cultural Center (ARCC) Gallery and the ArtWorks Cooperative Gallery located in the Lakewood Mall.
Media
- Newspaper
- The Aberdeen American News was founded as a weekly in 1885, by C.W. Starling and Paul Ware. It is a daily newspaper.
AM Radio
| AM radio stations |
| Frequency | Call sign | Name | Format | Owner | City |
| 930 AM |
KSDN KSDN is a radio station licensed to serve Aberdeen, South Dakota. The station is owned by Armada Media Corporation, and licensed to Armada Media - Aberdeen, Inc...
|
News/Talk 930 KSDN |
News/Talk |
Armada Media |
Aberdeen |
| 1420 AM |
KGIMKGIM is a radio station licensed to serve Aberdeen, South Dakota. The station is owned by Armada Media Corporation and licensed to Armada Media - Aberdeen, Inc...
|
ESPN Radio 1420/107.1 |
Sports Talk Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
|
Armada Media |
Aberdeen |
| 1560 AM |
KKAA KKAA is a radio station licensed to serve Aberdeen, South Dakota. The station is owned by Family Stations, Inc. It airs a Christian radio format....
|
Family Radio |
Christian radio Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
|
Family Stations, Inc. |
Aberdeen |
FM Radio
| FM radio stations |
| Frequency | Call sign | Name | Format | Owner | Target city/market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
| City of license A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
|
| 88.1 FM |
K201HB |
The Effect |
Christian RockChristian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
KEFX-FM translator |
Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls, Idaho |
Aberdeen |
Mina |
| 88.9 FM |
K205ED |
CSN International |
Christian
KAWZ-FM translator |
Christian Broadcasters of Idaho |
Aberdeen |
Aberdeen |
| 90.1 FM |
KEEAAmerican Family Radio is a network of more than 180 radio stations broadcasting Christian-oriented programming to over 40 states.-Overview:AFR was launched by Rev...
|
American Family Radio |
Christian |
American Family AssociationThe American Family Association is a 501 non-profit organization that promotes conservative Christian values, such as opposition to same-sex marriage, pornography, and abortion, as well as other public policy goals such as deregulation of the oil industry and lobbying against the Employee Free...
|
Aberdeen |
Aberdeen |
| 90.9 FM |
KDSD-FMSouth Dakota Public Broadcasting, or SDPB for short, is a state network of Public Broadcasting Service Non-commercial educational Public television and NPR radio stations serving the state of South Dakota. The stations are operated by the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunication, a...
|
South Dakota Public Broadcasting |
NPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
|
SD Board of Directors for Educational Telecommunications |
Aberdeen |
Pierpoint |
| 91.7 FM |
K07JDSouth Dakota Public Broadcasting, or SDPB for short, is a state network of Public Broadcasting Service Non-commercial educational Public television and NPR radio stations serving the state of South Dakota. The stations are operated by the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunication, a...
|
South Dakota Public Broadcasting |
NPR |
SD Board of Directors for Educational Telecommunications |
Aberdeen |
Aberdeen |
| 94.1 FM |
KSDN-FM KSDN-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Aberdeen, South Dakota. The station is owned by Armada Media Corporation, and licensed to Armada Media - Aberdeen, Inc...
|
94.1 The Rock |
Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.-Format background:...
|
Armada Media |
Aberdeen |
Aberdeen |
| 94.9 FM |
KLRJ K-LOVE is a Contemporary Christian music radio programming service in the United States operated by the Educational Media Foundation. As of January 2011, K-LOVE's programming is carried on over 440 FM stations and translators in 45 states. K-LOVE claims an audience of 250,000 people each week via...
|
K-Love |
Contemporary Christian Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
|
Educational Media Foundation |
Aberdeen |
Aberdeen |
| 97.7 FM |
KNBZKNBZ is a radio station licensed to serve Redfield, South Dakota. The station is owned by Hub City Radio, a division of Armada Media Corporation, and licensed to Armada Media - Aberdeen, Inc...
|
Sunny 97.7 |
Adult Contemporary |
Armada Media |
Aberdeen |
Redfield |
| 98.5 FM |
K253AB |
Praise FM |
Contemporary Christian Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
KBHL-FM translator |
Christian Heritage Broadcasting |
Aberdeen |
Aberdeen |
| 103.7 FM |
KGIM-FM KGIM-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Redfield, South Dakota. The station is owned by Armada Media Corporation, and licensed to Armada Media - Aberdeen, Inc...
|
Pheasant Country 103 |
CountryA country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
|
Armada Media |
Aberdeen |
Redfield |
| 105.5 FM |
KMOMKMOM is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Roscoe, South Dakota, USA, the station serves the Aberdeen area...
|
Dakota 105.5 |
CountryA country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
|
Dakota Broadcasting |
Aberdeen |
Roscoe |
| 106.7 FM |
KBFOKBFO-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Top 40 music format. Licensed to Aberdeen, South Dakota, USA, the station serves the Aberdeen area...
|
Point FM |
Top 40 |
Armada Media |
Aberdeen |
Aberdeen |
| 107.1 FM |
K296FWKGIM is a radio station licensed to serve Aberdeen, South Dakota. The station is owned by Armada Media Corporation and licensed to Armada Media - Aberdeen, Inc...
|
ESPN Radio 1420/107.1 |
Sports Talk Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
KGIM-AMKGIM is a radio station licensed to serve Aberdeen, South Dakota. The station is owned by Armada Media Corporation and licensed to Armada Media - Aberdeen, Inc...
translator |
Armada Media |
Aberdeen |
Aberdeen |
| 107.7 FM |
KABD KABD is a radio station broadcasting an Adult Hits format. Licensed to Ipswich, South Dakota, USA, the station serves the Aberdeen area. The station is currently owned by Dakota Broadcasting.-External links:*...
|
Aberdeen's Best |
Adult Hits Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
|
Dakota Broadcasting |
Aberdeen |
Ipswich |
Television
-
- KUSD-TV
South Dakota Public Broadcasting, or SDPB for short, is a state network of Public Broadcasting Service Non-commercial educational Public television and NPR radio stations serving the state of South Dakota. The stations are operated by the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunication, a...
, PBSThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- KELO-TV
KELO is the CBS affiliate television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, broadcasting on digital channel 11. South Dakotans pronounce its call letters as a homonym of "hello"...
, CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
- KDLT-TV
KDLT, is an NBC affiliated television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA, serving Eastern South Dakota and Southwestern Minnesota. It broadcasts on ATSC channel 47, which redirects to former NTSC channel 46 via PSIP. It also operates a full-powered satellite station--KDLV in Mitchell, South...
, NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
- KSFY-TV
KSFY-TV is the ABC television affiliate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It broadcasts on ATSC Channel 13 . Its transmitter is located near Rowena, South Dakota. KSFY is currently owned by Hoak Media Corporation of Dallas, Texas.-Station history:...
, ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Family Aquatic Center
Completed in the summer of 2007, this complex includes a zero entry pool, competition lap pool, lazy river, numerous water slides, play sand area, and a concession area.
Tennis
Aberdeen is presently home to 24 public tennis courts throughout the city – Melgaard Park (4), Northern State University (12), and Holgate Middle School (8).
Golf
Aberdeen has three golf courses. These are Lee Park Municipal Golf Course, Moccassin Creek Country Club and Rolling Hills Country Club. Lee Park and Moccassin Creek are both 18 hole courses. Rolling Hills is a combined nine hole course and housing development which opened in 2005.
Hockey / Ice Skating
Aberdeen has multiple outdoor skating rinks and hockey rinks open to the public during winter months.
Skateboarding/rollerblading
Aberdeen has a skate park located between East Melgaard Road and 17th Ave SE at Melgaard Park. The equipment installed includes a quarter pipe, penalty box with half pyramid, bank ramp, spine, kinked rail and a ground rail.
Disc golf
Aberdeen has two disc golf courses,
Kuhnert ArboretumKuhnert Arboretum is an arboretum and nature area located at the corner of Melgaard Road and Dakota Street South, Aberdeen, South Dakota. The arboretum contains deciduous, coniferous, and ornamental trees, as well as large shrubs. The Arboretum is also home to a 9-hole disc golf course of easy...
and the Richmond Lake Disc Golf Course.
Richmond Lake Recreation Area
The Richmond Lake Recreation Area is used by all types of outdoors enthusiasts. Three separate areas in this park cater to the needs of campers, swimmers, naturalists, boaters and anglers. Campers stay in the South Unit, while the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) Forest Drive Unit is a great place for wildlife viewing. The Boat Ramp Unit provides access to the more than 1000 acres (4 km²) lake.
Camping/cabins
Richmond Lake Recreation Area's small campground offers a quiet camping experience. The park also features a wheelchair accessible camping cabin.
Trails
The park's extensive trail system features over 10 miles (16.1 km) of trails, including both accessible and interpretive trails. Hikers, bikers and horseback riders can observe the abundance of prairie plants and wildlife of the area up-close.
Boating
The park has multiple private and public boat ramps as well as an accessible fishing dock. Richmond Lake has a population of walleye, northern pike, bass, perch, crappie, bluegill, catfish, and bullheads within its waters. An entrance fee is required to gain access to the water and park itself.
Wylie Park Recreation Area
Wylie Park Recreation Area features go kart racing, sand volleyball courts, access to Wylie Lake, camping area, picnic areas, and is connected to Storybook Land. Wylie Lake is a small man-made lake, open in the summer months for swimming, lying on the beach, and paddleboating.
Storybook Land
Storybook Land is a park with attractions from several different children's storybooks. The park contains a castle, as well as a train that takes visitors through the park. There are two barns which contain petting zoos. Newly added is the Land of Oz, that features characters and attractions from L. Frank Baum's "Wizard of Oz". Baum was a resident of Aberdeen in the 1880s, but left after the failure of the newspaper he was editing.
Minor League Baseball
Aberdeen has been home to three minor league baseball teams since 1920. The Aberdeen Boosters, a class D league team, played in 1920, the Aberdeen Grays, also a class D team, played from 1921 to 1923. The class C
Aberdeen PheasantsThe Aberdeen Pheasants were a class C minor league baseball team located in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The Pheasants were the Class C minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Browns until 1953. When the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954 and changed their name to the Orioles, the Pheasants remained in...
from 1946 to 1971, and 1995 to 1997. The Pheasants were the affiliate of the former
St. Louis BrownsThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(current
Baltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
). Aberdeen was a stop to the majors for such notable players as
Don LarsenDonald James Larsen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1953-67 for seven different teams. Larsen is best known for pitching the sixth perfect game in baseball history, doing so in game 5 of the 1956 World Series...
(perfect game in the World Series), Lou Pinella (AL rookie of the year with
Kansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
in 1969), and
Jim PalmerJames Alvin "Jim" Palmer , nicknamed "Cakes", is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in .As of 2008, Palmer and his wife Susan have homes in Palm Beach, Florida, and...
, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles.
Religion
There are many Christian churches in Aberdeen, but few houses of worship for other religions. There are several Roman Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran and Methodist churches in the area, as well as one synagogue.
Local government
Aberdeen is the center of government for Brown County. City government is overseen by a mayor/city manager and eight council members. The city council is composed of Mayor Mike Levson, City Manager Lynn Lander and council members Todd Campbell, Nancy Aman, James Kraft, Jeff Mitchell, Tom Agnitsch, David Bunsness, Clint Rux and Laure Swanson. Each council member serves a five year term. County government is overseen by five commissioners. Each county commissioner serves a five year term. The county commissioners include Duane Sutton, Tom Fischbach, Nancy Hansen, Burt Elliot, and Mike Wiese. Aberdeen is home to Brown County offices including clerk-magistrate, county auditor, landfill office, register of deeds, county treasurer, coroner, emergency management, highway superintendent, public welfare, state’s attorney, and a few others. The state senators from Brown County include Al Novstrup and Jim Hundstad, and the state representatives included H. Paul Dennert, Elaine Elliot, Dennis Feickert and David Novstrup. They are all in office until December 2012
In 2008, Gov Mike Rounds named Aberdeen 2008 South Dakota Community of the Year.
Major employers
- Avera Saint Luke’s Hospital: 1,500+ employees
- Aberdeen Public School District: 650
- 3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
: 402
- Wyndham Worldwide
Wyndham Worldwide is the holding company for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Group RCI and other lodging brands. It was spun off from Cendant Corporation in July 2006....
: 400
- Wells Fargo Auto Finance: 450
- Hub City Inc.: 339
- South Dakota Wheat Growers: 310
- Northern State University: 298
- Kessler’s, Inc.: 260
- Midstates Printing/Quality Quick Print: 300
Super 8 Motels
Super 8 MotelsSuper 8 Hotels Inc. is the world's largest budget hotel chain, with hotels in the United States and Canada, as well as newer properties in China. The company is a subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide, formerly a part of Cendant.-History:...
was founded in 1972 by Dennis Brown and Ron Rivett as a motel referral system, which was replaced with a franchise operation in 1973. The first Super 8, with 60 rooms, was opened in 1974 in Aberdeen and still operates today as the Super 8 Aberdeen East.
Air
The
Aberdeen Regional AirportAberdeen Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles east of the central business district of Aberdeen, a city in Brown County, South Dakota, United States...
is currently served by
Delta ConnectionDelta Connection is the name under which a number of individually owned regional airlines and one wholly owned regional carrier operate short and medium haul routes in association with Delta Air Lines Inc...
. It offers flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is served by the Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft
Roads
There are two major US highways that serve Aberdeen. One is
US Highway 281U.S. Route 281 is a north–south United States highway. At 1,872 miles long it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route....
that runs north-south from the
North DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
border to the border with
NebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. The second highway is
US Highway 12U.S. Route 12 or US 12 is an east–west United States highway, running from Grays Harbor on the Pacific Ocean, in the state of Washington, to downtown Detroit, for almost . As a thoroughfare, it has mostly been supplanted by I-90 and I-94, but remains an important road for local travel.The...
that runs east-west across northern South Dakota from the
MinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
border before curving northwest into the southwestern corner of North Dakota. US Highway 12 is the major thoroughfare in Aberdeen. US Highway 12 is signed in the city of Aberdeen as 6th Avenue South. US Highway 281 was recently realigned onto a new bypass that was constructed around the western area of the city.
Transit
Taxi
Aberdeen Taxi service provides general taxi service in Aberdeen. Aberdeen Shuttle provides shuttle service to and from the airport along with general taxi services.
Bus
Jefferson LinesJefferson Lines is a regional intercity bus company operating in United States. The company's name originates in the Jefferson Highway, a north-south route in the early National Auto Trail system which once ran from Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada, south to New Orleans, Louisiana. The service to...
is a bus service from Aberdeen that connects to
Sioux Falls, South DakotaSioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...
,
Fargo, North DakotaFargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
, and
Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
.
Car rental
There are four car rental services in Aberdeen; Hertz, Avis, Payless & Toyota Rent-A-Car. Hertz and Avis Car rental are located in the terminal. Payless Car Rental is located in Aberdeen Flying Service. Toyota Rent-A-Car is located at Harr Motors across from the airport.
Train
The
BNSF RailwayThe BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
conveys freight and grain through Aberdeen.
Popular attractions
Notable residents and natives
- Bruce Baillie
Bruce Baillie is an American experimental filmmaker and founding member of Canyon Cinema in San Francisco...
, experimental filmExperimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
maker and founding member of Canyon CinemaCanyon Cinema is a San Francisco based filmmakers' cooperative specializing in the distribution of avant-garde and experimental film. The organization was instigated in about 1960 by Bruce Baillie as an exhibition outlet for independent film, and was formally established as a non-profit...
- L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, famous for his book The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
- John Cacavas
John Cacavas is a composer and conductor probably best known for his television scores, notably Kojak, for which he was the chief composer, and for which he composed the second main title theme, used throughout the show's 5th and final season...
, Hollywood film scoreA film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
composer
- Tom Daschle
Thomas Andrew "Tom" Daschle is a former U.S. Senator from South Dakota and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
, former U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader
- Justin Duchscherer
Justin Craig Duchscherer [DUKE-shur] is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.-Early career:...
, MLBMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher for the Oakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
- Thomas Dunn
Thomas Dunn was an American musician and music editor known for his performances of Baroque music. He is considered an important figure in the development of the modern Early Music Revival and Historically informed performance in the United States.-Early years:He was born in Aberdeen, South...
, conductor who contributed to early music revivalSee Early music and Historically informed performance for a more detailed explanation of this topic.The general discussion of how to perform music from ancient or earlier times did not become an important subject of interest until the 19th century, when Europeans began looking to ancient culture...
- Terry Francona
Terry Jon Francona , nicknamed "Tito," is a former Major League Baseball manager and a former player. He was a first baseman and outfielder in the majors from 1981 to 1990. After retiring as a player, he managed several minor league teams in the 1990s before managing the Philadelphia Phillies for...
, current Boston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
managerIn baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
- Matilda Joslyn Gage
Matilda Electa Joslyn Gage was a suffragist, a Native American activist, an abolitionist, a freethinker, and a prolific author, who was "born with a hatred of oppression".-Early activities:...
, suffragistWomen's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
, Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
activistActivism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
, abolitionistAbolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
, freethinker, and author
- Mary GrandPré
Mary GrandPré is an American illustrator and writer, best known for her cover and chapter illustrations for the American editions of the Harry Potter books, published by Scholastic...
, illustratorAn Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
- Joseph Hansen (writer)
Joseph Hansen was an American crime writer and poet, best known for a series of novels starring his most iconic creation, private eye Dave Brandstetter.-Life and works:...
, American mystery writer
- Charles N. Herreid
Charles Nelson Herreid was the fourth Governor of South Dakota.-Biography:Charles Herreid was born in Madison, Wisconsin. He attended Galesville University in Wisconsin from 1874 to 1878 and the University of Wisconsin from 1880 to 1882...
, Governor of South DakotaThe Governor of South Dakota is the head of the executive branch of the government of South Dakota. They are elected to a four year term on even years when there is no Presidential election. The current governor is Dennis Daugaard, a Republican elected in 2010....
- Josh Heupel
Josh Heupel, , is the current co-offensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma. He was the quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners football team in 1999-2000, and led Oklahoma to the 2000 national championship.-Personal:...
, quarterback for the 2000 National Champion OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
SoonersThe University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
- David C. Jones
David Charles Jones is a retired U.S. Air Force general and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Jones was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota and raised in Minot, North Dakota, where he graduated from Minot High School....
, USAFThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
General and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffThe Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
- Roland Loomis, key figure in the Modern Primitive
Modern primitives or urban primitives are people in developed nations who engage in body modification rituals and practices while making reference or homage to the rite of passage practices in "primitive cultures" These practices may include body piercing, tattooing, play piercing, flesh hook...
MovementSocial movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....
- Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
LaVerne G. Saunders, WWII USAF General
- Julie Sommars
Julie Sommars is an American actress. She played assistant District Attorney Julie March on the TV series, Matlock from 1987 to 1994...
, actress
- Dale Schornack
Dale Dwayne Schornack is the lead male anchor at KXTV. Schornack has anchored along with Cristina Mendonsa for over 10 years....
, news anchor, SacramentoSacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
News10
External links
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