De Smet, South Dakota

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Coordinates: 44°23′9″N 97°33′6″W / 44.38583, -97.55167
De Smet, South Dakota
Location in Kingsbury County and the state of South Dakota
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
County	Kingsbury
Area
- Total	1.1 sq mi (2.7 km²)
- Land	1.1 sq mi (2.7 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation	1,726 ft (526 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,164
- Density	1,058.2/sq mi (431.1/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	57231
Area code(s)	605
FIPS code	46-16260^[1]
GNIS feature ID	1265178^[2]

De Smet is the seat of Kingsbury County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,164 at the 2000 census. It was named for Father Pierre De Smet, a 19th century Jesuit missionary.

De Smet was the childhood home of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the birthplace of author Rose Wilder Lane.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Attractions
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Geography

De Smet is located at 44°23′9″N, 97°33′6″W (44.385871, -97.551703)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.7 km²), all of it land.

De Smet has been assigned the ZIP code 57231 and the FIPS place code 16260.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,164 people, 524 households, and 300 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,102.2 people per square mile (424.0/km²). There were 582 housing units at an average density of 551.1/sq mi (212.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.37% White, 0.95% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 524 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 31.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,760, and the median income for a family was $41,989. Males had a median income of $24,722 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,372. About 7.3% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Attractions

Surveyors House

Since 1971, De Smet has hosted a pageant, held over several weekends in July, to honor Laura Ingalls Wilder. Five of her classic Little House books were based on her experiences in and around the community.

The story of how Charles Ingalls and his wife Caroline arrived in De Smet in 1879 by covered wagon from Walnut Grove, Minnesota, is told by a cast of thirty in an open-air theater near the old Ingalls homestead and the Surveyors' House. Nearby are Silver Lake and the Big Slough, locations mentioned in her books. Reminders of De Smet's pioneer past are evident throughout the town, including the First Congregational Church, where the Ingallses worshipped. Laura, husband Almanzo Wilder, and daughter Rose left De Smet in 1894 to live on a farm in the Ozarks near Mansfield, Missouri. There Laura Ingalls chronicled her De Smet memories in such works as The Long Winter and These Happy Golden Years. Many residents in De Smet have made a special effort to learn the Ingalls story in hopes of assisting inquiring tourists each summer.^[4]

De Smet is a popular overnight destination for travelers en route to Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills of South Dakota.