Clay County, South Dakota

Clay County, South Dakota
Location in the state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location in the U.S.
Founded	information needed
Seat	Vermillion
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	417 sq mi (1,080 km²) 412 sq mi (1,067 km²) 5 sq mi (13 km²), 1.22%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	13,864 34/sq mi (13/km²)
Website	www.claycountysd.org

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,864. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century.^[1]

The county seat is Vermillion, which is also home to the University of South Dakota.^[2] Clay County is the only county in the Vermillion Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Clay County began forming in 1859 when the land was opened for legal occupation. In 1862 the county was formally organized. The Clay County Courthouse was built in 1912.

Clay County is the name of 17 other counties in the United States; most of them named in honor of Henry Clay.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 417 square miles (1,080.0 km²), the smallest county in South Dakota, of which 412 square miles (1,067.1 km²) is land and 5 square miles (12.9 km²) (1.22%) is water.

National protected area

• Missouri National Recreational River (part)

Adjacent counties

• Turner County, South Dakota - north
• Lincoln County, South Dakota - northeast
• Union County, South Dakota - east
• Dixon County, Nebraska - southeast
• Cedar County, Nebraska - southwest
• Yankton County, South Dakota - west

Cities and towns

• Burbank
• Dalesburg
• Greenfield
• Irene
• Meckling
• Vermillion - Founded in 1859 and then fully incorporated in 1873. It was named for either the old Fort Vermillion or for the near-by Vermillion River.
• Wakonda
• Westreville

Townships

The county is divided into twelve townships: Bethel, Fairview, Garfield, Glenwood, Meckling, Norway, Pleasant Valley, Prairie Center, Riverside, Spirit Mound, Star, Vermillion.

Major highways

• South Dakota Highway 19
• South Dakota Highway 46
• South Dakota Highway 50

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	2,621		—
1880	5,001		90.8%
1890	7,509		50.1%
1900	9,316		24.1%
1910	8,711		−6.5%
1920	9,654		10.8%
1930	10,088		4.5%
1940	9,592		−4.9%
1950	10,993		14.6%
1960	10,810		−1.7%
1970	12,923		19.5%
1980	13,689		5.9%
1990	13,186		−3.7%
2000	13,537		2.7%
2010	13,864		2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 13,537 people, 4,878 households, and 2,721 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 5,438 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²).

There were 4,878 households out of which 28.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.00% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.20% were non-families. 31.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out with 18.80% under the age of 18, 31.50% from 18 to 24, 23.80% from 25 to 44, 15.80% from 45 to 64, and 10.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.

Racial/ethnic makeup

The racial makeup of the county was 92.78% White, 1.00% Black or African American, 2.66% Native American, 1.95% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.0% were of German, 15.6% Norwegian, 9.9% Irish and 5.4% English ancestry.

Religious makeup

From 2000 Census data over 50% consider themselves "unclaimed".^[4]

• Mainline Protestant with 3,840 is most common around 28%; mainly Lutheran.
• Catholic with 1820 comes second around 13%
• Evangelical Protestant with 613 would be around 5%; mainly Missouri Synod and Southern Baptist.

Education

• University of South Dakota - In 1862 the territorial legislature located the State University in Vermillion, but nothing was done until 1882 when Clay County voted $10,000 in bonds to construct a building on their campus.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Clay County, South Dakota

External links

• Clay County, SD
• Clay County, Historical Society
• South Dakota Association of County Officials

References

1. ^ "Clay County, SD - Official site". http://www.claycountysd.org/. Retrieved 2009-01-25. 
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "Clay County, SD Denominational groups". Association of Religion Date Archives (arda). 2000. http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/counties/46027_2000.asp. Retrieved 2009-01-25. 

Coordinates: 42°55′N 96°58′W / 42.92°N 96.97°W / 42.92; -96.97