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South Dakota, Prairie Wind Overlook, Badlands National Park, South Dakota
South Dakota, Prairie Wind Overlook, Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Author: Wing-Chi Poon (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Generic)



South Dakota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is 77,116 sq mi (199,905 sq km) in size, and measures 380 miles (610 km) from east to west and 210 miles (340 km) from north to south. It ranks 17th among the U.S. states by size.

Guide to South Dakota Hotels

Here's a list of hotels in South Dakota that you can book online, listed by city, with full description, star rating, address, location map, evaluation, and prices as offered by different booking sites.


Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Author: Dean Franklin (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)

More on South Dakota

South Dakota is bordered by North Dakota to the north, Minnesota to the east, Iowa to the southeast, Nebraska to the south, Wyoming to the southwest and Montana to the northwest. The highest point in South Dakota is Harney Peak, at 7,244 ft (2,209 m).

South Dakota has a population of slightly over 800,000 people, as of 2010 estimate. It is a sparsely populated state, ranking 46th out of the 50 in terms of population size.

South Dakota was known as Dakota Territory before gaining statehood on 2 November, 1889, becoming the 40th state to join the Union. It is within two time zones. The eastern half is in the Central time zone (-6/-5 GMT) while the western half in the Mountain time zone (-7/-6 GMT). The abbreviation for South Dakota is SD.


St Joseph's Cathedral in winter in Sioux Falls
St Joseph's Cathedral in winter in Sioux Falls
Author: Sdgjake (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)

Budget Travel to South Dakota

By Plane The two main airports for South Dakota are the Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD) and the Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP).

By Road Two interstate highways cut across South Dakota, with I-90 going east-west passing through Rapid City and Sioux Falls and I-29 going north-south from Fargo in North Dakota through Sioux Falls to Sioux City.


The Needles, as seen from Harney Peak, South Dakota
The Needles, as seen from Harney Peak, South Dakota
Author: Jake DeGroot (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)







Principal Cities of South Dakota

  1. Aberdeen (25,000)
    County seat of Brown County, home of Northern State University.

  2. Brookings (22,000)
    County seat of Brookings County and home of South Dakota State University.

  3. Custer (1,800)
    Small town considered the oldest established twon in the Black Hills.

  4. Deadwood (1,400)
    Small town and county seat of Lawrence County.

  5. Mitchell (15,000)
    County seat of Davison County.

  6. Pierre (14,000)
    State capital of South Dakota.

  7. Rapid City (68,000)
    Second largest city in South Dakota, on the eastern slope of the Black Hills.

  8. Sioux Falls (124,000)
    The largest city in Soluth Dakota.

  9. Wall (800)
    Small town famous for the Wall Drug Store.

Places of Interest in South Dakota

These are arranged in alphabetical order
  1. Black Hills National Forest
  2. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
  3. Mount Rushmore National Memorial

National Parks of South Dakota

  1. Badlands National Park
  2. Wind Cave National Park

National Monument in South Dakota

  1. Jewel Cave National Monument

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