Sioux 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. It anchors the fastest growing
metro area
in the Midwest, with a total increase of 22% since 2000.
As of the
2000 census,
Sioux Falls had a population of 123,975 and a metropolitan area
population of 187,093. However, a 2008 Census Bureau estimate shows
Sioux Falls to have grown to a population of 154,997, with a
metropolitan population of 232,930. It is also the primary city of
the Sioux Falls-Sioux City
Designated
Market Area (DMA), a larger media market region that covers
parts of four states and has a population of 1,043,450.
Chartered
in 1856 on the banks of the Big Sioux
River, the city is situated on the prairie of the Great Plains
at the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 29. Sioux Falls is a
regional center of urban and rural interaction.
History
The history of Sioux Falls revolves around the cascades of the
Big Sioux River. The falls were
created about 14,000 years ago during the last
ice age. The lure of the falls has been a powerful
influence. Ho-Chunk, Ioway, Otoe, Missouri, Omaha (and Ponca at the
time), Quapaw, Kansa, Osage, Arikira, Dakota, Nakota and Cheyenne
people inhabited the region previous to European descendants.
Numerous
burial mounds still exist on
the high bluffs near the river.
(Also see Blood Run Site
.) These people operated an agricultural society
that built fortified villages on many of the same sites that were
previously settled. Lakota
populate urban and reservation communities in the contemporary
state and many Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, and other Indigenous
Americans reside in Sioux Falls today.
The first documented European visit was made by French
voyagers/explorers, in the early 1700s, who mapped the area and
took census counts of the Indigenous cities communities at that
time (with the Blood Run population being 10,000 people, not
outnumbered in population until the 1800s by Euro-American
settlers, thus this area has been a thriving urban area for quite
some time).
The first documented visit by an American (of European descent) was
by
Philander Prescott, who camped
overnight at the falls in December 1832. Captain
James Allen led a military expedition out of
Fort Des Moines in 1844. Jacob Ferris described the Falls in his
1856 book "The States and Territories of the Great West".
Two
separate groups, the Dakota Land Company of St.
Paul
and the Western Town Company of Dubuque
, Iowa
organized in
1856 to claim the land around the falls, considering a promising
townsite for its beauty and water power. Each laid out
claims, but worked together for mutual protection. They built a
temporary barricade of turf which they dubbed "Fort Sod," in
response to hostilities threatened by native tribes. Seventeen men
then spent "the first winter" in Sioux Falls. The following year
the population grew to near 40.
The old Minnehaha County Courthouse is
currently used as a museum showcasing the history of Sioux
Falls.
Although
conflicts in Minnehaha County
between Native
Americans and white settlers were few,
the Dakota War of 1862 engulfed
nearby southwestern Minnesota
. The town was evacuated in August of that
year when two local
settlers were killed as
a result of the conflict.
The settlers and
soldiers stationed here traveled to
Yankton
in late August 1862. The abandoned townsite
was pillaged and burned.
Fort Dakota, a military reservation established in present day
downtown, was established in May 1865. Many former settlers
gradually returned and a new wave of settlers arrived in the
following years. The population grew to 593 by 1873, and a building
boom was underway in that year.The Village of Sioux Falls,
consisting of , was incorporated in 1876 and was granted a city
charter by the Dakota Territorial legislature on March 3,
1883.
The arrival of the
railroads ushered
in the great Dakota Boom decade of the 1880s. The population of
Sioux Falls mushroomed from 2,164 in 1880 to 10,167 at the close of
the decade. The growth transformed the city. A severe plague of
grasshoppers and a national depression halted the boom by the early
1890s. The city grew by only 89 people from 1890 to 1900.
But prosperity eventually returned with the opening of the John
Morrell meat packing plant in 1909, the establishment of an airbase
and a military radio and communications training school in 1942,
and the completion of the interstate highways in the early 1960s.
Much of the growth in the first part of the 20th century was fueled
by the agriculturally-based industry, such as the Morrell plant and
the nearby stockyards (one of the largest in the nation).
In 1955
the city decided to consolidate the neighboring incorporated city
of South Sioux Falls
. At the time the city had a population of
nearly 1,600 inhabitants, according to the 1950 census. It was
third largest city in the county after Sioux Falls and Dell Rapids.
By October 18, 1955 South Sioux Falls residents voted 704 in favor
and 227 against to consolidate with Sioux Falls. On the same issue,
Sioux Falls residents voted on November 15 by the vote 2,714 in
favor and 450 against.
In 1981,
to take advantage of recently relaxed state usury laws, Citibank decided
to relocate its primary credit card center from New York
to Sioux Falls. Many claim that this event
was the primary impetus for the increased population and job growth
rates that Sioux Falls has experienced over the past quarter
century. Others point out that Citibank's relocation was only part
of a more general transformation of the city's economy from an
industrially-based one to an economy centered on health care,
finance and retail trade.
Sioux Falls has grown at a rapid pace since the late 1970s, with
the city's population increasing from 81,000 in 1980 to a 2007
estimate of 154,997.
Accolades
- In 1992, a healthy economy, low unemployment, and a low crime
rate led to Sioux Falls being named "the best place to live in
America" by Money Magazine.
- In 2006, Men's Health
Magazine ranked Sioux Falls as the 93rd Angriest City in the
Nation, out of 100 cities studied in the survey.
- In 2007, Allstate awarded Sioux Falls
with the Allstate Safety Leadership Award in recognition of the
safe drivers of the area, with Sioux Falls residents averaging an
accident once every 13.7 years. Sioux Falls was honored with the
award again in 2008.
- Also in 2007, Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal
ranked Sioux Falls the 9th Best City for Minor League Sports, In
its ranking of Minor League Markets.
- In
the November 2007 issue of Men's
Health Magazine, Sioux Falls was ranked #2 on the list of
cities with the least debt, finishing just behind Billings
,Montana
.
- Forbes named Sioux Falls the #1 Best
Small Place For Business And Careers in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and
2009.
- Forbes also released
the University
of Cincinnati's
2006 "United States Drinking Water Quality Study
Report", which had Sioux Falls ranked 3rd in Cleanest Drinking
Water.
- In 2009, CNN ranked Sioux Falls the 45th
best place to live and launch a business out of a list of 100.
Geography
Primary geographic features of Sioux
Falls.
Sioux Falls is located at 43°32'11" North, 96°43'54" West
(43.536285, -96.731780). According to the
United States Census Bureau, as
of 2000, the city had a total area of 56.3 square miles
(145.9 km²). 56.3 square miles (145.9 km²) of it is
land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it is water. The
total area is 0.04% water.
The city is located in the extreme eastern
part of South
Dakota, about west of the Minnesota border and northwest of the Iowa
border. Sioux Falls has been assigned the
ZIP codes 57101, 57103-57110, 57117-57118,
57188-57189 and 57192-57198 and the
FIPS
place code 59020.
Metropolitan Area
The
Sioux Falls Metropolitan
Statistical Area consists of four counties, all of which are
located in South Dakota: Lincoln, McCook
, Minnehaha, and Turner
. The estimated population of this MSA in
2008 was 232,930, an increase of over 24% from the 2000 census.
According to recent estimates, Lincoln County is the ninth-fastest
growing county (by percentage) in the United States.
In addition to Sioux
Falls, several cities and towns included in the metropolitan area
are Brandon
, Dell Rapids
, Tea
, Harrisburg
, Worthing
, Lennox
, Hartford
, Crooks
, Baltic
, Renner, Chancellor, Colton, Canton, Humboldt,
Parker, Hurley, Garretson, Sherman, Corson, Centerville and
Beresford make up this Metro Area.
Parks and Recreation
Sioux Falls maintains a network of more than 70 parks and greenways
that are spread throughout the city. Probably the best known of
these is Falls Park, established around the city's namesake
waterfalls on the Big Sioux River, just north of downtown. Other
notable parks include Terrace Park (
Terrace Park History), McKennan Park, Sherman
Park, and Yankton Trail park. A popular feature of the park system
is a paved path used for biking, jogging, and walking. The path
follows the course of the Big Sioux River, forming a loop around
central Sioux Falls, with a few spurs off the main bike trail.
During
the winter, Great Bear Recreation Park
offers skiing, snow boarding, and tubing.
During the summer time Falls Park offers a free sound and light
show sponsored by Wells Fargo telling the history of Sioux Falls
from the people who settled around the falls to more recent
history.
Climate
Due to its inland location, Sioux Falls experiences a
humid continental climate, which
is characterized by hot, relatively humid summers and cold, drier
winters. The average high temperature for the warmest month, July,
is 86 °F (30 °C) while the average low for January, the coldest
month, is 5 °F (-15 °C). The highest temperature ever recorded in
the city was 110 °F (43 °C) in 1936 and 1988, and the lowest was
-42 °F (-41 °C) in 1899. Winters receive an average snowfall of
39.6 inches (100 cm).
Law and government
2006 Mayor & City Council
| Mayor |
Dave Munson |
| Southeast |
Gerald Beninga |
| Southwest |
Greg Jamison |
| Northeast |
Kenny Anderson Jr. |
| Northwest |
Robert (Bob) Litz |
| Central |
Kermit Staggers |
| At-large |
Vernon Brown |
| At-large |
J. Pat Costello |
| At-large |
De Knudson |
|
- City Government: The city of Sioux Falls is
led by a mayor-council (strong mayor)
form of government. Mayoral elections occur every four years. City
council seats are also contested every four years. However, not all
of the council members are elected in the same year, as the council
elections are staggered throughout even-numbered years. The council
consists of five members elected to represent specific sections of
the city and three additional seats that represent the city as a
whole (that is, at-large). Sioux Falls
operates under a home rule arrangement
with the state of South Dakota.
City Hall
Economy
Originally centered on quarrying and agriculturally-based
industries, the economy of Sioux Falls has become greatly
diversified and more service-based over the last half-century,
making the city an important location for
financial services,
health care, and
retail
trade.
Partially due to the lack of a state corporate income tax, Sioux
Falls is the home of a number of financial companies. The largest
employer among these, and fourth largest employer overall, is
Citigroup. Other important financial
service companies located in Sioux Falls include Great Western
Bank, Total Card Inc., BankFirst, Capital Card Services,
HSBC, PREMIER Bankcard, and
Wells Fargo.
Sioux Falls is a significant regional health care center.
There are
four major hospitals in Sioux Falls: Sanford Health
, Avera McKennan
Hospital, the South Dakota Veterans Hospital, and the Avera Heart
Hospital of South Dakota. Sanford Health and Avera Health
are the largest and second largest employers in the city,
respectively.
Because of the relatively long distances between Sioux Falls and
larger cities, Sioux Falls has emerged as an important regional
center of shopping and dining. The Empire Mall, with over 180
stores, anchors one of the primary retail zones in the southwest
section of the city. This area, centered mainly around the
intersection of 41st Street and Louise Avenue, contains many large
national chain stores and restaurants. Dawley Farm Village is a
major commercial development that is planned for the east side of
Sioux Falls. This major shopping district will be located at the
intersection of Arrowhead Parkway (
SD Highway 42) and Powder House Road
(
SD Highway 11). Downtown
Sioux Falls is another important retail zone, offering more small,
independent shops and restaurants than the Empire Mall area.
While no longer as economically dominant as it once was, the
manufacturing and
food processing sector remains an important
component of the economy of Sioux Falls. The John Morrell meat
packing plant is the third largest employer in the city. Other
important manufacturing companies include Raven Industries, Bell
Incorporated, [Tyco International|Tyco]], and Gage Brothers.
Sioux Falls also boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the United
States.
Demographics
Households
According to the 2000
census, there were
123,975 people, 49,731 households, and 30,783 families residing in
the city. Currently, the city is home to 144,900 persons with
66,778 households, and 44,242 families. The
population density is 2,201.4 people per
square mile (849.9/km²). There are 51,680 housing units at an
average density of 917.7/sq mi (354.3/km²).Of the 49,731
households, 32.1% have children under the age of 18 living with
them, 48.4% are
married couples living
together, 10.0% have a female householder with no husband present,
and 38.1% are non-families. 29.8% of all households are made up of
individuals and 8.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of
age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average
family size is 3.00.
Distribution
The 2006 American Community Survey's estimates of the racial makeup
of the city is 88.9%
White, 2.6%
African American,
2.2%
Native American,
1.3%
Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander, 3.0% from
other races, and 2.0% from two or
more races. 4.1% of the population are
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. In the city the
population is spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 11.8% from
18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every
100 females there are 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and
over, there are 94.4 males.
Income
The median income for a household in 1999 in the city is $41,221;
in 2003 HUD reported Minnehaha County had a median household income
of $45,872, while Lincoln County had a median household income of
$59,571. The median income for a family was $51,516 in 1999; in
2005 HUD reported that amount as $56,150. Males have a median
income of $32,216 versus $24,861 for females. The
per capita income for the city is $21,374.
8.4% of the population and 5.6% of families are below the
poverty line. Out of the total population,
10.3% of those under the age of 18 and 7.4% of those 65 and older
are living below the poverty line.
Religion
The
Roman Catholic
Diocese of Sioux Falls, one of the two dioceses in the state,
has its cathedral on Duluth Avenue. St. Joseph Cathedral is the
largest church in South Dakota and one of the largest cathedrals in
the United States. Sioux Falls is also the seat of the Episcopal
Diocese of South Dakota. The
Episcopal
Calvary Cathedral is the mother church for South Dakota
Episcopalians.
Education
Higher education
Sioux
Falls is home to Augustana College
, University of
Sioux Falls, Kilian Community College, Southeast Technical
Institute, National
American University, Colorado Technical University,
the South Dakota School
for the Deaf, Great Plains Baptist College, Globe
University/Minnesota School of Business, Sioux Falls Seminary,
Sanford School of
Medicine, Stewart School and the South
Dakota Public Universities and Research Center (formerly known
as USDSU).
Public schools
The
Sioux Falls School
District serves over 20,000 students living in Sioux Falls;
there are three high schools (Lincoln
, Roosevelt
, and Washington
) (grades 9-12), five middle schools (grades 6-8),
and 26 elementary schools (grades K-5). Because of sprawl,
districts around Sioux Falls continue to grow at dramatic rates.
Brandon, Valley Springs
, Baltic, Harrisburg, Tea, Tri-Valley, and West-Central Districts serve many
metro-area students.
There are five public middle schools in the city: Axtell Park
Middle School,Edison Middle School,Memorial Middle School,
Patrick Henry Middle School,
and
Whittier Middle School
.
There are 26 public elementary schools in Sioux Falls (with an
additional one planned to open and serve part of the city's west
side in 2012): All-City at Jane Addams,Laura B. Anderson,
Challenge Center,Cleveland,Discovery,Harvey
Dunn,FIC at Jane Addams,Eugene Field,Robert Frost,Garfield,John
Harris,Hawthorne,Hayward,Oscar Howe,Jefferson,
John
F. Kennedy,Longfellow,Lowell,Horace Mann,Terry
Redlin,Renberg,Rosa Parks,Richard F. Pettigrew,Anne Sullivan,Mark
Twain, andLaura Wilder.
Private schools
Sioux
Falls Catholic Schools is a centralized Catholic school system that
includes eight schools: six elementary schools, all PreK-6 (St.
Mary, St. Lambert, St. Joseph Cathedral, St. Michael-St. Katharine
Drexel, Holy Spirit and Christ the King); one junior high (O'Gorman
Junior High, grades 7-8); and one high school, O'Gorman
(9-12). Both the junior and senior high are
on the same O'Gorman High School campus. Approximately 2,800
students attend Sioux Falls Catholic Schools. Although as of the
2009-2010 school year St. Joseph Cathedral school is closed for
renovation.
Christian Center School was established in 1980 and educates in
grades
K-5. The school also operates
daycare for children aged 3–14 and a preschool.
Other private schools
include The Baan Dek
Montessori, Sioux Falls Christian Schools
, Cornerstone School and Sioux Falls Lutheran
Schools.
Culture
Events
Downtown Sioux Falls plays host to a Sculpture Walk every summer.
The exhibits change yearly and most often reflect historical
significance and progressive standards for the city.
Festival of Bands is a regional festival that hosts over 40 bands
each year. The parade is in downtown Sioux Falls. Preliminaries are
now held at Bob Young Field (Sanford Health Sports Complex), and
Field Finals are held at Howard Wood Field.
LifeLight Festival, largest free
Christian music festival in the
country with over 300,000 attendees in 2007, is held yearly over
Labor Day weekend at Wild Water West
Waterpark just west of the city.
Party in the Park is an annual outdoor musical event held at
Terrace Park. TNT Produktions holds this event at no charge to the
public.
The
Sioux Empire Fair is a
regional fair held at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds every year and
attracts tens of thousands of attendees.
Arts
In the past decade, Sioux Falls experienced a renaissance of
cultural interest. With a plethora of white collar jobs in the
area, Sioux Falls' leaders saw a need for more arts and culture in
the region. Several building projects excited change from a city
with almost no theatre, and very little art, to an area with high
attendance of theatre and arts events.
The Sioux Empire Arts Council continues to be an initiating leader
in the arts scene of the Sioux Falls area and give out Mayor's
Awards each year in several categories for excellence demonstrated
by Sioux Falls residents within the particular form.
Poetry and literary events began to come to greater popularity with
the opening of the Sioux Empire Arts Council Horse Barn Gallery and
due to a National Endowment for the Arts-supported Writer's Voice.
The Writer's Voice included a reading series of 38 nationally known
poets and writers (per year) who performed works and youth
workshops through the Sioux Falls Writers Voice in local
performance spaces, at the YMCA afterschool program, and in local
area schools.
These two entities along with the resurgence of events regularly
hosted at the Washington Pavilion's Leonardo's Cafe (Lincoln High
School Writer's Guild), the Sioux Empire Arts Council's Horse Barn
Art Gallery, and several coffee house locations, including Black
Sheep Coffee.
Washington Pavilion of Arts and
Science
During this renaissance
Allison Hedge
Coke moved to Sioux Falls from Rapid City as she was serving
the State of South Dakota, first as a part-time literary artist in
the Sioux Falls Schools and then as a full-time literary artist in
residence for the Sioux Falls school district. Later she held the
literary artist role with the school district while simultaneously
teaching at Kilian College and the University of Sioux Falls. She
continually participated at-large in the national literary field as
a visiting writer/performing artist.
Tom
Foster moved to Sioux Falls (from California), having already
developed a presence in the California Slam scene and was integral
to keeping public open-mics going strong. Charles Luden continued
to make poetry a typical presence throughout the art scene as he
had advocated for decades by this time. Deb Klebanoff began to
create more high-profile city spaces for poetry and literary events
to be secured through the city and area government. Hedge Coke
continued to initiate and implement new literary programming while
advocating for youth involvement and neighborhood issues in Sioux
Falls Arts & Cultural life. The Washington Pavilion continued
to donate space for literary activities as well as the Siouxland
Sioux Falls Library. Eventually,
David
Allan Evans returned to Sioux Falls as the current State of
South Dakota Poet Laureate and enhanced the literary scene with his
reintroduction to the Sioux Falls community and presence as the
state poet. Rosie Blunk, long-time theater teacher from Sioux
Falls, retired from teaching and began hosting the Poetry Out Loud!
state competitions as well.
The
Sioux Falls Jazz
and Blues Festival, JazzFest, has become a huge summer event in
Sioux Falls and the region. JazzFest is a two-day outdoor musical
event featuring two stages and is free to the public. The event is
held the third weekend in July at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux
Falls. The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society plays host to
national musicians during their annual concert series. Each year
the concert series includes approximately five concerts with acts
from all over the world.
Landmarks
The
Washington
Pavilion of Arts and Science contains the Kirby Science
Discover Center, as well as two performing arts centers that host
several Broadway productions and operas. The South Dakota
Symphony's home hosts dance groups as well as smaller theater and
choral events. The Visual Arts Center, also part of the Pavilion
complex, hosts six galleries of changing exhibits, all free of
charge. The Wells Fargo Cinedome is a multiformat dome theater that
plays several films each month.
The Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum provides the area with
natural history and animal exhibits in its park, and has an
impressive number of
dioramas depicting
wildlife.
The memorial to the World War II battleship
USS South Dakota is on
State Highway 42 (West 12th Street) and Kiwanis Avenue.
The
114th Fighter Wing, located
at Joe Foss Field. The 114th houses F-16C/D fighter aircraft. This
unit is well known for its support of community activities and
services.
One of
the few replicas of Michelangelo's
David
is near the downtown area.
Transportation
Roads
Most residents of Sioux Falls travel and commute by car.
Interstate 90 passes east to west across the
northern edge of the city, while
Interstate 29 bisects the western portion of
the city from the north and south.
Interstate 229 forms a partial
loop around Sioux Falls, and connects
with Interstate 90 to the northeast and Interstate 29 to the
southwest. A
grid design system for city
streets is the standard for the central (older) area of the city,
while newer residential areas have largely abandoned this plan. Due
to current and expected regional growth, several large construction
projects have been or will be undertaken. New interchanges have
recently been added to Interstate 29. An interchange is also
planned on I-90 at Marion Road. I-29 has recently been improved
from I-90 to the 26th Street exit. This upgrade includes additional
lanes and auxiliary lanes.
Over the next decade, the city of Sioux Falls and the South Dakota
Department of Transportation plan to construct a
limited-access highway around the
outer edges of the city to the south and east known as South Dakota
Highway 100. This highway will start at the northern Tea exit (Exit
73 on I-29) and will travel east, and curve northeast east of
Western Avenue, then turns northerly near Sycamore Avenue. The
highway will end at the Timberline Avenue exit (Exit 402 on
I-90).
Major north/south roads in Sioux Falls include: Ellis Road, Sertoma
Avenue, Marion Road, I-29, Louise Avenue, Kiwanis Avenue, Western
Avenue, Minnesota Avenue (
South
Dakota Highway 115, south of Benson Road), Cliff Avenue (South
Dakota Highway 115, north of Benson Road), Bahnson Avenue, Sycamore
Avenue, Powder House Road/
South
Dakota Highway 11, and Six Mile Road.
Major west/east roads include: I-90, 60th Street North (
South Dakota Highway 38, west of
I-29), Benson Road (South Dakota Highway 115 between Minnesota
Avenue and Cliff Avenue), Russell Street/Maple Street, Madison
St./Rice St. 10th/11th/12th Street/Arrowhead Parkway (
South Dakota Highway 42), 26th
Street, 33rd Street, 41st Street, 49th Street, 57th Street, 69th
Street, 85th Street, and 101st Street.
Public/Mass Transit
Main downtown bus terminal.
Sioux Falls Transit, the local
public transit organization, operates 16 bus lines within the city.
Recently, the city added new park-and-ride stations. The Sioux
Falls Paratransit serves members of the community who would
otherwise not be able the travel by providing door to door
service.
Sioux Falls also has several taxi companies that operate within the
city.
Jefferson Lines runs long-distance
bus routes to Sioux Falls.
Non-Transfer destinations include Winnipeg
, Kansas City
, Minneapolis
, and Omaha
.
There is no
Amtrak passenger train service
that passes through South Dakota.
Air Travel
Several
domestic airlines serve Sioux Falls Regional Airport
, also known as Joe Foss Field (in honor of famed
aviator and former Governor Joe Foss),
offering non-stop flight service to a number of major U.S. airport
hubs, including Chicago
O'Hare
, Denver International Airport
, Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Airport
, Orlando Sanford International
Airport
, Las Vegas' McCarran International
Airport
, Phoenix's Phoenix-Mesa Gateway
Airport
, Los Angeles International
Airport
, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport
Sports
Championships
- The Sioux Falls Canaries won the 2008 American Association
championship, beating the Grand Prairie Airhogs in a 5-game series
that was capped off with an epic 5 to 4 walk-off win in the 12th
inning of Game 4.
- The Sioux Falls Skyforce have reached the playoffs nine times,
winning the CBA Championship during the 1995-96 season, and later
during the 2004-05 season. They currently play in the NBDL (the
minor league of the NBA).
- The Sioux Falls Storm, who currently play in the UIF, have won
four consecutive championships in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008,
winning 40 straight games from July 30, 2005 to March 29, 2008, the
longest winning streak in professional sports history.
- The Storm is one of two arena football teams to ever post a
shutout, beating the Peoria Roughriders 72-0 in 2006.
- The Sioux Falls Stampede won the United States Hockey League's
Anderson Cup during the 2005-06 season and Clark Cup during the
2006-07 season.
Special Events
Sioux Falls has also had its share of special sporting events.
- Sioux Falls Stadium played host to the 2007 American
Association All-Star Game.
- Sioux Falls Arena has hosted the Continental Basketball
Association All-Star Game 3 Times, in 1996, 2000 and 2003. It also
hosted the D-League Showcase in early 2007.
- Sioux Falls Arena has also hosted the USHL Prospects/All-Star
Game in 2002 and 2009 season.
- In 2009 and 2010, Sioux Falls Arena will host Summit League
Basketball Championships.
- Currently, Sioux Falls is also home to the USA Deaf Sports
Federation
- In July of 2009, Sioux Falls hosted the 16U ASA A National
Championship of Fastpitch softball.
Foldings
On September 26, 2007, the
Sioux
Falls Spitfire suspended operations.
Minnesota Vikings
The
Minnesota Vikings played their
first game in Sioux Falls an exhibition, against the
Dallas Cowboys on August 5, 1961. The game
was played at Howard Wood Field.
Sister Cities
In accordance with
Sister
Cities International, an organization that began under
President
Dwight Eisenhower in
1956, Sioux Falls has been given three international sister cities
in an attempt to foster cross-cultural understanding:
Media
Notable natives
- George Botsford, Composer,
Pianist, noted for Black and White
Rag.
- Joe Foss - World War II "ace of aces" fighter pilot hero,
first Commissioner of the American Football League (which
later became the AFC of the current NFL), and
20th governor of South Dakota
- Michael E. Fossum - astronaut
- Mary Hart -
entertainer, Entertainment
Tonight
- January Jones - actress;
best-known for her role as Betty Draper
on the television series Mad
Men.
- Mike Martz - former coach of the
St. Louis Rams (now offensive
coordinator for the San Francisco
49ers) and architect of the "greatest show on turf" was born in
Sioux Falls.
- Milton J. Nieuwsma - author,
filmwriter-producer
- Pat O'Brien -
entertainer, Access
Hollywood, model/actor
- David Soul - actor, "Starsky & Hutch" and recording
artist "Don't Give Up On Us"
Current Residents
- Dave Dedrick - Long-time host of the children's television
show, "Captain 11."
- Neil Graff - Former NFL Quarterback with the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Green Bay Packers
- Allison Hedge Coke - American
Book Award Winner: 1998, 2003 Sioux Falls Mayor's Award Winner,
Excellence in Literary Arts. Huron/Cherokee Writer/Educator.
Reynolds Chair, UNK.
- Kevin Kaesviharn - Current
New Orleans Saints strong safety
resides in Sioux Falls during the offseason with his family.
- Alexis LeVan - Miss South Dakota USA 2006 (and
numerous other Miss South Dakota
USAs)
- Benny Castillo - Retired 11 year
minor league baseball player, former manager of the Duluth-Superior Dukes, Jamestown Jammers, Yuma Scorpions, and Sioux City Explorers, and former
Sioux Falls Canaries hitting
coach
- James Abourezk - First
Arab-American Senator in U.S. History, now practices law in Sioux
Falls
- Steve Phillips - Former hitting
Coach for the Albuquerque
Isotopes, reached double-A with the Yankees organization as a
player
- John Thune - Current South Dakota
Senator
- Chris Browne - American comic strip
artist and cartoonist. Browne writes and draws the comic strip
Hägar the
Horrible.
Additional Images
Image:Sioux Falls Skyline 41.jpg|Downtown Sioux Falls looking
westImage:morrells1.jpg|John Morrell meat packing
plantImage:StJoeSiouxFalls.jpg|Saint Joseph
CathedralImage:SiouxFalls55.jpg|Downtown Sioux Falls looking
southeastImage:Sioux_falls_park.jpg|Close up of the waterfall at
Falls ParkImage:SiouxFallsPark1-0106.jpg|Falls Park in
winterImage:SiouxFalls1-0106.jpg|The waterfall partially frozen in
winter
References
- Angelfire.com, Retrieved on 2008-06-21
- Sioux falls- FactMonster.com
- Hetland, Cara. Sioux Falls 25 years after Citibank's
arrival. Publicradio.org, Minnesota Public Radio. 24
February 2006. (accessed 23 March, 2007)
- Hawkins, Yvonne. "Viewpoint: We shouldn't treat accolades as
ho-hum news" Siouxfallsbusinessjournal.com
- National and
Local Weather Forecast, Radar, Map and Report
External links
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