Union

Formed April 10, 1862 (8^th county)

Union County (16,813), Elk Point (2,148), North Sioux City (3,042)

The Modern yellow concrete structure was built in 1978.  A classier building was in Elk Point from 1898.  The current structure is on Main Street at Court Street.  Main Street is Interstate Highway 29 Business in this part of town.  Fritzel, Kroeger, Griffin, and Berg are the architects.  Union County was formed on April 10, 1862 as the 8^th county.  Victoria (1862), Richland (1864), and Elk Point (1865) have all served as the county seat.  The county was named to support the Union in the Civil War.  The county seat is named for the abundance of elk in the area. 

Union County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Six Circuit Court Judges and One Magistrate Court Judge serve Union, Aurora, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison, Douglas, Hanson, Hutchinson, McCook, Turner, and Yankton counties.  The county is located in the southeast corner of the state.  The Missouri River forms its southern border.  Iowa is east and Nebraska is south across the respective borders.  Sioux Falls, South Dakota is north and Pierre, South Dakota is northwest of the county.  The county center is 13.2 miles North of Elk Point nearer Spink.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Lincoln County and Iowa and Nebraska and Clay County. 

The area of the county is 460 square miles.  It is 62 out of 66 in the state.  It ranks 13 out of 66 in population in the state.  It has a density of 36.6 persons per square mile making it 8 out of 66 in the state.  Union County has 49.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 29 comes into the county from the north, Lincoln County, and goes to the southeast, Iowa.  The county resembles a worm with a square top.  Elk Point is located near the southwest border of the county.  North Sioux City is in the southeast corner of the county.  Elk Point is the county seat and North Sioux City is the largest city.  Elk Point is 12.8% of the county population while North Sioux City is 18.1% of the county population.  The largest city is pronounced NOERTH SOO SI-TEE.  This county is in the Sioux City Metropolitan Statistical Area.