Brookings

Formed April 5, 1862 (2^nd county)

Brookings County (34,380), Brookings (23,373)                

The classic masonry Renaissance courthouse was built in 1912.  There was also an 1883 facility.  The courthouse is on 6^th Avenue, 3^rd Street, 7^th Avenue, and 4^th Street.  United States Highway 14 is two blocks north.  Bell, Tyrie & Chapman are the building designers.  The building was enlarged in 1996.  A tower dome tops the structure and veteran memorials are on the grounds.  The county was created on April 5, 1862 as an original county (2^nd county.)  Medary was the first county seat until 1879 when Brookings assumed the position.  Brookings County and its county seat are named for Territorial Governor Wilmot Brookings. 

Brookings County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Five Circuit Court Judges and One Magistrate Court Judge serve Brookings, Beadle, Clark, Codington, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, Hand, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Miner, Moody, and Sanborn counties.  Brookings County is on the eastern border with Minnesota.  Sioux Falls, South Dakota is south and Pierre, South Dakota is west of the county.  The county center is 8.6 miles North-Northwest of Brookings nearer Bruce.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Deuel County and Minnesota and Moody, Lake, Kingsbury, and Hamlin counties. 

The area of the county is 794 square miles.  It is 42 out of 66 in the state.  It ranks 5 out of 66 in population in the state.  It has a density of 43.3 persons per square mile making it 5 out of 66 in the state.  Brookings County has 82.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 29 goes north to south through the county from Deuel County to Moody County.  United States Highway 14 enters from Minnesota, east, and exits into Kingsbury County.  United States Highway 81 travels the border with Kingsbury County from north to south from Hamlin County to Lake County.  Brookings County is an overall rectangular shape.  The City of Brookings is located in the southern third of the county.  Brookings is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 68.0% of the county population.  This county is in the Brookings Micropolitan Statistical Area.