Yankton

Formed April 10, 1862 (9^th county)

Yankton County (23,311), Yankton (15,441)

The Modern brown brick and concrete building was erected in 1975.  It is located at the intersection of Walnut and 4^th streets.  South Dakota State Highway 50 is 4^th Street.  Glen Mannes provided the courthouse designs.  The building was enlarged in 2006 and City-County functions are both located here.  A County Administration Building was added in 2004.  There were 1876 and 1905 versions earlier in Yankton, the only county seat.  Yankton County was founded on April 10, 1862 as the 9^th county.  The county and its county seat are named for the Native American tribe. 

Yankton County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Six Circuit Court Judges and One Magistrate Court Judge serve Yankton, Aurora, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison, Douglas, Hanson, Hutchinson, McCook, Turner, and Union counties.  The county is located on the southeast border with Nebraska.  The Missouri River forms its southern border.  Sioux Falls, South Dakota is northeast and Pierre, South Dakota is northwest of the county.  The county center is 12.2 miles North-Northeast of Yankton nearer Mayfield.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Turner and Clay counties and Nebraska and Bon Homme and Hutchinson counties. 

The area of the county is 522 square miles.  It is 58 out of 66 in the state.  It ranks 9 out of 66 in population in the state.  It has a density of 44.7 persons per square mile making it 4 out of 66 in the state.  Yankton County has 70.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 81 travels north to south through the county from the Hutchinson County-Turner County border to Nebraska.  The county shape looks like the State of New Mexico.  The City of Yankton is located on the southern border of the county.  Yankton is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 66.2% of the county population.  The county and county seat are pronounced YANK-TON.  This county is in the Yankton Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Irene