Pierre

Pierre (Lakota: čhúŋkaške; "fort") is the capital of the state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont. Founded in 1880 on the Missouri River opposite Fort Pierre, Pierre has been the capital since South Dakota gained statehood on November 2, 1889. It was chosen for its location in the geographic center of the state. Fort Pierre itself was named after Pierre Chouteau, Jr., an American fur trader from St. Louis, Missouri who was of colonial French origin.

Pierre is the principal city of the Pierre Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Hughes and Stanley counties.

Geography

Pierre is located at 44°22′5″N 100°20′11″W / 44.36806°N 100.33639°W / 44.36806; -100.33639 (44.367966, −100.336378).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.07 square miles (33.85 km2), of which, 13.06 square miles (33.83 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.

Pierre lies on rough river bluffs overlooking the Missouri River. It is a few miles away from Lake Oahe, one of the largest man made lakes in the world and a very popular fishing destination.

Transportation

Great Lakes Airlines serves Pierre Regional Airport non-stop flights to Denver and Minneapolis–Saint Paul.

Public Transit is provided by River Cities Public Transit. With Local Shared Taxi program and regional bus service is provided.

The nearest Interstate highway is Interstate 90, which is about 34 miles (55 km) south of Pierre via the four-lane U.S. Highway 83. Pierre is one of only four state capitals not served by an Interstate highway; Dover, Delaware; Jefferson City, Missouri; and Juneau, Alaska, are the other three state capitals with this distinction. Pierre is also the only state capital not served by any expressway.

I-390 is proposed to connect Pierre to I-90.

In popular culture

In 2015, in honor of the game's 80th birthday, Hasbro held an online vote in order to determine which cities would make it into an updated version of the Monopoly Here and Now: The US Edition of the game. The top Boardwalk spot went to an unexpected contender: Pierre. It got the highest number of votes, beating out cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston. The picture, which accompanied the name of the city, was of Mt. Rushmore even though the sculpture is in Keystone, SD, which is just over 150 miles away from Pierre.

Pierre is home to many attractions including the Oahe Dam and the World's largest Menards.

Photo gallery

• The Capital City Queen is a passenger leisure boat on the Pierre waterways.

• Many of Pierre's parks lie along the Missouri River.