So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in South Dakota?

Located in the Midwestern region of the United States, South Dakota is probably most famous for being the location of Mount Rushmore. The deepest mine in the U.S. can also be found in South Dakota. The Homestake gold mine, which is now defunct and has been turned over to the National Science Foundation for use as an underground research laboratory, plunges more than 8,000 feet beneath the surface. The state is bordered by North Dakota in the north, Minnesota and Iowa in the east, Nebraska in the south, and Wyoming and Montana in the west.

The landscape of South Dakota is separated into two major distinct regions by the Missouri River, which runs through the central part of the state. To the east of the river lies a land of low, rolling hills, glacial lakes, and a criss-crossing network of streams. The western side of South Dakota is much more rugged. This part of the state is composed of rolling hills as well, but also has many plains, canyons, and steep, flat-topped buttes. In the southwestern section of South Dakota lie the Black Hills, a range of low mountains that cover 6,000 square miles.

The temperatures in South Dakota range from summer highs of close to 90°F and lows near 60°F to average winter highs below freezing and lows below 10°F. At times, the state can experience particularly hot, dry spells in the summer, at which times the temperature can climb above 100°F for days or weeks at a time.

While precipitation throughout South Dakota varies from only 15 to 30 inches annually, the state has frequent thunderstorms. These storms can bring with them high winds, torrential rain, and hail. The eastern part of the state is frequently considered to be a part of tornado alley, with the number of tornadoes per square 10,000 miles coming close to matching that of regions in Oklahoma and Kansas. And, while winters in South Dakota tend to have more stable weather patterns, there are occasionally severe winter storms and blizzards.

The estimated population of South Dakota, as of 2005, was 775,933. This includes the third highest proportion of Native Americans in the nation, only trailing behind Alaska and New Mexico. South Dakota also has the largest population of Hutterites, a group much like the Amish in terms of social order and beliefs but without their complete aversion to technology, in the United States.

The political arena of South Dakota is usually dominated by the Republican Party. The state's voters haven't supported a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964. In the 2004 election, George W. Bush won the support of the state with 59.9% of the vote. At the state level, the Republican Party controls all but one elected constitutional officer and holds a large majority in both houses of the South Dakota legislature.

The religious makeup of the South Dakota is mostly Christian. 91% of residents identify themselves as Christian, with 65% following a Protestant faith, 25% belonging to the Roman Catholic Church, and 1% following other Christian belief systems. Out of the remaining 9% of the population, 1% are affiliated with other religions while 8% consider themselves non-religious.

The state of South Dakota has no personal or corporate income taxes. It does, however, have a state sales tax which is, presently, 4%. A number of local authorities have the option of levying additional sales tax as well, which can, in places, make the total sales tax rate equal to 6%.

South Dakota offers several options when looking for a college or university to attend there. Some of these schools are:

• South Dakota State University

• The University of South Dakota

• Dakota State University

• The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degrees page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "South Dakota".

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