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South Dakota rankings · Outdoors

Towns with the most conserved land in South Dakota

Ranked by the share of the town's area that is permanently protected: town forests, state and federal land, land-trust preserves and conservation easements (USGS PAD-US). 33 towns with 2,500+ residents.

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Java has fewer than 2,500 residents, the floor for SD lists.

#1
Chamberlain22.4% · Conserved acres 811
#2
Colonial Pine Hills21.9% · Conserved acres 2,123
B
#3
Union CountyBig Sioux18.8% · Conserved acres 1,457

All 33 towns

Conserved land, highest first.

#TownConserved landConserved acresTrails
1 Chamberlain2,588 people 22.4% 8111.3 mi
2 Colonial Pine Hills2,609 people 21.9% 2,1236.7 mi
3 Big SiouxUnion County · 4,917 people 18.8% 1,45722.4 mi
4 Blackhawk2,934 people 17% 5123.9 mi
5 Spearfish12,930 people 9.2% 1,01525.0 mi
6 Hot Springs3,548 people 7.4% 2046.0 mi
7 Pierre13,948 people 7% 58013.4 mi
8 Brookings23,948 people 5.7% 5136.2 mi
9 Sturgis7,086 people 5.6% 2372.5 mi
10 Sioux Falls201,469 people 5.3% 2,88460.9 mi
11 Aberdeen28,189 people 5.1% 54112.1 mi
12 Yankton15,540 people 4.4% 2538.4 mi
13 Split RockMinnehaha County · 3,143 people 3.8% 6895.6 mi
14 Rapid City77,946 people 3.5% 1,24833.1 mi
15 Brandon10,996 people 3.4% 1340.9 mi
16 Watertown23,044 people 3.3% 5469.7 mi
17 Winner2,905 people 3.3% 480.1 mi
18 Milbank3,525 people 3.2% 582.0 mi
19 Vermillion11,878 people 3% 922.7 mi
20 Dell Rapids3,905 people 2.6% 381.6 mi
21 Madison6,094 people 2.4% 722.8 mi
22 Mitchell15,649 people 2.2% 1752.7 mi
23 Tea6,786 people 2.2% 542.0 mi
24 Belle Fourche5,804 people 1.8% 1040.6 mi
25 Huron14,385 people 1.7% 12010.0 mi
26 Mobridge2,932 people 1.6% 200.4 mi
27 Canton3,033 people 1.3% 281.2 mi
28 Lead3,006 people 0.8% 103.7 mi
29 Box Elder12,902 people 0.7% 635.7 mi
30 Dakota Dunes3,936 people 0.5% 107.8 mi
31 Harrisburg8,519 people 0.2% 80.6 mi
32 North Sioux City3,045 people 0.2% 40.2 mi
33 Summerset3,022 people 0.1% 10.8 mi
How it works

How this ranking works

The SD list, with the map →

We rank every town by the share of the town's area that is permanently protected: town forests, state and federal land, land-trust preserves and conservation easements (USGS PAD-US). Easements protect land from development but are often private, so not all of it is open to visitors. The town with the highest figure ranks #1.

Only towns with at least 2,500 residents are ranked; Census estimates for smaller places are too uncertain. Population and income: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Trails, streets and parks: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Conserved land: USGS PAD-US. Measured within each town's Census boundary. Town photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each town’s page.

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