South Dakota South Dakota South Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who compose a large portion of the population and historically dominated the territory. South Dakota is the seventeenth largest by area, but the fifth smallest by population and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. As the southern part of the former Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889, simultaneously with North Dakota. Pierre is the state capital and Sioux Falls, with a population
South Dakota–South Dakota State football rivalry that have a game named "University of _ vs. _ State University." The majority of the series' games have been played in on either team's home stadiums in Vermillion (South Dakota) or Brookings (South Dakota State). Three games (1919, 1920, and 1933) were played on a neutral field in Sioux Falls. Since the 1979 season, the Coyotes have hosted their games at the DakotaDome; previously, they played at Darwin Inman Memorial Stadium. The Jackrabbits have played home games at Coughlin–Alumni Stadium starting from 1962 until the 2015 season. Starting in 2016, South Dakota State's football team will be playing in