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Short Profiles of Reader Requested Towns

In their search for a great retirement spot, readers ask us to profile all kinds of towns, from the places they grew up or attended college to places they have visited in their travels or just heard about from other people.  This page is where we address these profile requests.

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Yankton, South Dakota

3/18/2010

Yankton (population 13,500) is located along the Missouri River in the southeast corner of South Dakota, not far from Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.   Once the capital of the Dakota Territory, Yankton owes its existence to the Missouri River and is known as the "River City."  Explorers Lewis and Clark, as well as General George Custer, made stops here, and Jack McCall, the man who shot Wild Bill Hickok, was hanged and is buried here (and broadcaster Tom Brokaw attended high school here).  In the early days, before the arrival of the railroad and the Great Flood of 1881, Yankton was a stop for steamboats traveling up and down the Missouri.  Today, it is an unassuming place, but it has been named an All American City and has preserved many of its historic structures.   Of the residents, nearly 40% are age 45 or better.  The cost of living is 18% below the national average, and the median home price is just $105,000.

In the mid-20th century, a series of dams were built along the Missouri.  They inundated farmland and changed the character of the river, but they also brought opportunity.  One such dam, Gavins Point Dam, is just upriver from Yankton, and just west of the dam is Lewis and Clark Lake, a huge recreation area that brings 1.5 million people a year to Yankton to boat, swim, jet ski, hike, fish, camp, watch the wildlife and pump money into the local economy.   The lake boasts 90 miles of shoreline and has marinas, beaches, cabin rentals and RV parks.  

While many mid-western towns along a river face threats of flooding, the Gavins Point Dam protects Yankton from such a fate.  The Army Corps of Engineers manages the dam, and although there are ongoing legal fights about how much water to release and when, most residents appreciate what the dam has meant to the community.  Without it, Yankton might have gone the way of the steamboat.

Yankton is safe, with a crime rate below the national average.   It is growing slightly, is home to solid, mid-western values, has a good school system and a lovely downtown, just two blocks from the river, with restored, late nineteenth-century buildings, benches and light poles adorned with plants.   Not all historic buildings have been saved, however.  Just recently, the old courthouse was torn down and replaced by a modern structure.  

The town also has a few things that might make out-of-towners do a double take.  The Ice House is South Dakota's only drive-through bar and is a hoppin' place on warm summer nights.  And the former Yankton College, which closed in 1983, today houses minimum-security federal prisoners.  Inmates manage the grounds, mowing and weeding, and can occasionally be seen around town.  Not out shopping, of course, but performing community service jobs.  

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital provides most medical care and is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.  It is associated with the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota and is Yankton's largest employer.  It  has also won some national awards.  Specialties include pain relief and diabetes care, and the hospital has an ICU, a 24/7 emergency room and a full service imaging department.

The Center is the place for the 55+ set.  It is a modern facility and home to a wide range of activities, programs and services, including line dancing, craft shows, meals, potlucks, nurse visits and more.  Membership is $25 a year, and there are 824 current members.

The climate is typical of the upper mid-west.  July summer temperatures can reach into the 90s, and winter temperatures can easily dip into the teens and 20s (even single digits).  The area receives 25 inches of rain and 40 inches of snow annually.   Snow stays on the ground, and winter days are often overcast.  Some might say they are dreary.  The air quality is well above the U.S. average, but so are the chances of a tornado striking (157% above the U.S. national average).

Recommended as a Retirement Spot? X Yes   X

A remote location, cold winters and a federal prison in town may be considered drawbacks, but great water recreation, good medical care, very affordable housing, mid-western values, a healthy downtown and a low crime rate make Yankton worth a look at retirement time.

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