Jefferson South Dakota Map

About Jefferson, South Dakota

Jefferson is a locality in Union County, South Dakota, United States. It is a small community with a population of 475. The population density is 359.6 people per km². Jefferson is located at 42.6025°N, 96.5592°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. Jefferson is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 57038.

Jefferson anchors itself firmly within the expansive, flat horizon of the southeastern corner of the state, where the sky claims more territory than the land itself. It lies 22.4 miles east-southeast of Vermillion, SD (from Vermillion, SD: bearing 123°T), and is situated 8.8 miles north-northwest of Dakota Dunes. The soil here is a deep, fertile loam, cultivated into precise, dark grids that stretch toward the distant silhouette of Dakota Point. Two miles to the east, the Big Sioux River carves a quiet, serpentine path through the low-lying terrain, its banks lined with dense thickets of cottonwood and willow that turn a brittle, pale gold when the autumn frost settles. Three miles to the north, the waters of Horseshoe Lake mirror the shifting moods of the clouds, providing a still, silver reprieve amidst the relentless productivity of the surrounding fields. Within the immediate boundaries of the landscape, Unknown Park serves as a quiet refuge of tall prairie grasses that sway in rhythmic unison, catching the sharp, clear light of late afternoon.

Agriculture remains the primary pulse of Jefferson, dictating the seasonal migration of machinery and the steady, patient labor of those who work the earth. The rhythm of the days is measured not by the clock, but by the slow rotation of crops and the subtle changes in the wind blowing off the plains. A traveler might find the River Drive Trail six miles away, offering a path to observe the quiet transition of the seasons without the intrusion of modern urgency. The history of Jefferson is written in the sturdy brick facades and the modest, well-maintained homes that define its residential streets, reflecting a heritage of resilience and practical ambition. Life here moves with the deliberate pace of a place that understands its own value, grounded in the quiet satisfaction of a harvest well-earned and the enduring stability of the plains.

About This Jefferson Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Jefferson, South Dakota. Coordinates: 42.602495, -96.559199. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Jefferson includes the ZIP code (57038), telephone area code (605), county seat of Union County (Elk Point), and school district assignment (Elk Point-Jefferson School District 61-7).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.