South Dakota’s Best Under A Grand: Plankinton, Population 707
You've heard the phrase.
The three most important things are location, location, location.
Well, if that's the truth, you can't be located much better than at the 'Crossroads of the USA'. And that's exactly where Plankinton sits.
Seriously. Plankinton is just outside of the spot where Interstate 90 (it runs all the way from the eastern seaboard to the western shores) intersects with US 281 (which connects Canada to Mexico). In other words, you can get here from just about everywhere!
With 707 friendly folks (according to the 2010 census) proudly calling Plankinton home, you can bet you'll get a warm welcome when you pull into town. Now of course, Plankinton wasn't founded because of I90 and US 281...no, those two were in the far distant future when the railroad decided to come to the area back in the 1800's. (The railroad in those days was every bit as important, and in fact more important, than the interstate system is today). This new community was named after a railroad official (surprise!) and in 1882 Plankinton was incorporated and officially became a village.
And did you know Plankinton was home to the...Wheat Palace? And while the Wheat Palace didn't last too long, some folks say it was the inspiration for Mitchell's Worlds Only Corn Palace.
Today Plankinton has a thriving business community with everything a person would want or need, from agriculture to photography, automotive to banking to beauty to daycare and...well, like I said, just about everything a person would need.
And I'd say there's a better than good chance that if you know a pheasant hunter (and we all do), they've been to the Plankinton area. It boasts some of the best hunting ground in the state.
Here's an idea, when you're traveling, whether east/west or north/south, pull on into the 'Crossroads of the USA' and have a sandwich and a cup of coffee. The warm conversation you'll find is added at no cost.
And who knows, when you discover that Plankinton has everything you want and need along with that special small town charm and, of course, a great location, you may just want to stay!
Wikipedia Contributed To This Story