South Dakota State Names

South Dakota Nicknames and Resident's Name

Great Plains

• The Mount Rushmore State

• Sunshine State

• Coyote State

• Blizzard State

• Artesian State

• Land of Infinite Variety

The Mount Rushmore State

In 1980, the motto, flag, and nickname was changed to "The Mount Rushmore State" because it was felt South Dakota couldn't compete with the other Sunshine State, Florida, which enhanced its reputation for sunshine with the nickname Orange State.

This epic sculpture features the faces of four exalted American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. South Dakota's Black Hills provide the backdrop for Mount Rushmore, the world's greatest mountain carving. These 60-foot high faces, 500 feet up, look out over a setting of pine, spruce, birch, and aspen in the clear western air.

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum began drilling into the 5,725-foot mountain in 1927. Creation of the Shrine of Democracy took 14 years and cost a mere $1 million, though it's now deemed priceless.

Sunshine State

State motto, which was depicted on the state flag, was "Sunshine State."

Coyote State

Inspired by a swift horse.

Artesian State

Artesian wells.

Origin of South Dakota State Name

From the Sioux tribe, meaning "allies.”

North and South Dakota were one territory until 1889. Dakota was named for the Dakota, Sioux tribe which lived in the region. Dakota is the Sioux word for "friends" or "allies."

South Dakota Postal Code

SD

South Dakota Resident's Name

South Dakotan