One hundred thirty-seven years ago our state founders placed the capitol in Pierre because it lay near the geographic center of a young frontier state. That decision fit a time when travel was slow and the population thin. The facts that justified it no longer exist. South Dakota has changed, and good government requires us to change with it.
Isolated and Insulated
State government in Pierre is isolated and insulated from the rest of the state. The town has only 14,000 people. Meanwhile, South Dakotans live more and more in the southeast corner of the state, or the Black Hill.
Nearly half of all South Dakotans live in the southeastern eighth of the state, anchored by the Sioux Falls region, which has more than 280,000 residents. The state population is 937,000, yet the machinery of government remains hundreds of miles from where most citizens live, work, and pay taxes. Our state capitol should not be a remote outpost.
Half of South Dakotans live in the SE corner of the state.
Distance has practical consequences. For many residents, participating in government means a long winter drive. That barrier quietly limits who serves in state government, who testifies, who serves on boards, and who feels welcome in the process.
Isolation is a Barrier to Competence
State agencies also struggle to recruit professionals. Accountants, engineers, and technology specialists can choose among many cities; asking them to relocate to an isolated town with limited opportunities for their spouses and few direct flights makes hiring harder and turnover higher. Location has become a hidden barrier to competence.
The legislative session highlights the mismatch. Lawmakers meet during the coldest months in a community with modest hotels and restaurants and little space for large gatherings. Talented citizens, especially younger professionals with families, often decide not to run for office because six or eight weeks in Pierre means stepping away from businesses and community life. Holding the session in a larger metropolitan area would widen the circle of citizens who can realistically serve.
Expensive Capitol Building Repairs
Now we face another decision point: the capitol building itself needs major repair. Officials acknowledge that a comprehensive renovation could cost $150 million or more. Spending that sum to preserve a facility in a location that no longer fits the state would double down on yesterday’s map. The smarter course is to invest in a long-range solution that aligns government with where South Dakotans live.
Relocation does not mean abandoning history. The Pierre building could become a museum, archives center, or ceremonial site honoring the state’s origins. But the working capitol, the place where laws are written and citizens gather, should be where the state’s future is unfolding.
The legislative district map reflects where people are.
The Sioux Falls area is the obvious anchor, yet other southeastern communities such as Brookings and Mitchell deserve consideration. Brookings offers a university environment, research capacity, and a growing professional workforce. Mitchell sits at a transportation crossroads with room to plan a civic campus. Both would place government within reach of a far larger share of residents.
Capitol Relocation Fund
Earlier this decade, the state showed great foresight in creating a fund with excess revenues to build a new state penitentiary. It did this without a specific location or plan in mind. Once significant resources were available, the state took the next step of developing a plan. That successful model would make sense for a Capitol Relocation Fund too.
Great decisions require looking beyond sentiment. Our founders chose Pierre because it served the people of their day. Serving the people today points in a different direction.
We can spend $150 million renovating a symbol in the wrong place, or we can build a capitol that matches the state we have become. If government is meant to be of the people, it should also be among the people, and that means bringing the capitol home to where South Dakotans are living and where they are clearly headed.
