Brookings, SD

Brookings is a college town and the county seat of Brookings County in eastern South Dakota. South Dakota State University is the defining institution, bringing students, athletics, research, and a steadier cultural rhythm than the city's size might suggest. Brookings was named for Wilmot Brookings, an early promoter of the Dakota Territory, and it remains one of the state's more substantial small cities, with a downtown, parks, and a community life strongly shaped by the university calendar.