Estelline, SD

Estelline is a Hamlin County city on the prairie between Watertown and Brookings, with a post office dating to 1879 and a town plat from 1882. The city is part of the Watertown micropolitan area, but its daily scale is built around farm roads, Davis Avenue, the school campus, and local organizations. Estelline's name came from a local farmer's daughter, giving the railroad-era town a personal beginning instead of a surveyor's label.

Estelline School District 28-2 runs elementary, junior-high, and high-school programs for a regional student body, with Beckman Athletic Complex adding track and football facilities. The city lists an American Legion post, 4-H, a community garden, study club, quilters, churches, food pantry, and volunteer fire department among its local organizations. Brookings and South Dakota State University are about 24 miles away, giving graduates a nearby college connection. The city office and local groups keep that calendar visible through the seasons. Estelline is a South Dakota city where school, prairie, and volunteer groups hold the town together.