Lake Madison, SD

Lake Madison is an unincorporated community wrapped around the shores of Lake Madison in southeastern Lake County, about three to ten miles southeast of Madison. The community had 829 residents in 2020. Round Lake and the surrounding prairie give the area a second water-and-open-land frame, while Madison supplies nearby county-seat services. Most of the CDP falls in Madison Central School District 39-2, with a portion in Chester Area 39-1. The shoreline carries homes, seasonal camps, and roads, with no central business street. The lake sets the daily rhythm: campsites, boat access, shoreline homes, and fishing water all follow its edge.

Anglers go after walleye, perch, white bass, crappie, smallmouth bass, and northern pike, and Walker’s Point Recreation Area gives the south side a public place for camping and fishing. Lake Madison is a water-first community, with roads and school boundaries looping back toward Madison and the rest of the Lake County prairie. Round Lake and Long Lake widen the local boating-and-fishing map beyond the main shoreline.