About Watertown
Watertown, SD is a close-knit town located in northeastern South Dakota with an estimated population of 23,492. It ranks as the 5th largest city in South Dakota.
Officially, Watertown is an incorporated city with its own municipal government. The community covers 18.44 square miles, giving it a balanced suburban layout with room to breathe at roughly 1,274 residents per square mile.
📰 Watertown News Today
Live headlines via Google News — updates through the day.
What Makes Watertown Unique
- One of the 5 largest cities in South Dakota (#5 statewide).
- One of 8 places in the US named Watertown — but the South Dakota one has a character all its own.
- Positioned in northeastern South Dakota, convenient to the region's corridors and crossings.
Why People Love It Here
- The sweet spot: real amenities without big-city congestion.
- Local businesses and schools anchored by a stable resident base of 23,492.
- Well connected: 3+ neighboring communities within 14 miles.
📍 Neighborhoods in Watertown
Click a neighborhood to see it on the map.
🍽️ Where to Eat in Watertown
- Applebee's — american
- Caribou Coffee — coffee shop (café)
- Downtown Sushi — sushi
- Empire Pizza — pizza
- Gather — coffee shop (café)
- Backroads — coffee shop (café)
- Buffalo Wild Wings — wings
- Dempsey's ATY — pizza
- Guadalajara — mexican
- Hospital Cafeteria — american
Local spots mapped by the OpenStreetMap community.
🎡 Fun Things to Do
- Bramble Park Zoo · Zoo
- Legends · Attraction
- Mellete House · Museum
- Redlin Art Center · Art gallery
- Showmobile · Attraction
- Splash Park · Water park
- Water Slides · Water park
Attractions mapped by the OpenStreetMap community.
🏞️ Parks & Outdoors in Watertown
Parks mapped by the OpenStreetMap community · "reviews" opens each park's live Google reviews.
🏫 Schools in Watertown
- Garfield Education Center - 14
- Jefferson Elementary - 09
- Lincoln Elementary - 05
- McKinley Elementary - 06
- Mellette Elementary - 07
- Roosevelt Elementary - 08
- Watertown High School - 01
- Watertown Intermediate School - 13
- Watertown Middle School - 02
Public schools, U.S. Dept. of Education (NCES) 2023–24 directory.
🏥 Hospitals & Healthcare
- Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, Inc ★★★ (3/5 CMS rating) · 24/7 ER
Medicare-registered hospitals with official CMS star ratings.