Welcome to Dakota ...
The village of Dakota is located in Stephenson County<1>.
The pronunciation of Dakota: duh-KOH-tuh<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Dakota, you might consider that their post office opened in 1857.
The village was incorporated March 11, 1869.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Dakota has a population of 466 people<3> (see below for details).
Dakota is 940 feet [287 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Dakota lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Telephone area codes for Dakota: (815) and (779)<5>
The ZIP code for Dakota: 61018<6>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Dakota had an population of 466 people. This is a decrease of 7.91% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 6.61% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Dakota had a population of 506 people. This makes Dakota the county's 7th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 506 people, the population of Dakota increased 1.4% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 499 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Dakota.
Communities Also Named Dakota ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 9 communities that are also named Dakota - they are located in Georgia (2), Minnesota, Nebraska, Ontario (3), West Virginia and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Dakota.
Communities near Dakota ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Dakota.
- Freeport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeport have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
- Freeport is located in Stephenson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23,447 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeport <8>
- Monroe
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest) - Brodhead
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast) - Winnebago
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnebago
- Winnebago is located in Winnebago County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,973 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winnebago <8>
- Lena
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
- Lena is located in Stephenson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,680 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lena <8>
- Pecatonica
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pecatonica have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecatonica
- Pecatonica is located in Winnebago County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,065 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pecatonica <8>
- Durand
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durand
- Durand is located in Winnebago County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,387 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Durand <8>
- Forreston
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forreston have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forreston
- Forreston is located in Ogle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,338 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forreston <8>
- Pearl City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl City
- Pearl City is located in Stephenson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 772 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pearl City <8>
- Orangeville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangeville
- Orangeville is located in Stephenson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 737 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orangeville <8>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Dakota. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Dakota.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Dakota. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Dakota.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Dakota. See our Newspapers Page for Dakota.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Dakota ...
Looking for more information about Dakota? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Dakota, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Dakota.
Adding Dakota to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Dakota in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Dakota was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<9>
From that list, the Dakota post office opened in 1857.
We also found Dakota in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Dakota.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Dakota. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Stephenson County: www.co.stephenson.il.us/
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Stephenson, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Dakota. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Dakota. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Dakota - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | Area code (779) is an overlay for area code (815). |
| <6> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a village (such as Dakota). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Dakota or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <8> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <9> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |