Welcome to Opal ...
Opal is located in Meade County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Opal, you might consider that their post office opened in 1909.
From the 2010 Census (the most recent Census number we have), Opal had a population of 31 people.<2> (see below for details).
Opal is 2,620 feet [799 m] above sea level.<3> In other words, the elevation of Opal is ½ mile above sea level.
Time Zone: Opal lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time
Note: If you travel east from Opal (for example, toward Dupree), you will leave Mountain Time and cross into the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT).
Opal is located in the (605) area code.
Communities Also Named Opal ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 13 communities that are also named Opal - they are located in Alabama, Alberta, Arkansas (3), Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming (2).
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Opal.
Communities near Opal ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Opal.
- Fairpoint
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest) - Cedar Canyon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Canyon have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Canyon
- Cedar Canyon is located in Meade County
- Red Owl
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Owl
- Red Owl is located in Meade County
- Marcus
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcus
- Marcus is located in Meade County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marcus <5>
- White Owl
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Owl
- White Owl is located in Meade County
- Estimated population in 2014: 373 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Owl <5>
- Enning
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enning have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enning
- Enning is located in Meade County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Enning <5>
- Faith
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Faith have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faith
- Faith is located in Meade County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Faith <5>
- Mud Butte
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mud Butte
- Mud Butte is located in Meade County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mud Butte <5>
- Union Center
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Center
- Union Center is located in Meade County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union Center <5>
- Howes
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howes
- Howes is located in Meade County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howes <5>
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 Opal. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Opal.
We have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Opal. See our Newspapers Page for Opal.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Opal ...
Looking for more information about Opal? 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 Opal, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Opal.
Adding Opal to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Opal 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 Opal was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>
From that list, the Opal post office opened in 1909.
For more details, see References and Mentions for Opal.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Opal. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Meade County: www.meadecounty.org/
The official website for State of South Dakota: sd.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of South Dakota's counties, including Meade, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Opal. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Opal - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |