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Welcome to Alsen ...

Alsen is primarily located in Clay County<1>. A portion of Alsen extends into Union County.

Alsen was established in 1871.

Alsen is 1,330 feet [405 m] above sea level.<2>.

Time Zone: Alsen lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Code for Alsen: 605

Communities Also Named Alsen ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 3 communities that are also named Alsen - they are located in Louisiana, New York and North Dakota.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Alsen.

Communities near Alsen ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Alsen.

  • Vermillion
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vermillion have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermillion
    • Vermillion is located in Clay County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,038 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vermillion <4>
  • Hawarden
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawarden have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawarden
    • Hawarden is located in Sioux County (IA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,443 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hawarden <4>
  • Beresford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Akron
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Centerville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centerville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
    • Centerville is located in Turner County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 870 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Centerville <4>
  • Alcester
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Irene
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irene have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irene
    • Irene is located in Turner County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 403 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irene <4>
  • Gayville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Wakonda
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wakonda have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakonda
    • Wakonda is located in Clay County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wakonda <4>
  • Nora
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nora
    • Nora is located in Union County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 240 people

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 Alsen. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Alsen.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Alsen. 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 Alsen.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Alsen. See our Newspapers Page for Alsen.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Alsen ...

Looking for more information about Alsen? 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.

While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Alsen, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Alsen.

Adding Alsen to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Alsen 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 Alsen was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Alsen.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alsen. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Clay County: www.claycountysd.org/

The official website for State of South Dakota: https://www.sd.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of South Dakota's counties, including Clay, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Alsen - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<3>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.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 16 Jul 2025