Welcome to Amherst ...
Amherst is located in Marshall County<1>.
The pronunciation of Amherst: AM-hurst<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Amherst, you might consider that their post office opened in 1887.
Amherst is 1,300 feet [396 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Amherst lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
The telephone area code for Amherst: (605)
The ZIP code for Amherst: 57421<4>
Communities Also Named Amherst ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 24 communities that are also named Amherst - they are located in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas (2), Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York (2), North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Ontario, Quebec, Tennessee, Texas (2), Virginia (2) and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Amherst.
Communities near Amherst ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Amherst.
- Houghton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton
- Houghton is located in Brown County
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,503 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Houghton <5>
- West Britton ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Britton have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Britton
- West Britton is located in Marshall County
- Population from the 2010 Census: 1,368 people
- Britton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Britton have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Britton
- Britton is located in Marshall County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,256 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Britton <5>
- Spain
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Langford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langford
- Langford is located in Marshall County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 324 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Langford <5>
- Huffton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest) - Hecla
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hecla have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hecla
- Hecla is located in Brown County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hecla <5>
- Claremont
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Claremont is located in Brown County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Claremont <5>
- Pierpont
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pierpont have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierpont
- Pierpont is located in Day County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pierpont <5>
- Newark
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
- Newark is located in Marshall County
- Estimated population in 2014: 109 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 Amherst. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Amherst.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Amherst. 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 Amherst.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Amherst. See our Newspapers Page for Amherst.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Amherst ...
Looking for more information about Amherst? 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 Amherst, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Amherst.
Adding Amherst to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Amherst 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 Amherst was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Amherst post office opened in 1887.
We also found Amherst in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Amherst.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Amherst. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
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 Marshall, 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 Amherst. 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> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Amherst - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | 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 community (such as Amherst). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Amherst or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |