On November 3, 1887 the first passengers rode in Richard Pettigrew's horse-drawn streetcars along Phillips Ave, which was just a dirt road. The cars carried 15 people and the fare was 5 cents.

On September 10, 2019, the south side of Sioux Falls was hit by three EF-2 tornadoes, severely damaging at least 37 buildings and tearing the roofs off of homes. The total damage was more than $5 million.

The city is situated in the rolling hills at the junction of interstates 29 and 90.