Mitchell, city and seat of Davison County, in southeastern South Dakota. It is a commercial, manufacturing, and transportation center, situated in a grain-producing region. Manufactures include truck trailers and processed food. Dakota Wesleyan University (1885) is located here. The Corn Palace (1892, rebuilt 1921), a large, unique structure distinguished by its unusual towers, is decorated annually with colored ears of corn. Concerts and other events are held in the building, which is also the site of an annual harvest festival. The community, laid out in 1881 as a railroad stop, was named for Alexander Mitchell, president of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. Mitchell was incorporated as a city in 1883. Population 13,916 (1980); 13,798 (1990); 14,558 (2000).
