[8] Huron is the site of the South Dakota State Fair and of a statue called the World's Largest Pheasant.

The early history of the town is closely linked with the Chicago and Northwestern Railway.

At the direction of Marvin Hughitt, general manager of the railroad, the west bank of the James River was selected as the railway's division headquarters.

[10] The original plat covered 11 blocks, and Huron's first settler was John Cain, a practical printer from Troy, New York.

He learned in Chicago, from the railroad people, that they would have their chief town and operating headquarters at their James River crossing.

[12] Huron has a humid continental climate, with hot, humid summers, cold, dry winters, and wide temperature extremes; it is part of USDA hardiness zone 4b.

[14][15] The average window for freezing temperatures are September 30 through May 5,[14] allowing a growing season of 147 days.

[14] As of the census[19] of 2010, there were 12,592 people, 5,418 households, and 3,179 families residing in the city.

36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The city operates a waterpark called Splash Central, featuring an Olympic-sized pool, slides, and children's area.

Huron has a federal building, field offices that is home to Social Security Administration, Western Area Power Administration, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, General Services Administration, Farm Service Agency and the USDA.

It had scheduled passenger flights operated by a commuter air carrier, Great Lakes Airlines, with Beechcraft 1900D commuter turboprop aircraft service to Denver.