Chartered in 1856 on the banks of the Big Sioux River, the city is situated in the rolling hills at the junction of interstates 29 and 90.

Indigenous people maintained an agricultural society with fortified villages, and the later arrivals rebuilt on many of the same sites that were previously settled.

The first documented visit by an American of European descent was by Philander Prescott, who camped overnight at the falls in December 1832.

They built a temporary barricade of turf which they dubbed "Fort Sod", in response to native tribes attempting to defend their land from the settlers.

Although conflicts in Minnehaha County between Native Americans and white settlers were few, the Dakota War of 1862 engulfed nearby southwestern Minnesota.

The Village of Sioux Falls, consisting of 1,200 acres (4.9 km2), was incorporated in 1876 and was granted a city charter by the Dakota Territorial legislature on March 3, 1883.

[16] But prosperity eventually returned with the opening of the John Morrell meat packing plant in 1909, the establishment of an airbase and a military radio and communications training school in 1942, and the completion of the interstate highways in the early 1960s.

Much of the growth in the first part of the 20th century was fueled by agriculturally based industry, such as the Morrell plant and the nearby stockyards (one of the largest in the nation).

In 1981, to take advantage of recently relaxed state usury laws, Citibank relocated its primary credit card center from New York City to Sioux Falls.

Some claim that this event was the primary impetus for the increased population and job growth rates that Sioux Falls has experienced over the past quarter-century.

[2] On the night of September 10, 2019, the south side of Sioux Falls was hit by three strong EF2 tornadoes, severely damaging at least 37 buildings, including the Plaza 41 Shopping Center.

[21] In addition to Sioux Falls, the metropolitan area includes Canton, Brandon, Dell Rapids, Tea, Harrisburg, Worthing, Beresford, Lennox, Hartford, Crooks, Baltic, Montrose, Salem, Renner, Rowena, Chancellor, Colton, Humboldt, Parker, Hurley, Garretson, Sherman, Corson, Viborg, Irene, Centerville, Luverne, Hills, and Beaver Creek.

While no longer as economically dominant as it once was, the manufacturing and food processing sector remains an important component of Sioux Falls' economy.

The Downtown Riverfest[41] brings live music, art, kids' activities and more in an annual festival that embraces the beauty of the Big Sioux.

[44] The Sioux Falls SculptureWalk was the first visual evidence of the renaissance and is an attraction for both visitors and resident artists, hosting over 55 sculptures including a replica of the Michelangelo's David.

In the first 25 years of its existence—one of the longest-running Indian art shows in the country—over 800 artists from 7 northern plains states and two Canadian provinces exhibited at NPTA/NPIAM.

[48] As the 21st century began, poetry and literary events became more popular with the opening of the Sioux Empire Arts Council Horse Barn Gallery and due to a National Endowment for the Arts-supported Y Writer's Voice.

[50] The Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Festival is a three-day outdoor musical event featuring two stages and is free to the public.

[51][52] The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society hosts national musicians during its annual concert series.

[54] the Orpheum Theater, SculptureWalk, The Premiere Playhouse, The Good Night Theatre Collective, Sioux Falls State Theater, the Museum of Visual Materials, the Interactive Water Fountain, Falls Park, Creative Spirits, Eastbank Art Gallery, Levitt at the Falls, and the Washington Pavilion, home to the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, the occasional Poets & Painters show, and the Spotlight Theatre Collective (formerly known as the Dakota Academy of Performing Arts.

The South Dakota Symphony's home hosts dance groups as well as smaller theater and choral events.

The Visual Arts Center, also part of the Pavilion complex, hosts six galleries of changing exhibits, all free of charge.

[56] The Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum provides the area with natural history and animal exhibits in its 50-acre (200,000 m2) park.

[57] The taxidermy animals once hosted within the Delbridge Museum were removed in 2023 due to health concerns of the high amounts of arsenic in the mounts.

Sioux Falls Stadium hosted the 2007 American Association of Independent Professional Baseball all-star game.

[61] Constructed in 2014, the Denny Sanford Premier Center is home to the Summit League's men's and women's basketball tournaments.

[62] The Premier Center also hosted the 2016 Division I Women's Tournament Regional as well as the 2017 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

In 2018, voters approved a plan to move Sioux Falls Lutheran School to a new building near the I-29/I-229 merge on south Boe Lane.

Sioux Falls' major roads include W 41st, Minnesota, Main, W 26th (which becomes Louise as it turns south), 12th, 49th, 57th, and Western.

The Sioux Area Metro Paratransit serves members of the community who would otherwise not be able to travel by providing door-to-door service.