Better Travel Destination: South Dakota or North Dakota?

It's a rivalry that is 132 years old this month and it's as intense as ever.

Which is the better of the two Dakotas - North or South?

The constant comparisons between the two states make sense when you consider that not only do they share a border and a name, but also a 'birthdate' - November 2, 1889.

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On that day, President Benjamin Harrison officially signed proclamations admitting the two states as the 39th and 40th to join the union.

But even back then there was concern about this budding animosity between the two states, so Harrison made sure, after signing the statehood paperwork, that he shuffled the proclamations so that no one would ever know which was signed first.

Despite that, North Dakota is generally recognized as the 39th state; South Dakota as the 40th.

Fast forward more than 130 years and the border battle between the Dakotas rages on.

This time in cyberspace.

The folks at The Travel decided it was time once and for all to declare a winner between the two states, at least when it comes to the better travel destination.

For their story, they start with a 'tale of the tape' which gives the Mount Rushmore State an edge in population by a little more than 126,000 (896,581 to 770,026). Don't get too excited about the numbers though, the Dakotas are still the fifth and sixth least populated states in America.

Next, it was on to the heart of the issue - which state has more to offer for tourists?

For the Peace Garden State, the top attraction was Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

The 110 square mile section of the badlands in western North Dakota was officially established in 1978.

After that, there wasn't much else to talk about in North Dakota.

As for South Dakota, the article highlighted several attractions:

• Mount Rushmore National Memorial
• Wind Cave National Park
• Badlands National Park
• Crazy Horse Memorial
• Jewel Cave National Monument
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
• Missouri National Recreational River
• Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

So based on all that, is there any doubt as to the final outcome?

Here is their official verdict:

While one can have a great time in North Dakota and explore the national park there and various other attractions, South Dakota has much more on offer. North Dakota does have the 144-mile long Maah Daah Hey Trail, which is great for fishing and hunting, and it has the Scandinavian Norsk Høstfest festival. But still, there is much more to do in South Dakota.

South Dakota boasts some of America's most famous landmarks like Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse. As well as the Black Hills and two national parks among many other attractions.

Feel free to forward this to your favorite North Dakotan...