Rapid City, South Dakota

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Rapid City is a city in Pennington County, South Dakota, USA. As of the 2005 census estimate, the city had a total population 62,167. Rapid City is the hub of the Black Hills and the primary city in a metro of about 150,000. It is the county seat of Pennington County^GR6 and the second largest city in South Dakota after Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls may be larger in population, but Rapid City is much larger in size due to highlands, canyons, and foothills. Rapid City is also the principal city of and is included in the Rapid City, South Dakota Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Rapid City Journal is the daily newspaper. Rapid City is known as the "Gateway City" to the Black Hills. The most common source of revenue for Rapid City is banking, development, agriculture, and tourism.

[edit] Geography

Rapid City's location makes the weather difficult to predict. Long arid summers and long dry winters leave little time in between for autumn and spring. Rapid City is located at 44°4′34″N, 103°13′42″W (44.076188, -103.228299)^GR1. The elevation of Rapid City is 3202 feet (976 meters) and Rapid City sits in the shadow of Harney Peak; which at 7,242 feet, is the highest point in the United States east of the Rockies.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 115.7 km² (44.7 mi²). 115.5 km² (44.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.13%) is water.

Rapid City has been assigned the ZIP code range 57701-57709 and the FIPS place code 52980.

Rapid City holds two weather records — fastest temperature rise of 27° C (49° F) in 2 minutes on January 22, 1943 and fastest temperature drop of 26° C (47° F) in 5 minutes on January 10, 1911.^[1]

[edit] Climate

Rapid City has a highly varied climate due to its location on the foothills of the Black Hills and on the prairie. Rapid City usually has long, dry summers and long, dry winters. Autumn and spring are somewhat short. It is not unusual for temperatures to reach 100 in late July and August, and to reach -10 in late November and December. Snowfall occurs in large spurts, usually in the spring, but average snowfall is very low, due mostly to the embankment of the foothills. Many suburbs and area towns to the east of the city accumulate more snow.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Rec High °F	76	75	82	93	98	109	110	106	104	94	83	75
Norm High °F	33.6	38.6	46.6	57.1	67.2	77.4	85.5	85.5	75.2	61.7	44.8	36.1
Norm Low °F	11.3	15.9	23.2	32.3	42.7	51.8	57.9	56.6	46	34.7	22.1	13.3
Rec Low °F	-27	-31	-21	1	18	31	39	38	18	-2	-19	-30
Precip (in)	0.37	0.46	1.03	1.86	2.96	2.83	2.03	1.61	1.1	1.37	0.61	0.41
Source: USTravelWeather.com [1]

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 59,607 people, 23,969 households, and 15,220 families residing in the city. The population density was 516.1/km² (1,336.7/mi²). There were 25,096 housing units at an average density of 217.3/km² (562.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.33% White, 0.97% African American, 10.14% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 2.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.77% of the population.

There were 23,969 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,978, and the median income for a family was $44,818. Males had a median income of $30,985 versus $21,913 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,445. About 9.4% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

The discovery of gold in 1874 brought an influx of settlers into the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Rapid City was founded in 1876 by a group of disappointed miners, who promoted their new city as the "Gateway to the Black Hills." John Brennan and Samuel Scott, with a small group of men, laid out the site of the present Rapid City, which was named for the spring-fed Rapid Creek that flows through it. A square mile was measured off and the six blocks in the center were designated as a business section. Committees were appointed to bring in prospective merchants and their families to locate in the new settlement. Although it began as a hay camp, the city soon began selling supplies to miners and pioneers. By 1900 Rapid City had survived a boom and bust and was establishing itself as an important regional trade center.

The invention of the automobile brought tourists to the Black Hills. Gutzon Borglum, the famous sculptor, began work on Mount Rushmore in 1927, and his son, Lincoln Borglum continued the carving of the presidents' faces in rock following his father's death. The massive sculpture was completed in 1938. Although tourism sustained the city throughout the Great Depression of the 1930s, the gas rationing of World War II had a devastating effect on the tourist industry in the town.

The city benefited greatly from the opening of Ellsworth Air Force Base, an Army Air Corps base. As a result, the population of the area nearly doubled between 1940 and 1948, from almost 14,000 to nearly 27,000 people. Military families and civilian personnel soon took every available living space in town, and mobile parks proliferated. Rapid City businesses profited from the military payroll. During the Cold War, the land around Rapid City became dotted with 120 Minuteman missile silos, all of which have been deactivated.^[2]

In 1949 city officials envisioned the city as a retail and wholesale trade center for the region and designed a plan for growth that focused on a civic center, more downtown parking places, new schools, and paved streets. A construction boom continued into the 1950s. Growth slowed in the 1960s, but the worst natural disaster in Rapid City's history led to another building boom a decade later. On June 9, 1972, heavy rains caused massive flooding of the Rapid Creek. More than 200 people lost their lives and more than $100 million in property was destroyed.

The devastation of the flood and the outpouring of private donations and millions of dollars in federal aid led to the completion of one big part of the 1949 plan: clearing the area along the Rapid Creek and making it a public park. New homes and businesses were constructed to replace those that had been destroyed. Rushmore Plaza Civic Center and a new Central High School were built in part of the area that had been cleared. In 1978, Rushmore Mall was built, adding to the city's position as a retail shopping center.

[edit] The 1972 Flood

Cars jumbled together by the 1972 flood.

On June 9-10, 1972, extremely heavy rains over the eastern Black Hills of South Dakota produced record floods on Rapid Creek and other streams in the area. Nearly 15 inches of rain fell in about 6 hours near Nemo, and more than 10 inches of rain fell over an area of 60 square miles. According to the Red Cross, the resulting peak floods (which occurred after dark) left 238 people dead and 3,057 people injured. In addition to the human tragedy, total damage was estimated in excess of $160 million (about $664 million in 2002 dollars), which included 1,335 homes and 5,000 automobiles that were destroyed. Runoff from this storm produced record floods (highest peak flows recorded) along Battle, Spring, Rapid, and Box Elder Creeks. Smaller floods also occurred along Elk Creek and Bear Butte Creek. The 1972 flood has an estimated recurrence interval of 500 years (Burr and Korkow, 1996), which means that a flood of this magnitude will occur on average once every 500 years. Every year there is a 0.2 percent chance (1 in 500) of experiencing a similar flood. To prevent a similar tragedy from occurring in the future, the city's flood plain is no longer allowed to be built upon. Today the flood plain features golf courses, parks, sports arenas, and arboretums where neighborhoods and businesses once stood.

[edit] Healthcare

Rapid City has several large medical centers with Rapid City Regional Hospital being the largest. Others include The Black Hills Surgery Center, The Heart Doctors, The Spine Center at Rapid City, Setliff Sinus Institute, and Regional Behavioral Healthcare.

[edit] Education

The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is located in Rapid City along with National American University, Western Dakota Technical Institute, and Black Hills State University in nearby Spearfish. There are three public high schools in the city, Central High School, Douglas High School and Stevens High School. The city also has an academy and two Christian high schools.

[edit] Sports

The Black Hills Posse was a professional basketball club that competed in the International Basketball Association beginning in the 1995-1996 season.
The Rapid City Thrillers was a professional basketball club that competed in the International Basketball Association beginning in the 1998-1999 season.
The Black Hills Gold was a professional basketball club that competed in the International Basketball Association only during the 1999-2000 season.
The Rushmore Thunder is a minor hockey team.
The Rapid City Flying Aces is an indoor football team that competed between 2000 and 2006 in the Indoor Football League, United Indoor Football, and National Indoor Football League, changing names from season to season. The Flying Aces left the National Indoor Football League after the 2006 season, and will not field a team in 2007; the organization hopes to join the UIF in 2008.

[edit] Art and Culture

[edit] Sister Cities

Rapid City has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

Apolda, Germany
Imaichi, Japan
Yangshuo County, China

[edit] Industry

The major industry of Rapid City is tourism because of its close location to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, The Black Hills, and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Other industries include financing corporations, state banking, agricultural investing, a cement factory, a Merillat plant that makes kitchen cabinets, Computer peripheral manufacturing and Black Hills Gold jewellery creations. Another major form of employment to be considered is Ellsworth Air Force Base, home to the 28th Bomber wing which flies B-1B long range bombers. The base is located just east of Rapid City in the suburb of Box Elder.

[edit] Transportation

Rapid City Regional Airport features flights daily in and out of Denver, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City. There are two flights a week to Las Vegas and daily flights to Chicago.

Rapid City's central location allows easy transport of products to both coasts. Trucking and transport are major businesses of Rapid City. Rapid City has an almost equal distance to either coast.

[edit] Infrastructure

Interstate 90- The United State's longest interstate route bypasses the city on the northern edge. Rapid City is served by exits 63-51.
Interstate 190- A business spur Interstate linking downtown Rapid City to Interstate 90. Also serves as Highway 16.
Highway 16- Main route to the Black Hills from Rapid City. Links Rapid City to Custer.
Highway 44- Links the Black Hills and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Rapid City's main link to Rapid City Regional Airport. Rapid City's largest street as Omaha Street.
Highway 79- Extends north-south from North Dakota to Nebraska. Recently developed as a major four-lane highway. Future plans for extension to Colorado Front Range.

The South Dakota Department of Transportation is developing three major projects that may help the congestion of Rapid City:

Heartland Expressway- a quad-lane highway stretching from Rapid City to Denver, Colorado to allow travelers to reach both cities in half the time.
Trans-Canada/US Highway- extension of the Heartland Expressway to Regina, Saskatchewan, in Canada, to create a major north-south artery through the Great Plains.
Highway 44 Expansion- plans to widen SD Highway 44 to a quad-lane highway from Rapid City to Regional Airport. This may also bring more recognition to Regional Airport to allow expansion and more commercial flights.

[edit] Suburbs

Rapid Valley
Piedmont Valley
Piedmont
Box Elder
Hermosa
Johnson Siding
Rockerville
Summerset

[edit] Television Stations

KEVN- Fox 7 (HDTV)
KOTA- ABC (HDTV)
KNBN- NBC (No HDTV as of 2/1/2007)
KCLO- CBS (No HDTV as of 2/1/2007)

[edit] Radio Stations

KSLT 107.3 & 107.9 (Christian Contemporary)
Xrock 101.1 (Rock)
Xrock 103.5 (Rock)
Hot 93.1 (Popular)
Kool 92.1 (Adult Contemporary)
Cat 98.7 (Country Western)
Kool 93.9 (Adult Contemporary)
100.3 the Fox
Ksky 92.3
Point 88.3 (Christian Contemporary)
Max 106.3

[edit] Points of interest

Art Alley [2]
Berlin Wall Exhibit
Dinosaur Park - Rapid City, SD
Pirate's Cove
Hart Ranch
Reptile Gardens
Storybook Island
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
The Journey Museum and Gardens
The Tower On the Hill
The Rushmore Waterslide Park [3]
Canyon Lake Park

[edit] Development and Expansion

Rapid City is experiencing mass population growth and outside interest in the area. To date, these are some planned developments in Rapid City:

The Meadows- a two-story shopping plaza featuring name brands like Dillard's, Foley's, and TJ Maxx.
Rushmore Crossing- an outdoor galleria with drawing cards like Barnes and Noble, Pottery Barn, and United Artists Theaters.
Red Rock- a large high-income housing development located 4 miles south of Rapid City.
South Pointe- a middle-income housing development located in the Stoneridge area in south Rapid City.
The Elk Vale Annex- a plan to build the Elk Vale Road exit into a high commercial district.
Valley View- middle-income townhomes located about 3 miles east of Rapid City in Rapid Valley.
Harmony Heights- senior citizen townhomes located off of the Deadwood Avenue exit in west Rapid City
A second Walmart super center is currently seeking zoning to build in Rapid City. However, some residents oppose the development of a second Walmart.

[edit] Famous Residents

Brandon Claussen - a Major league baseball pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds, was born in Rapid City on May 1, 1979. [4]
Catherine Bach - the original Daisy Duke.
Jack Van der Geest- holocaust survivor, author of 'Was God on Vacation?'
Adam Vinatieri - NFL player with the Indianapolis Colts, formerly of the New England Patriots.
Becky Hammon - WNBA player for New York Liberty
Mark Ellis - Starting second baseman for the Oakland Athletics

See also: List of people from Rapid City

[edit] References

^ Lyons, Walter A (1997). The Handy Weather Answer Book, 2nd Edition, Detroit, Michigan: Visible Ink press. ISBN 0-7876-1034-8.
^ http://www.brook.edu/fp/projects/nucwcost/retire.htm

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Rapid City, South Dakota

[edit] External links

Rapid City government website
Rapid City Journal - local newspaper
Black Hills Community Portal Black Hills Area Guide & Community Portal
More About the 1972 Flood (NOAA, USGS)
Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 44.076188° -103.228299°
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

	State of South Dakota Pierre (capital)
Regions	Badlands \| Black Hills \| Coteau des Prairies
Cities	Aberdeen \| Brandon \| Brookings \| Huron \| Madison \| Mitchell \| Pierre \| Rapid City \| Sioux Falls \| Spearfish \| Sturgis \| Vermillion \| Watertown \| Yankton
Counties	Aurora \| Beadle \| Bennett \| Bon Homme \| Brookings \| Brown \| Brule \| Buffalo \| Butte \| Campbell \| Charles Mix \| Clark \| Clay \| Codington \| Corson \| Custer \| Davison \| Day \| Deuel \| Dewey \| Douglas \| Edmunds \| Fall River \| Faulk \| Grant \| Gregory \| Haakon \| Hamlin \| Hand \| Hanson \| Harding \| Hughes \| Hutchinson \| Hyde \| Jackson \| Jerauld \| Jones \| Kingsbury \| Lake \| Lawrence \| Lincoln \| Lyman \| Marshall \| McCook \| McPherson \| Meade \| Mellette \| Miner \| Minnehaha \| Moody \| Pennington \| Perkins \| Potter \| Roberts \| Sanborn \| Shannon \| Spink \| Stanley \| Sully \| Todd \| Tripp \| Turner \| Union \| Walworth \| Yankton \| Ziebach

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Categories: Rapid City, South Dakota | Cities in South Dakota | Pennington County, South Dakota | County seats in South Dakota