Rapid City, South Dakota

Rapid City is a city in Pennington County, South Dakota, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 59,607. It is the county seat of Pennington County and the second largest city in South Dakota.

The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is located in Rapid City at 501 East Saint Joseph street.

Geography

Rapid City is located at (44.076188, -103.228299). The elevation of Rapid City is 3202 feet (976 meters).

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 57701-57703 and 57709 and the FIPS place code 52980.

Demographics

As of the census 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.

Sister Cities

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

Industry

The major industry of Rapid City is tourism because of its close location to Mount Rushmore and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Other industries include a cement factory,a Merillat plant that makes kitchen cabinets, Computer peripheral manufacturing and Black Hills Gold jewelry 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 approximately 15 miles east of town.

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. Today there is a flood memorial park, and a greenway in the flood plain where houses and businesses once stood.

Points of interest

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
The Journey Museum and Gardens
The Rushmore Waterslide Park ^*

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)

Rapid City, South Dakota | Cities in South Dakota | Pennington County, South Dakota