Pierre

Pierre (Lakota: húkake, lit. 'fort') is the capital city of South Dakota, United States, and the seat of Hughes County. Founded in 1880, it was selected as the state capital when the territory was admitted as a state. The population was 14,091 at the 2020 census, making it the second-least populous US state capital after Montpelier, Vermont. It is sited on rough river bluffs above the east bank of the Missouri River, overlooking its expanse. The city has a relatively dry, four-season, humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa), with long, dry, cold winters, hot summers, and brief spring and autumnal transitions. As such, it is the only capital of the Midwest states with a non-humid climate. Summers often see spikes in temperature, with 6.6 days of highs above 100 °F (37.8 °C) and 3738 days with highs above 90 °C (32.2 °C). It is a few miles away from Lake Oahe, one of the world's largest man-made lakes, the lake has become a popular fishing destination. On July 23, 1973, an F3 tornado struck Pierre and caused 10 injuries. It was the strongest tornado ever recorded in Hughes County, and it was the last and first freezing nights, respectively, of the cooler season of the winter. The average seasonal total is 37.2 inches (0.94 m).

History

Pierre was founded in 1880 on the east bank of the Missouri River opposite Fort Pierre, a former trading post that developed as a community. It was designated as the state capital when South Dakota gained statehood on November 2, 1889. Fort Pierre had developed earlier, with a permanent settlement since circa 1817 around a fur trading post. The city became relatively isolated in the post-World War II era of federally subsidized highway construction, as travelers and freight companies began to use automobiles and trucking. It is one of four state capitals not served by the Interstate Highway System. Its development was also influenced by construction of the Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad, which runs eastwest through the city. It increased access to markets for regional products and improved transportation for passengers. The railroad crosses the Missouri river on the Chicago and North Western Railroad Bridge. Pierre was named after Pierre Chouteau, Jr., an American fur trader from St. Louis, Missouri, who was of colonial French origin. He was of French origin and lived in the area from 1817 to 1838. He died in 1838, leaving his son Pierre, Jr. to become the city's first mayor. Pierre is located on the banks of the Mississippi River, near the town of Pierre, South Dakota, and the city is on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-designated land border with South Dakota. The state capital was selected for its geographic centrality in the state because of its proximity to Fort Pierre.

Geography

Pierre is sited on rough river bluffs above the east bank of the Missouri River, overlooking its expanse. It is a few miles away from Lake Oahe, one of the world's largest man-made lakes. Developed for flood control and irrigation, the lake has become a popular fishing destination. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 13.07 square miles (33.85 km²) The city is located at 44°2221N 100°1912W. The city has a population of 2,816. It has a latitude of 44°2121N and a longitude of 100°2112W, and is located on the east side of the Missouri River. Its area is 13.06 square miles, of which 13.6 square miles is land and 0.03 km² is water. Its population is 2,084. It was the site of the U.S. Civil War, and the Battle of the Bulge, which took place between 1864 and 1866. The town was named after Pierre, Missouri, which was a town in the state's eastern part. The current mayor of Pierre, Pierre, has served as mayor of the city since 1998. The mayor has been in office since 1998, and was re-elected in 2008. He is a member of the Republican National Committee, and served as chairman of the board of directors of the National Institute of Water Resources from 2007 to 2009.

Climate

Pierre has a relatively dry, four-season, humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa), with long, dry, cold winters, hot summers, and brief spring and autumnal transitions. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 19.1 °F (7.2 °C) in January to 74.9 °C (23.8 °C), though the diurnal temperature variation is significantly greater during summer than in winter. Snow primarily falls in light amounts, with the snowiest months being February and March, while the average seasonal total is 37.2 inches (0.94 m) There are an average 20.9 nights per year with lows below 0 °C, and cold conditions are often intensified by the Great Plains' high winds. On July 23, 1973, an F3 tornado struck Pierre and caused 10 injuries. It was the strongest tornado ever recorded in Hughes County. Pierre is the only capital of the Midwest states with a non-humid climate, and lies in USDA Plant Hardiness zone 5. It is also the only city in South Dakota with a population of over 100,000. The city is located on the U.S.-Mexico border, near the border between South Dakota and Nebraska. It has an average annual rainfall of about 20 inches (508 mm) and an average yearly snowfall of about 37 inches (1.2 m) The city has a history of being hit by tornadoes, including one in 1973 that left 10 people dead.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 13,646 people, 5,778 households, and 3,463 families living in the city. There were 6,159 housing units at an average density of 471.6 per square mile (182.1/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 85.1% White, 0.5% African American, 10.9% Native American, 0.,6% Asian, 0,5% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.9%. The median income for a household in theCity was $42,962, and the median income. for a family was $52,144. The per capita income for the city is $20,462. About 5.5%. of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9. of those under 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was2.87. The median age in the City was 39.3 years, with 27.2%. of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5. were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.7% were from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.1%. of the residents were 65 years of age or older. The city has a population density of 1,044.9 inhabitants per squaremile (403.4/km 2).

Transportation

Pierre Regional Airport is served by two commercial airlines. The nearest Interstate highway is Interstate 90, about 34 mi (55 km) south of Pierre via the four-lane U.S. Highway 83. The Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad runs eastwest through the city. The railroad crosses the Missouri River on the Chicago and North Western Railroad Bridge. Public transit is provided by River Cities Public Transit. Pierre is one of only four state capitals not served by an Interstate highway (along with Dover, Delaware, Jefferson City, Missouri, and Juneau, Alaska). It is the only one that is not servedby any expressways. It is also one of the few cities in the state not to be served by a major rail line. The city is home to the Pierre High School, which was founded in 1883. It was the first high school in the United States to open in 1881. The school is located in the city's historic downtown area, near the center of the city, and was the site of the first public high school to open. It has been the location of the Pierre Museum since 1883, which opened in 1884. The museum is located on the former site of Pierre's first post office, which dates back to 1879. The town is also home to a museum of American history, the Pierre National Museum, which is on the banks of the Missouri River. It opened in 1886. The state's oldest public library is the Pierre Public Library, established in 1887.

Education

The Pierre School District oversees three elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. St. Joseph, is a private Catholic elementary school. Other schools include For His Glory and the Pierre Indian Learning Center (a tribal school affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education). T. F. Riggs High School is a public high school administered by the local parish and the Diocese of Sioux Falls. It is located in the town of Pierre, South Dakota. The district also has a middle and high school in Pierre, North Dakota. It also has two elementary schools in Pierre and one in Pierre-Lac D'Ascension. It has one middle school in Lathrop and one elementary school in LaPorte. The school district has one high school, which is in the city of Pierre. It was founded in 1903 and is the oldest school district in the state. It dates back to the 19th century. It opened in 1903. The current school district was formed in 1954. It includes three elementary and two middle schools and one high School. The high school is in Pierre - the first school in the district to be built in the 20th century and the second in the 21st century. The elementary school was built in 1955. The middle school was opened in 1957. It became the first middle school to open in the region. It closed in the 1980s. It reopened in the 1990s and has a new middle school, the current high school opened in the 2000s and the middle school is now in the middle of the district.

In popular culture

Hasbro held an online vote to determine which cities should be included in an updated version of the "Here and Now: The US Edition" of the game. Pierre received the most votes, beating New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston. The outcome may have been influenced by the image that accompanied the name of the city in the balloting: the well-known Mount Rushmore, which is 150 miles west of Pierre, in Keystone and the Black Hills section of the state.Pierre's attractions include the Oahe Dam and its associated lake, popular for recreation such as fishing. The top "Boardwalk" spot went to an unexpected contender: Pierre. It received the more votes than any other city, beating out Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as Boston and New York. The vote was held in honor of the 80th anniversary of "Monopoly" board game, which was released in 1937. It was the first time the game had been updated to include cities in the U.S. and was released to coincide with the game's 80th birthday. The game is now available in more than 100 countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. It is also available in the UK, Australia and South Africa, with plans to roll out the game to more countries in the future. The U.K. is the only country that has not yet released the updated version, but plans to do so in the near future. It will be available in stores and on the internet.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Pierre, Hughes County, South Dakota = 97. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 33. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 100. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Pierre = 3.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 1,481 individuals with a median age of 40.9 age the population grows by 1.72% in Pierre, Hughes County, South Dakota population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,081.68 residents per square mile of area (417.63/km²). There are average 2.28 people per household in the 5,744 households with an average household income of $53,307 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 2.60% of the available work force and has growths 4.57% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 46.54%. The number of physicians in Pierre per 100,000 population = 158.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Pierre = 18.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 31.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 84. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 217. 89 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 6.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 39, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Pierre, Hughes County, South Dakota which are owned by the occupant = 58.80%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 35 years with median home cost = $118,300 and home appreciation of 1.12%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $16.83 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,266 per student. There are 14.7 students for each teacher in the school, 1514 students for each Librarian and 378 students for each Counselor. 7.55% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 26.25% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.62% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).