ZIP Code 57702

Rapid City (Lakota: Mni Lúzaha Otúwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western South Dakota, on the Black Hills' eastern slope. The city is home to such attractions as Art Alley, Dinosaur Park, the City of Presidents walking tour, Chapel in the Hills, Storybook Island, and Main Street Square. In the neighboring Black Hills are the tourist attractions of Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument. To the city's east is Badlands National Park. The population was 74,703 as of the 2020 Census.Known as the "Gateway to the Black hills" and the "City of Presidents" because of the life-size bronze president statues downtown, Rapid City is split by a low mountain ridge that divides its western and eastern parts. The historic "Old West" town of Deadwood is nearby. Ellsworth Air Force Base is on the city"s outskirts. During the Cold War, a series of Nike Air Defense installations in the area were constructed around Ellsworth in the 1950s and 1960s. They contained a total of nine Titan I missiles in Rapid City's general vicinity. They were all deactivated in the early 1990s. In November 1963, Minuteman missile silos and 15 command centers were built 100 miles east and northwest of the city.

History

Rapid City is the primary city name, but also Rockerville, Silver City are acceptable city names or spellings, Hisega, Pactola Lake on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is Rapid City, South Dakota. Rapid City was named for the spring-fed Rapid Creek that flows through it. The city's location on the edge of the Plains and Hills and its large river valley made it a natural hub for the railroads that were constructed in the late 1880s from both the south and east. In the 1940s Rapid City benefited greatly from the opening of Rapid City Army Air Base, later Ellsworth Air Force Base, an Army Air Corps training base. On June 9, 1972, heavy rains caused massive flash flooding along Rapid Creek through the city, killing 238 people and destroying more than $100 million in property. After the Black Hills Flood of 1972, a building boom took place over the next decade to replace damaged structures. In 1978, a new Central High School and Central Rushmore Plaza were built in the part of the area that had been destroyed in the flood. The high school opened in 1978, with the original class that was attending that year attending classes in both the original school (housed in Rapid City) and the new one that is now what is now called Rapid City High School. The new high school and community center is now the new Rapid City Civic Center, which was built in 1978 and now is what is known as the new Civic Center. In 2010, the city's new civic center was named after the "Gateway to the Black hills"; it was originally known as Hay Camp; it is now known as Rapid City. The " gateway" nickname is shared by neighboring Box Elder.

Geography

Rapid City is located in the shadow of Black Elk Peak, which at 7,242 feet (2,207 m) is the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains. The city has a temperate semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk) bordering on a hot-summer humid continental climate. It is characterized by long arid summers and long dry winters, with short but distinct spring and autumn seasons. Precipitation averages 17.44 inches annually, but has historically ranged from 9.12 inches or 231.6 millimetres in 1974 to 27.70 inches or 703.6 mm in 1946. January is the coldest month with a daily average temperature of 24.3 °F or 4.3°C, but Chinook winds can warm temperatures above 50 °F (10 °C) on average about 20 times from December to February. Snowfall is frequent but usually not heavy; March and April are typically the snowiest months. The seasonal total averages 48.5 inches or 1.23 metres, although historically ranging from 16.9 inches or 0.43 metres during 198081 to 80 inches or 2.05 metres during 1990s. Measured snow has occurred in every month except July except early in 1963, with 3.78 inches or 3.0 millimetre or more on June 15, 1963. Only the single-day rainfall record of 76.2 inches (2.2 km²) in April 2012 holds the record.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 67,956 people, 28,586 households, and 16,957 families residing in the city. There were 30,254 housing units at an average density of 546.0 per square mile (210.8/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 80.4% White, 1.1% African American, 12.4%. Native American, 1,0% Asian, 0.1%. Pacific Islander, and 0.7% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.77%. The median income for a household in theCity was $35,978, and the median income. for a family was $44,818. The per capita income for the City was $19,445. About 17.6% of those under the age of 18 and 6.9% of the age 65 or over were living below the poverty line. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was2.90. The median age was 35.6 years, with 25.3% of residents aged 18 to 24 and 28.8% aged 25 to 44. The city has a population density of 1,226.4 inhabitants per squaremile (473.5/ km²) and a population growth rate of 1.7%. The city's median age is 35 years, and its population Growth rate is 1.8%. The average age in the City is 35.5 years.

Healthcare

Rapid City is a major healthcare center for a five-state region, centered around Monument Health Rapid City Hospital. Monument Health offers care in 33 medical specialties and serves 20 communities across western South Dakota and in eastern Wyoming. Other independent, for-profit medical facilities have been established in the area. Emergency medical transportation by rotor and fixed wing aircraft is provided by Black Hills Life Flight, operated by Air Methods Corp. based in Denver, Colorado, and MARC (Medical Air Rescue Company), owned by Dale Aviation and based in Rapid City. Apollo Air Methods also operates Medical Helicopters in the Black Hills area. This is also the location of a number of non-profit public health organizations that engage in survey and clinic research, epidemiology, and area-based health promotion disease prevention. The Health Education and Promotion Council and Black Hills Center for American Indian Health are two notablenon-profit organizations. The VA also has a small, outpatient clinic in the Rapid City area. The Rapid City Fire Department provides emergency medical services for the city and surrounding areas. There are several Urgent Care facilities in the city, mainly operated by Monument Health and private for-profits groups. The only nationally accredited Urgent care centers in the entire state of South Dakota are at Rapid City Medical Center, Rushmore OB/GYN, The Rehab Doctors and West River ENT. The Indian Health Services Oyate Health Center provides care to the Native American community, and Veterans Affairs hospitals located nearby at Fort Meade and Hot Springs, South Dakota.

Education

In 2013, 26.6% of Rapid City residents 25 or older had earned a bachelor's degree or higher. The city has four Christian high schools: Saint Thomas More, Rapid City Christian High School, Liberty Baptist Academy, and Open Bible Christian School. Rapid City also has various private grade schools, including St. Paul's Lutheran School of the WELS. Black Hills State University is located in nearby Spearfish and offers several classes in Rapid City. A South Dakota State University nurse training program is based inRapid City. The highest rates of educational attainment in South Dakota can be found in the Rapid City and Sioux Falls metropolitan areas. The Rapid City Public Library is a major resource for education. There are three high schools within the district: Rapid City Central High School and Stevens High School; and Rapid City High School. The middle schools include East, North, South, Southwest, and West. These are Black Hawk, Canyon Lake, Corral Drive, General Beadle, Grandview, Horace Mann, Kibben Kuster, Knollwood Heights, Meadowbrook, Pinedale, Rapid Valley, Robbinsdale, South Canyon, South Park, Valley View, and Woodrow Wilson. The local public schools fall under the Rapid city Area Schools school district, which also houses the Performing Arts Center. The school district has 16 elementary schools within it, including Black Hawk and Canyon Lake. The district also has several private schools, such as St. Thomas More and Liberty Baptist.

Sports

The Rapid City Rush is a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. The South Dakota Mines Hardrockers field 13 total varsity sports that compete at the NCAA Division II level in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. American Legion Baseball has two teams, Post 22 and Post 320. The Expedition League, a summer collegiate baseball league, is headquartered in Rapid City, although no teams currently play there. The Lakota Nation Invitational has been held annually at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center since 1979. The Rapid City Flying Aces were an indoor football team that competed between 2000 and 2006 in the Indoor Football League. The Black Hills Posse was a professional basketball club that competed in the International Basketball Association beginning in the 199596 season. The Rapid City Thrillers were a professionalbasketball club that compete in the Continental Basketball Association from the 198788 season through the 199697 season. There are two public high schools who field teams in the SDHSAA, as well as two private schools. There is also a high school that plays in the South Dakota State High School League, which is a division of the North Dakota State University System. The city has been home to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has been based in the Rapid City area since the 1950s. It has also played host to the Army National Guard since the 1960s. The American Football League has been headquartered in the city since the 1970s. There have been no professional sports teams based in Rapid city.

Art and culture

Rapid City has invested in public sculptures, which are on display in many parts of the city. The most visible is "The City of Presidents", a series of life-sized bronze statues representing each former President of the United States. The first 42 statues were erected via private donations over a ten-year period between 2000 and 2010. As of 2019, Barack Obama is the most recent president to have a statue erected; currently sitting presidents are ineligible. The city has a large market area, which has led to the development of a number of cultural institutions. Among these are the Rapid City Museum, which is located in the city's downtown area. The Rapid City Art Museum is located on the second floor of a former bank, and is open to the public. The museum has a collection of more than 1,000 works of art, many of which were created by South Dakota artists in the 1960s and 1970s. It is also home to the city museum, which was established in the 1970s and now houses more than 2,000 pieces of art. It also has a museum of American history, which dates back to the 18th century. It was the first city in South Dakota to be admitted to the U.S. Census in 1876. It has been the site of the National Museum of American History, which opened in 1881. The U.N. World Heritage Site is also located in Rapid City, along with the American Museum of Natural History and the South Dakota State Museum.

Sister cities

Rapid City has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International: Apolda, Thuringia, Germany and Nikk, Tochigi, Japan. The city also has a sister city in Yangshuo County, Guangxi, China. Rapid City's sister cities are located in Germany, Japan, China and the U.S., as well as South Korea and Taiwan. The sister cities have a total population of more than 1,000,000. The cities are all located on the island of Sichuan, in the South China Sea, and in the island nation of Honshu in the East China Sea. They are also located in Japan and the Republic of Korea, and have sister cities in South Korea, Taiwan and the United States, among other countries.

Industry and economy

Rapid City's economy is diverse, but industry is a small portion. The largest sector of the Rapid City economy is government services, including local, state, and federal. Ellsworth Air Force Base is home of the 28th Bomb Wing flying the B-1B long-range bomber. Rapid City is the headquarters for Assurant Insurance's pre-need division. The health care sector employs more than 8,000 persons in the Rapid city area. The city is also the major market town for much of five states, drawing commerce from more than half of South Dakota, and large portions of North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and the Nebraska Panhandle. Most gold mining has ceased in the Black Hills and was never conducted in or near Rapid City. Various minor tourist attractions, including wildlife parks, specialty shops, caves, water parks, private museums, and other businesses are found in and near the city. This city is the center for the manufacture of Black Hills gold jewelry, a popular product with tourists and Westerners in general. It is the site of the only American manufacturer of stamping machines used for the labeling of plywood and chipboard products. It has a strong medical services sector, and several institutions of higher education. It covers one of the largest geographic service areas in the United States. The real compound annual growth rate of the gross domestic product of therapid City Metropolitan Statistical Area was 2.6% for 2001-2013. It provides most services for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Rapid City, Meade County, South Dakota = 92.6. 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 42. 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 90. 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 Rapid City = 4.6 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 74,703 individuals with a median age of 36.1 age the population grows by 7.48% in Rapid City, Meade County, South Dakota population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,356.58 residents per square mile of area (523.78/km²). There are average 2.35 people per household in the 26,184 households with an average household income of $41,754 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is of the available work force and has dropped -1.29% 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 31.72%. The number of physicians in Rapid City per 100,000 population = 260.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Rapid City = 18.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 36.9 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 85. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 226. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 12.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 61, 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 Rapid City, Meade County, South Dakota which are owned by the occupant = 56.22%. 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 = $141,170 and home appreciation of 0.24%. 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 $17.77 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 $4,232 per student. There are 17 students for each teacher in the school, 768 students for each Librarian and 568 students for each Counselor. 7.70% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 17.85% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.73% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).