Profile for Rapid City, South Dakota, SD

Rapid City is in the Black Hills.

Founded by gold miners in 1876; early settlers defied Indian treaties prohibiting white settlement here.

Public transportation: Rapid Transit System (See the transit and travel sections below.)

Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 242. The number of murders and homicides was 0. The violent crime rate was 4 per 1,000 people.

Ranked No. 2 in the state, June 2001, in the ePodunk Historic Small Towns Index

Rated No. 2 on Healthy Cities list, by Organic Style magazine, September/October 2003

Coffee: National and regional coffee companies with outlets here include Dunn Brothers, Starbucks

Local festivals include:

• Central States Fair - Aug. 17-26, 2007
• Canyon Lake Festival - July 14-15, 2007
• Black Hills Bluegrass Festival - June 22-24, 2007
• Dakota Polka Festival - Sept. 7-8, 2007
• Black Hills Pow Wow - Oct. 5-7, 2007
• Black Hills Square and Round Dance Festival - July 27-28, 2007
• BANFF Mountain Culture Film Festival - April 22, 2007
• West Boulevard Summer Festival - June 16-17, 2007
• Hills Alive Music Festival - July 14-15, 2007

Nearby parks & recreation: Badlands National Park

Historic sites and museums: Journey Museum, Museum of Geology, Sioux Indian Museum, Minnilusa Pioneer Museum Collection

Colleges and universities: South Dakota School of Mines And Technology, Western Dakota Technical Institute

Support for libraries: Local government funding for the local library system, in fiscal years 2001-2002, was on par with the national average. (See library links below.)

Gays & lesbians
National index: 100
Local index: 44

Listed places near Rapid City

Archives (1)

Cemeteries (4)

Colleges (2)

Hotels (25)

Libraries (1)

Museums (3)

Add extra pins to the map by clicking on the list above the map. You may click the displayed pins for more information, or search the displayed pins by using the above search field.

• Rapid City population
• Ancestry of people in Rapid City
• Housing in Rapid City
• Income in Rapid City
• Marital status of adults in Rapid City
• Place of birth of people in Rapid City
• Residence in 1995, of people in Rapid City
• School enrollment & education levels in Rapid City
• Transportation & commute times in Rapid City
• Pennington County data
• Fastest-growing counties in South Dakota
• State data - South Dakota
• Data by street address
• Historical census records (Ancestry.com)

Sections below provide additional information and links about Rapid City demographics, travel and tourism, nearby airports, cemeteries, the Pennington County economy, education, environment, genealogy, government, historic sites, Rapid City area jobs, libraries, maps, museums, newspapers and other media, nonprofit groups, real estate, recreation, religion, transportation, and weather in the 57701 ZIP code.

(Also see local map below.)

• Rapid City city government
• Pennington County government
• Rapid City tourism

29% of Rapid City residents report German ancestry, and 12% report Irish. For more info on local ancestry groups, see the Rapid City ancestry & family history guide.

• Cemeteries in or near Rapid City
• Cemeteries in Pennington County
• Libraries in or near Rapid City

Post a query on a message board:

• Pennington County Ancestry forum
• GenForum

Records & databases:

• Ancestry.com - SD data
• Birth, marriage & death records
• Cemetery records
• County history catalog
• Census records (historic)
• Court, land & probate records
• Death index
• Family & local history
• Immigration records
• Military records (historic)
• Newspaper articles

• Rapid City area attractions
• Rapid City museums
• Rapid City historic sites
• Rapid City area parks
• Wineries near Rapid City

• Add a local cemetery to our listings
• Rapid City area cemeteries
• Cemeteries in Pennington County
• Cemetery record compendium
• South Dakota cemetery message boards
• National database of cemetery records
• Veteran grave locator

• Communities near Rapid City
• Nearby cities of 10,000 or more
• Nearby cities of 50,000 or more
• Communities in Pennington County

• Rapid City business guide
• Better Business Bureau
• Business licenses

• Courts in South Dakota
• Local ordinances in South Dakota (Partial selection)

• Crime in Pennington County
• Arrests in Pennington County

• Obituaries - search nearby newspapers
• Obituary database - Ancestry.com
• Charitable donations

• Local information on disability access
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Independent living centers in South Dakota
• National Council on Independent Living

At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Rapid City was $19,445, compared with $21,587 nationally.

• Banks
• Building permits
• Current labor force
• Wage estimates
• Pennington County economic census
• Pennington County economic summary
• Pennington County employment growth
• Pennington County unemployment rate
• South Dakota economic data

27% of Rapid City residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.

• Colleges in or near Rapid City
• Colleges in South Dakota
• Learning Disabilities Association in South Dakota
• Schools in or near Rapid City
• School districts in or near Rapid City
• Yearbooks (old) of South Dakota high schools

• Movies playing in or near Rapid City
• YouTube videos about Rapid City

• Air pollution in Pennington County
• Diesel soot in Pennington County
• Land contamination in Pennington County
• Nature Conservancy projects in South Dakota
• Ozone status & air pollution - American Lung Association
• Toxic chemical releases in Pennington County
• Water levels & streamflow conditions in South Dakota

Rapid City festival dates:

• Central States Fair - Aug. 17-26, 2007
• Canyon Lake Festival - July 14-15, 2007
• Black Hills Bluegrass Festival - June 22-24, 2007
• Dakota Polka Festival - Sept. 7-8, 2007
• Black Hills Pow Wow - Oct. 5-7, 2007
• Black Hills Square and Round Dance Festival - July 27-28, 2007
• BANFF Mountain Culture Film Festival - April 22, 2007
• West Boulevard Summer Festival - June 16-17, 2007
• Hills Alive Music Festival - July 14-15, 2007

Dates often change. Check with local tourism officials to be sure.

Rapid City festival web sites:

• Black Hills Pow Wow
• Central States Fair
• Hills Alive Music Festival

• ePodunk festival listings
• South Dakota county fairs
• South Dakota festivals (South Dakota tourism department)
• Send us festival info for Rapid City

• Confluence of latitude & longitude near Rapid City
• Geocaches in South Dakota

• Rapid City items now on sale

• Rapid City local government Web site
• Pennington County government
• South Dakota state government
• Driver's licenses
• Motor vehicles
• Passports
• Social Security
• Veterans affairs
• Where to write for birth, death, marriage or divorce records

• Ancestry & family history
• Business
• Demographics
• Health
• Moving
• Nonprofit resources
• Sports & rec
• Travel

• Rapid City medical services & health statistics

• State historical society

Historic districts in Rapid City include Rapid City Historic Commercial District, Rapid City West Boulevard Historic District ... View historic districts

• Historic sites in or near Rapid City
• Historic sites in South Dakota
• Museums in or near Rapid City
• Museums in South Dakota
• South Dakota state archives
• National Historic Landmark search
• Search the Library of Congress
• Search the National Register for historic properties
• Post history questions in Pennington County genealogy forum

Median rent in Rapid City, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $436.   Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $871.

• Research Rapid City Apartments
• Find Foreclosure in Rapid City
• Homes for sale in Rapid City
• Find a Rapid City Realtor
• Get free moving quotes
• Free home valuation
• Check South Dakota mortgage rates
• Property and neighborhood reports
• Mortgage calculator

• Jobs in the Rapid City area
• Job services in South Dakota
• Minimum wage laws by state

Libraries in Rapid City include Rapid City Public Library ... View libraries

• South Dakota library

• Get directions from Rapid City
• Get directions to Rapid City
• Census map of Rapid City area
• Historic maps of SD cities - Library of Congress
• Historic maps of South Dakota
• Topographic map of Rapid City

Newspapers in Rapid City include Rapid City Journal

TV stations in Rapid City include KBHE, KCLO, KEVN, KNBN, KOTA.

National Public Radio programming is carried locally by KBHE-FM.

• Daily newspapers in or near Rapid City
• AM radio stations in or near Rapid City
• Commercial FM radio stations in or near Rapid City
• Public & educational radio stations in or near Rapid City
• TV stations in or near Rapid City
• Media ownership in the Rapid City area
• Search historic newspaper articles
• Search recent news archives in South Dakota

• Military bases in South Dakota
• American Legion post locator
• Veterans of Foreign Wars post locator

• Check daily newspapers in or near Rapid City
• Search obituaries in South Dakota
• Recent death notices - selected SD newspapers

• Chambers of commerce in South Dakota
• Community foundations (by state)
• Foundations (by name)
• Kiwanis clubs in South Dakota
• Lions clubs in South Dakota
• Nonprofit groups
• Nonprofit guide for Rapid City
• Rotary club search
• Volunteer opportunities in or near Rapid City

• Parks near Rapid City
• National forests in South Dakota
• State parks in South Dakota

• Find friends & family
• Photos of people from Rapid City

• Find a local animal shelter
• Report animal cruelty

• Aerial photo of Rapid City
• Historic photos of U.S. cities
• Panoramic photos of South Dakota communities
• Photos of South Dakota places
• Post cards of South Dakota communities

Pennington County supported George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. For more information, see our Rapid City political report.

• South Dakota Democratic party
• South Dakota Republican party
• South Dakota elections board

• ZIP codes (by street address)
• ZIP codes (by city)
• ZIP code reverse lookup (find cities in a ZIP code)

• Churches, other places of worship in or near Rapid City
• Total membership by faith, in Pennington County

• Chowhound message boards for SD

The average commute time for Rapid City workers is 16 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide.

A total of 16 fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred in Rapid City between 2001 and 2003, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is a rate of 2.7 fatal crashes per 10,000 population, which was lower than the national norm.

• Rapid City travel guide
• Airports near Rapid City
• Hotels near Rapid City
• South Dakota tourism bureau

• Monthly averages & records
• Major storms (searchable by county)
• National weather map

• Audubon centers
• Birding spots in South Dakota
• Wildlife refuges in South Dakota

Browse list of South Dakota community profiles