Rapid City, South Dakota
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Rapid City Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe |
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| City | |
| City of Rapid City | |
Downtown Rapid City
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| Nickname(s): Gateway to the Black Hills, City of Presidents | |
 Location in Pennington County and the state of South Dakota |
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 Rapid City
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| Coordinates: 44°04′34″N 103°13′41″W / 44.076°N 103.228°WCoordinates: 44°04′34″N 103°13′41″W / 44.076°N 103.228°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| County | Pennington |
| Founded | 1876 |
| Incorporated | February 1883 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Steve Allender |
| Area | |
| • City | 55.49 sq mi (143.72 km2) |
| • Land | 55.41 sq mi (143.51 km2) |
| • Water | 0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,202 ft (976 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • City | 67,956 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 73,569 |
| • Rank | US: 471st |
| • Density | 1,226.4/sq mi (473.5/km2) |
| • Metro | 144,134 (US: 285th) |
| Time zone | Mountain (UTC−7) |
| • Summer (DST) | Mountain (UTC−6) |
| Zip code | 57701, 57702, 57703, 57704, 57709 |
| Area code(s) | 605 |
| FIPS code | 46-52980 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1265333 |
| Website | www.rcgov.org |
Rapid City (Lakota: 'Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe'; "Swift Water City") is the second-largest city in South Dakota (after Sioux Falls) and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Known as the "Gateway to the Black Hills" and the "City of Presidents", it is split by a low mountain ridge that divides the western and eastern parts of the city. Ellsworth Air Force Base is located on the outskirts of the city. Camp Rapid, a part of the South Dakota Army National Guard, is located in the western part of the city. The historic "Old West" town of Deadwood is nearby. In the neighboring Black Hills are the popular tourist attractions of Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, and Wind Cave National Park.
The public discovery of gold in 1874 by the Black Hills Expedition brought a mass influx of settlers into the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Rapid City was founded, and originally known as "Hay Camp", in 1876 by a group of disappointed miners, who promoted their new city as the "Gateway to the Black Hills." John Richard Brennan and Samuel Scott, with a small group of men, laid out the site of the present Rapid City in February 1876, 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. The city soon began selling supplies to miners and pioneers. Its location on the edge of the Plains and Hills and its large river valley made it the natural hub of railroads arriving in the late 1880s from both the south and east. By 1900, Rapid City had survived a boom and bust and was establishing itself as an important regional trade center for the upper midwest.
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