Rapid City

Sister cities

• Apolda

History

The public discovery of gold in 1874 by the Black Hills Expedition, led by George Armstrong Custer, brought a mass influx of European-American miners and settlers into Rapid City. A group of unsuccessful miners founded Rapid City in 1876, trying to create other chances; they promoted their new city as the "Gateway to the Black Hills"; it was originally known as Hay Camp. The "Gateway" nickname is shared by neighboring Box Elder. In February 1876, John Richard Brennan and Samuel Scott, with a small group of men, laid out Rapid City. It was eventually named for the spring-fed Rapid Creek that flows through it. The land speculators measured off a square mile and designated the six blocks in the center as a business section. Committees were appointed to recruit prospective merchants and their families to locate in the settlement. Such merchants soon began selling supplies to miners and pioneers. 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. By 1900, Rapid City had survived a boom and bust and was developing as an important regional trade center for the Upper Midwest. The Black Hills had become popular in the late 1890s, but Rapid City became a more important destination in the 20th century. Local entrepreneurs promoted the sights, the availability of the automobile for individual transportation, and construction of improved roadways after World War I led to many more tourists to this area, including President Calvin Coolidge and the First Lady in summer 1927. Coolidge announced that he would not seek reelection in 1928 from his summer office in Rapid City. Gutzon Borglum, already a noted sculptor, began work on Mount Rushmore…

Geography

Rapid City is located in the shadow of Black Elk Peak, which at , is the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. Its location makes its climate unlike both the higher elevations of the Black Hills to the west and the Great Plains to the east. It is characterized by long arid summers and long dry winters, with short but distinct spring and autumn seasons. Precipitation averages annually, but has historically ranged from in 1974 to in 1946. Winters are cold and dry, and January is the coldest month with a daily mean temperature of . and 67% of its possible sunshine in June. the record low daily maximum is on February 2, 1989, while the record high daily minimum is on July 8, 1985, and July 28, 1960. At downtown, official extreme temperatures range from on February 11, 1899, up to on July 25, 2026. Rapid City had the record for an extreme temperature drop of , which was achieved on January 10, 1911, from to . This was due to the Chinook wind, but the record was lost to Spearfish in 1942. {{Weather box | location = Rapid City Regional Airport, South Dakota (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1942−present) {{Weather box | location = Rapid City Downtown, South Dakota (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1888−present)

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,913
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,734
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,692
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  2,133
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,986
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  1,856
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,820
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,638

Largest nearby schools

• Central High School - 41
  High · Rapid City · 1,768 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Stevens High School - 42
  High · Rapid City · 1,686 students · 18.9:1 ratio
• Patriot Elementary -06
  Elementary · Box Elder · 890 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• Douglas High School - 03
  High · Box Elder · 749 students · 17:1 ratio
• Douglas Middle School - 01
  Middle · Box Elder · 670 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Southwest Middle School - 38
  Middle · Rapid City · 660 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• West Middle School - 37
  Middle · Rapid City · 612 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• East Middle School - 30
  Middle · Rapid City · 600 students · 14.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2025-06-08
  19 km NW of Wasta, South Dakota
• M 3.6 — 2025-03-09
  7 km W of Fairburn, South Dakota
• M 3 — 2024-06-29
  22 km ESE of Hill View Heights, Wyoming
• M 2.9 — 2024-06-16
  7 km NNE of Buffalo Gap, South Dakota
• M 2.8 — 2024-04-04
  19 km SW of Interior, South Dakota
• M 2.6 — 2021-06-16
  15 km N of Quinn, South Dakota