Country United States County Pennington FIPS code 46-53007 Elevation 962 m Population 8,260 (2010) | State South Dakota Time zone Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) GNIS feature ID 1259251 Area 26.2 km² Area code 605 | |
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Rapid Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States, and a suburb of Rapid City. The population was 8,260 at the 2010 census. Rapid Valley has been a retreat for people living in Rapid City due to its low crime, cheap land, and views of the Black Hills. Rapid Valley is home to many industrial and financial businesses, and is the headquarters for many corporations specializing in transport and engineering. The Rapid City Regional Airport is located in Rapid Valley.
Contents
Map of Rapid Valley, SD, USA
Geography
Rapid Valley is located at 44°3′55″N 103°8′51″W (44.065296, -103.147427).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26.3 km²), all of it land. Rapid Valley is considered an unincorporated suburb of Rapid City, and is located 5 minutes east of Rapid City on the prairie. Many industrial-economic companies headquarter in Rapid Valley.
Controversy
Rapid Valley is often portrayed as the ideal example of urban sprawl. Many subdivisions are located in Rapid Valley. Rapid City has repeatedly made attempts at annexing Rapid Valley and while sections have been annexed, most attempts fail.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,043 people, 2,436 households, and 1,914 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 694.0 people per square mile (267.9/km²). There were 2,493 housing units at an average density of 245.7 per square mile (94.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.69% White, 0.62% African American, 4.00% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 3.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.51% of the population.
There were 2,436 households out of which 47.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the CDP, the population was spread out with 33.1% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $39,816, and the median income for a family was $42,956. Males had a median income of $29,170 versus $20,792 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $14,841. About 5.8% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.