Rapid City is the second largest city in South Dakota and the largest city in western South Dakota. It is known as the star of the west because it is the common starting point for all travel in to the Black Hills. It was founded in 1876 by disappointed miners from the gold rush. It was incorporated in 1882 and after the turn of the century began to establish itself as an important regional trade center.

With the invention of the automobile, tourism grew in the Black Hills and with the gold mining the area economy kept the city prosperous during the bleak years of the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s. During World War II, the mining operations were shut down and gas rationing hurt the tourist trade. However the Army Air Corps came and establish Ellsworth Air Force base which today is the largest employer in South Dakota. After the air base was established, Rapid City's population nearly doubled and for the last 50 years Rapid City's economy has been closely linked with the air base.

In 1949 Mayor I.H. Chase began the first major city plan to help guide the growth of Rapid City. The plan called for making Rapid City a retail and wholesale trader center that would bring in customers from as far as 200 miles away. The role of Rapid City as the gateway to the Black Hills was recognized and civic improvements to help the tourist trade, such as new schools and paved roads, soon followed.

Much of Rapid City's growth occurred after 1972 when heavy rains caused Rapid Creek to overflow its banks, flooding most of Rapid City. 238 people lost their lives in the flood and over $100 million in damage was down to homes, businesses, and property. The disaster lead to millions of dollars in federal funds to help rebuild. The new Rushmore Plaza Civic Center and the new Central High School were built in part of the area destroyed by the flood. Today the area along Rapid Creek is known as the "Greenway" and new construction in limited in the area so damages will not be as great should there ever be another flood.

From Rapid City travelers have a choice of many sites in the Black Hills. Mount Rushmore National Memorial is only 20 minutes away from the city by car. Trips to beautiful Spearfish Canyon or Custer State Park to see the state owned buffalo herd are popular destinations. You can also visit Deadwood to sample the nightlife and try your luck at the poker or blackjack tables.

There is still much to see and do in Rapid City itself. The new Journey museum provides visitors with a visual tour of the history of our community from the time of the dinosaurs to present day. The Museum of Geology at the School of Mines and Technology has many collections of local mineral and gemstone specimens as well as mounted fossils of some of the dinosaurs that once lived in the area. For recreation Rapid City has 27 parks such as 220-acre Sioux Park, eight golf courses in the city, 4 public swimming pools, 31 tennis courts, 5 athletic clubs, 31 ball fields, 6 soccer fields, 6 ice skating rinks, 1 hockey rink, 1 9-hole Frisbee Golf course, 16 horseshoe courts, 1 lawn bowling alley, 2 bowling alleys, 9 movie theaters, 13 1/2-mile bike/jogging path that winds through the city, 1 auto race track and an IBA Championship Basketball Team, the Black Hills Posse.

Rapid City also has a city sponsored organization called "Keep Rapid City Beautiful" whose motto is "Don't let a good thing go to waste." The organization is dedicated to promoting beautification of the city and educating the public about their responsibility to the environment. Projects include annual citywide cleanup days each April. Also the organization plants trees, sponsors various yard waste recycling endeavors and sponsors program where minor criminal offenders are used in a work release program to help keep Rapid City's parks clean.

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