Rapid City

Rapid City lies east of Black Hills National Forest in western South Dakota. It’s known as a gateway to Mt. Rushmore, the massive iconic sculpture of 4 U.S. presidents. “City of Presidents,” a series of life-size statues, spans several blocks downtown. Rapid City is the 2nd most populous city in SD and the County seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek where the settlement developed, it is in western South Dakota, on the Black Hills eastern slope. The population was 74,703 as of 2020.

Known as the “Gateway to the Black Hills” and the “City of Presidents” because of the life-size bronze president statues downtown, Rapid City is split by a low mountain ridge that divides the city’s western and eastern parts. Ellsworth Airforce Base is on the city’s outskirts. Camp Rapid, part of the SD Army National Guard is in the city’s western part.

Rapid City has long been considered one of the gateways to the West, and its rich cowboy and Native American heritage is the result. Visitors won’t want to miss the area’s mammoth outdoor sculptures. There’s Mount Rushmore, of course, and many other local attractions such as the scenic Black Hills, several nearby cavern systems that offer guided tours, and the South Dakota Air and Space Museum.

Rapid City is home to such attractions as Art Alley, Dinosaur Park, The City of Presidents walking tour, Chapel in the Hills, Storybook Island, and Main Street Square. In the neighboring Black Hills are the tourist attractions of Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, and the museum at the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research. To the City’s East is Badlands National Park.