Pine Ridge ( Lakota: ''wazíbló'') is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) and the most populous community in Oglala Lakota County,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

, United States. The population was 3,138 at the 2020 census. It is the tribal headquarters of the

Oglala Sioux Tribe The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live o ...

on the

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ( lkt, Wazí Aháŋhaŋ Oyáŋke), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located entirely within the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Gr ...

History

The community was named for the pine trees on the ridge surrounding the town site. An early variant name was Pine Ridge Agency. The Pine Ridge reservation was the location of a violent shootout between FBI and activist Native Americans in 1975. FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were killed in the initial firefight, while activist native Joe Stuntz was later shot by a police sniper. Native/Activist Leonard Peltier was later convicted of the murder of the agents and sentenced to life in prison, but there has been debate around his innocence.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²), of which 3.1 square miles (7.9 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km²) (2.54%) is water. Pine Ridge has been assigned the ZIP code 57770.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 3,171 people, 688 households, and 593 families living in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 1,035.4 people per square mile (400.1/km²). There were 742 housing units at an average density of 242.3 per square mile (93.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.20% Native American, 3.72%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.09%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.03%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.09%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.50% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.80% of the population. There were 688 households, out of which 53.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 40.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.8% were non-families. 10.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.40 and the average family size was 4.63. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 46.9% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 12.4% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 20 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $21,089, and the median income for a family was $20,170. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $25,516 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $6,067. About 49.2% of families and 61.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 74.6% of those under age 18 and 18.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The area

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

Oglala Lakota County School District Oglala Lakota County School District 65-1 (OLCSD) is a public school district headquartered in the Batesland School in Batesland, South Dakota. It is in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It serves all of Oglala Lakota County. It was formerly kn ...

. Lakota Tech High School is the public high school. There is a

Bureau of Indian Education The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), headquartered in the Main Interior Building in Washington, D.C., and formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP), is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior under the Assistant S ...

(BIE) school,

Pine Ridge School Pine Ridge School (PRS) is a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-operated K-12 school in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. It is within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Its high school program is one of five high schools that are within the reservation boun ...

. Red Cloud Indian School is a private K-12 Catholic school in the area.

Notable people

SuAnne Big Crow SuAnne Big Crow (March 15, 1974 – February 9, 1992) was a basketball player for the 1989 South Dakota champion Pine Ridge High School team. A member of the Oglala Sioux, she was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwester ...

, high school basketball star, leader of state championship team * Beth Lydy, actress and singer on Broadway in 1910s *

Russell Means Russell Charles Means (November 10, 1939 – October 22, 2012) was an Oglala Lakota activist for the rights of Native Americans, libertarian political activist, actor, musician, and writer. He became a prominent member of the American Ind ...

(1939-2012), American Indian Movement leader, activist and actor * Billy Mills, born here, won the 10,000 meter gold medal at the

1964 Olympics 1964 Olympics refers to both: *The 1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Ba ...

Peri Pourier Peri Pourier is an American politician, serving as a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives from the 27th district since 2019, as a Democrat. Prior to entering politics, she worked as a background investigator. As of 2022 her officia ...

, member of the South Dakota House of Representatives * Bobby Robertson, NFL Player

References

External links

* {{Authority control Census-designated places in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota Census-designated places in South Dakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Seats of government of American Indian reservations