Summerset is a city in Meade 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 2,972 at the 2020 census. Located in the western part of the state, it is the first city to incorporate in the state since 1985. Summerset was incorporated in an election that was held on June 7, 2005. Opponents of the city's dissolution insist a population of more than one thousand, despite the formal pre-incorporation census indicating 597 residents. The city is located west of

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

, between the towns of

Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus uru ...

and

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. The city shares its zip codes of 57718 and 57769 with these two towns. During its first year, Summerset faced a few challenges. There was confusion about the location of the city's boundaries. A lawsuit was filed to dismiss the incorporation election; moreover, the citizens petitioned to have the town dissolved for a multitude of reasons, including high taxes; the petition failed. This issue went to trial on September 14, 2006 in Meade County. A decision was handed down by the jury in the trial on September 15, 2006, siding with Summerset that there were indeed more than 1000 inhabitants at the time of the vote to incorporate. The plaintiff, Casey Dolney of Summerset, can appeal the decision to the South Dakota Supreme Court.

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 city has a total area of , all land. Summerset is part of the

Rapid City, South Dakota metropolitan area The Rapid City-Spearfish, SD Combined Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of Lawrence, Meade, and Pennington County in South Dakota, anchored by the city of Rapid City. As of the 2020 census, t ...

, which includes Meade and Pennington counties.

Demographics

2010 census

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 2010, there were 1,814 people, 655 households, and 508 families residing in the city. 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 . There were 707 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.0%

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 ...

, 1.0%

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 ...

, 2.5% Native American, 0.4%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.8% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.1% 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 2.4% of the population. There were 655 households, of which 46.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 22.4% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age in the city was 31.6 years. 31.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 37.7% were from 25 to 44; 18.8% were from 45 to 64; and 6.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.

Controversy

Summerset is totally an example of

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

. Many subdivisions and

master-planned communities A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

are found in or near Summerset. It is contiguous to other urbanized areas, is served by

which runs through the middle of the city, and a state highway which runs parallel to the interstate highway.

References

External links

Summerset: S.D.’s newest town gets set up while fending off troubles
article a
the Rapid City Journal's websiteSummerset incorporation
{{Authority control Cities in South Dakota Cities in Meade County, South Dakota Rapid City, South Dakota metropolitan area