Wall ( Lakota: ''Makȟóšiča Aglágla Otȟuŋwahe'', "Town alongside the

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes ...

") is a town in Pennington 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 699 at the 2020 census.

History

Wall was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1907 when the

Chicago and North Western Railroad The Chicago and North Western was a Railroad classes#Class I, Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of t ...

was extended to that point. The town was incorporated in 1908. Wall was named for the "natural wall" in rock formations by the

Badlands National Park Badlands National Park ( lkt, Makȟóšiča) is an American national park located in southwestern South Dakota. The park protects of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, along with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United Sta ...

. The town is most famous for the Wall Drug Store, which opened as a small

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

in 1931 during the Depression, but eventually developed into a large roadside tourist attraction. The National Grasslands Visitor Center is also located in Wall.

Geography

Wall is located at . 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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Wall has been assigned the ZIP code 57790 and the

FIPS place code The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) of the United States are a set of publicly announced standards that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed for use in computer systems of non-military, American ...

68380.

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 766 people, 359 households, and 212 families in the town. The population density was . There were 436 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 88.9% White, 0.1% African American, 7.0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0%. Of the 359 households 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.9% were non-families. 39.6% of households were one person and 18.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the town was 47.1 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.7% were from 25 to 44; 31.8% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 818 people, 349 households, and 212 families residing in Wall. The population density was 404.2 people per square mile (156.4/km). There were 438 housing units at an average density of 216.4 per square mile (83.7/km). The racial makeup of the town was 91.44%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.24%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 6.11% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.49%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 0.24% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.73% of the population. Of the 349 households 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 35.0% of households were one person and 16.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.03. The age distribution was 25.9% under 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males. The median household income was $36,563, and the median family income was $45,417. Males had a median income of $29,286 versus $19,821 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,848. About 5.8% of families and 8.7% 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 ...

, including 13.4% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The Wall Municipal Airport is a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation service ...

airport located less than a mile northwest of Wall. The airport is owned by the City of Wall.https://www.airportiq5010.com/5010Web/dashboard/general

References

External links

Wall, South Dakota Government Website

Wall Badlands Area Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Towns in Pennington County, South Dakota Towns in South Dakota Rapid City, South Dakota metropolitan area Populated places established in 1908 1908 establishments in South Dakota