Meade County is a county in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

. As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, the population was 29,852. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Sturgis. The county was created in 1889 and named for Fort Meade, which was garrisoned as a United States military post in the area in 1878 and itself named for General

George Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. H ...

. Meade County is part of the

Rapid City Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

Geography

The upper part of Meade County is drained by Cherry Creek. The

Cheyenne River The Cheyenne River ( lkt, Wakpá Wašté; "Good River"), also written ''Chyone'', referring to the Cheyenne people who once lived there, is a tributary of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. It is approximately ...

flows northeastward along the southeast boundary of the county. The county terrain has mountain ridges in the west and southwest areas, with the remainder consisting of semi-arid rolling hills, partly dedicated to agriculture.''Meade County SD'' Google Maps (accessed 6 February 2019)
/ref> The county terrain slopes to the east and northeast; its highest point Flagstaff Mountain is near the southwest corner, at 5,421' (1566m) ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. It is South Dakota's largest county by area.

Major highways

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 ...

U.S. Highway 14 U.S. Route 14 (abbreviated U.S. 14 or US 14), an east–west route, is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It currently has a length of 1,398 miles (2,250 km), but it had a peak length of 1,429 miles (2,300 km). For ...

* U.S. Highway 14A * U.S. Highway 212 *

South Dakota Highway 34 South Dakota Highway 34 (SD 34) is a state route that runs parallel to Interstate 90 across the entire state of South Dakota. It begins at the Wyoming border west of Belle Fourche, as a continuation of Wyoming Highway 24 (WYO 24). The eas ...

* South Dakota Highway 73 *

South Dakota Highway 79 South Dakota Highway 79 (SD 79) is a state highway in western South Dakota, United States, that runs from Maverick Junction near the Black Hills National Forest to the North Dakota state line. Route description SD 79's southern te ...

Adjacent counties

* Perkins County - north * Ziebach County - east *

Haakon County Haakon County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,872. Its county seat is Philip. History The county was created in 1914 and organized in 1915, and was formed from the original countie ...

-southeast * Pennington County - south * Lawrence County - southwest * Butte County - northwest

Protected areas

* Bear Butte Lake State Lakeside Use Area * Bear Butte National Wildlife Refuge *

Bear Butte State Park Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the North ...

* Black Hills National Cemetery *

Black Hills National Forest Black Hills National Forest is located in southwestern South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, United States. The forest has an area of over 1.25 million acres (5,066 km²) and is managed by the Forest Service. Forest headquarters are locate ...

(partial) * Curlew Lake State Game Production Area * Marcotte State Game Production Area * Tisdale Lake State Game Production Area * Opal Lake State Game Production Area

Lakes

* Bear Butte Lake * Curlew Lake * Durkee Lake * Opal Lake * Tisdale Dam

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 c ...

, there were 24,253 people, 8,805 households, and 6,700 families in the county. 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 10,149 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.65%

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 ...

, 1.48%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

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 ...

, 2.04% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.07%

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 O ...

, 0.61% from other races, and 2.52% from two or more races. 2.10% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 8,805 households, out of which 39.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.40% 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 ...

living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.90% were non-families. 19.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.05. The county population contained 28.40% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 29.60% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,992, and the median income for a family was $40,537. Males had a median income of $26,572 versus $20,517 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 county was $17,680. About 7.90% of families and 9.40% 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 11.80% of those under age 18 and 6.10% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

, there were 25,434 people, 9,903 households, and 7,067 families in the county. The population density was . There were 11,000 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.0% white, 2.3% American Indian, 1.3% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.8% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 40.5% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 15.3% were Irish, 13.2% were Norwegian, 11.3% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, and 6.9% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Of the 9,903 households, 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.6% were non-families, and 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 35.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $46,180 and the median income for a family was $54,200. Males had a median income of $34,113 versus $27,548 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,045. About 6.6% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the

, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Box Elder (part) *

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...

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

* Sturgis (county seat) * Summerset

Census-designated places

* Blackhawk * Blucksberg Mountain *

Ellsworth AFB Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Global Stri ...

(former) * Wonderland Homes

Unincorporated communities

* Bend * Boneita Springs * Cedar Canyon * Dalzell * Elm Springs * Enning *

Fairpoint FairPoint Communications, Inc. was headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and operated communication services in 31 markets in 17 states, mostly in rural areas. FairPoint services include local and long distance phone service, data, Interne ...

* Fox Ridge * Haydraw *

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester, England, Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. ...

* Howes * Marcus * Maurine *

Mud Butte A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, usually text-based or storyboarded. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slas ...

Opal Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Due to its amorphous property, it is classified as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline form ...

* Plainview * Redowl * Stoneville * Tilford * Union Center * Viewfield *

White Owl White Owls are American-made, machine produced cigars. The logo consists of a snowy owl perched on a cigar. The brand is owned by Swedish Match and was formerly owned by General Cigar Company. History White Owl is a cigar that was first prod ...

* Postville

Townships

* Dakota * Eagle * Elm Springs * Howard * Lakeside * Smithville * Upper Red Owl

Unorganized territories

* Belle Fourche-Cheyenne Valleys * North Meade * Southwest Meade

Politics

Like most of the Black Hills, Meade County is heavily Republican. It last supported a Democrat for president in 1964. As a measure of how Republican the county is,

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

carried it in 1936 with only a plurality during his 46-state landslide, and

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

only won it by 183 votes in 1964.

References

External links

Meade County government website

Meade County Times-Tribune - local newspaper
{{coord, 44.57, -102.71, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-SD_source:UScensus1990 1889 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1889 Rapid City, South Dakota metropolitan area Black Hills