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 so ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, 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 Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,852, making it the 6th most populous county in South Dakota. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

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. Meade County is part of the Rapid City metropolitan area.

Geography

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

Cheyenne River The Cheyenne River (; "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 295 miles (475 ...

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. The county terrain slopes to the east and northeast; its highest point Flagstaff Mountain is near the southwest corner, at 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 * U.S. Highway 14 * U.S. Highway 14A * U.S. Highway 212 * South Dakota Highway 34 * South Dakota Highway 73 * South Dakota Highway 79

Adjacent counties

* Perkins County - north * Ziebach County - east * Haakon County -southeast * Pennington County - south * Lawrence County - southwest * Butte County - northwest

Protected areas

Source: * Bear Butte Lake State Lakeside Use Area * Bear Butte National Wildlife Refuge * Bear Butte State Park * 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 located ...

(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

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

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 29,852 people, 11,365 households, and 7,863 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 12,357 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, 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, 15.3% were Irish, 13.2% were Norwegian, 11.3% were English, and 6.9% were American. 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

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

Communities

Cities

Box Elder ''Acer negundo'', also known as the box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple native to North America from Canada to Honduras. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, ash-like compound l ...

(part) *

Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

* Sturgis (county seat) * Summerset

Town

* Buffalo Chip

Census-designated places

* Blackhawk * Blucksberg Mountain * Ellsworth AFB (former) * Wonderland Homes

Unincorporated communities

Source: * Bend * Boneita Springs * Cedar Canyon * Dalzell * Elm Springs * Enning * Fairpoint * Fox Ridge * Haydraw *

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

* Howes * Marcus * Maurine * Mud Butte *

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

* Plainview * Redowl * Stoneville * Tilford * Union Center * Viewfield * White Owl * 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.

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Douglas School District 51-1 * Faith School District 46-2 * New Underwood School District 51-3 * Newell School District 09-2 * Rapid City School District 51-4 * Meade School District 46-1 * Wall School District 51-5

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