Rapid City

Rapid City (pop. 81,343), second-largest city in South Dakota, situated on Rapid Creek near the Black Hills. It was established when gold was found in the area in the 1870s and grew with later discoveries of uranium and other minerals. Its economy has since diversified to include marketing and processing for local agricultural and lumbering industries and the production of cement. It is the home of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, which has a well-known Museum of Geology.

See also: South Dakota.