Spearfish, South Dakota
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- Spearfish redirects here. For the fish called Spearfish, see Marlin.
Spearfish is a city located in Lawrence County, South Dakota. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,606.
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Geography
SDMap-doton-Spearfish.PNG
Location of Spearfish, South Dakota
Spearfish is located at 44°29'23" North, 103°51'9" West (44.489803, -103.852585)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.8 km² (6.1 mi²). 15.8 km² (6.1 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
Spearfish has been assigned the ZIP code 57783 and the FIPS place code 60020.
The city was founded during the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1876 at the mouth of Spearfish Canyon. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who visited Spearfish Canyon (located between Spearfish and Deadwood, South Dakota) in 1935, later called the area "unique and unparalleled elsewhere in our country," and wondered "how is it that I've heard so little of this miracle and we, toward the Atlantic, have heard so much of the Grand Canyon when this is even more miraculous [1] (http://www.spearfishcanyon.com/vegetation.htm)."
Since it is located at the base of a mountain range and only a few miles from the geographical center of the United States, the climate is highly variable. Spearfish holds the world record for the fastest temperature change, which ocurred on January 23, 1943. On that day, the weather station recorded a jump from -4°F(-20°C) to 45°F(7°C) in two minutes. An hour and a half later, the same weather station measured a decrease from 54°F(12°C) to -4°F(-20°C) in only 27 minutes (Parker, 1981).
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 8,606 people, 3,638 households, and 1,931 families residing in the city. The population density is 543.8/km² (1,409.1/mi²). There are 3,904 housing units at an average density of 246.7/km² (639.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 95.33% White, 0.35% African American, 2.31% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 1.73% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,638 households out of which 25.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% are married couples living together, 9.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 46.9% are non-families. 37.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.15 and the average family size is 2.85.
In the city the population is spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 21.5% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $26,887, and the median income for a family is $40,257. Males have a median income of $30,242 versus $20,431 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,565. 17.4% of the population and 9.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 16.1% of those under the age of 18 and 9.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- Spearfish, SD government website (http://www.spearfish.sd.us/)
- The Black Hills Pioneer - local newspaper (http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1300)
- Spearfish, SD visitor information (http://www.visitspearfish.com)
References
- Parker, Watson. Deadwood: The Golden Years. Lincoln: The University of Nebraska, 1981.
| Regions of South Dakota | 
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|---|---|
| Black Hills - Coteau des Prairies | |
| Largest cities | |
| Aberdeen | Belle Fourche | Brandon | Brookings | Canton | Ellsworth | Hot Springs | Huron | Madison | Mitchell | Mobridge | Pierre | Rapid City | Rapid Valley | Sioux Falls | Spearfish | Sturgis | Vermillion | Watertown | Winner | Yankton | |
| Counties | |
| Aurora - Beadle - Bennet - Bon Homme - Brookings - Brown - Brule - Buffalo - Butte - Campbell - Charles Mix - Clark - Clay - Codington - Corson - Custer - Davison - Day - Deuel - Dewey - Douglas - Edmunds - Fall River - Faulk - Grant - Gregory - Haakon - Hamlin - Hand - Hanson - Harding - Hughes - Hutchinson - Hyde - Jackson - Jerauld - Jones - Kingsbury - Lake - Lawrence - Lincoln - Lyman - Marshall - McCook - McPherson - Meade - Mellette - Miner - Minnehaha - Moody - Pennington - Perkins - Potter - Roberts - Sanborn - Shannon - Spink - Stanley - Sully - Todd - Tripp - Turner - Union - Walworth - Yankton - Ziebach |