What Is It Like to Live in Piedmont, South Dakota?
The short answer is, Piedmont is a great place to live, play, learn, explore, grow, and still remain relaxed and safe.
Piedmont is a place where oncoming drivers wave at you. Where shoppers in the checkout line at Haggar's Grocery turn to make eye contact, smile, and really do care about "How are you are doing?" Where you can buy a bluetooth headset for your phone and hay for your horse at the same store. Where the Postmistress at the Piedmont Post Office knows you by name. Where the GenPro Renewable Energy solar technology store is right next to a construction company that still uses logs to build homes. Where you're 1 minute from 1,000 miles of secluded hiking trails and 30 minutes from a world class hospital with top notch cardiovascular care, and many medical specialty centers and institutes.
Sound too good? Not at all. Read on...
Where is Piedmont, SD?
Piedmont is not one of those "towns" that is simply a defined portion of suburbia swallowed up by a surrounding city. Piedmont is just far enough up the Interstate to be a truly separate town, yet close enough to allow commutes averaging 20 minutes. On commutes to Rapid City to the south or Sturgis to the north you pass grazing horses and rocky canyons, not racing cars and concrete canyons.
In Piedmont, you can still see and feel how this tiny town is just one step up from the old "cow town" village where ranchers continued to drive cattle down Main Street after it became more than a cattle-drive path. (That is why the gravel city streets are so wide.)
From high rock canyon cliffs to gentle meadows, forested hills to rolling prairies, low-tech cattle grazing to high-tech genetic science, youth rodeo to outstanding Senior Center, the area known as Piedmont enjoys it all. For many residents, their second car is a horse parked right out the back door. This quiet community is situated on the eastern side of the Black Hills, approximately 11 miles from the western edge of Rapid City and 14 miles south of Sturgis along Interstate 90 in Meade County.
How Large is Piedmont, SD?
The map makers pin-point "Piedmont" as the little unincorporated town four blocks by four blocks in size, (just over 1/4 square mile), located at about mile marker 45 on I-90. But locals consider "Piedmont" to be a large region of the larger Meade County. In fact, "Piedmont Valley," the area served by the U.S. Post Office's Piedmont station, covers roughly 100 square miles! (Meade County covers 3500 square miles, with only 25,000 population (cattle outnumber people)). Officially, the population was 2,900 at last count, but that includes Piedmont's "suburbia" where neighborhoods extend beyond the original
What Businesses and Services Are Near Piedmont, SD?
Many of the general services a family might need can be taken care of right in Piedmont. There is a dentist in town, Dr. Kenneth Vanasma, as well as the Elk Creek Valley Mart for your grocery needs with a Conoco connected to the property. Not very far away is Spring Valley Mini Storage handy for storing excess goods.
Many of the general services a family might need can be taken care of right in Piedmont. There is a dentist in town, Dr. Kenneth Vanasma, as well as the Elk Creek Valley Mart for your grocery needs with a Conoco connected to the property. Not very far away is Spring Valley Mini Storage handy for storing excess goods.
Which Schools Are in Piedmont, SD?
Piedmont Valley Elementary School serves grades 1 through 6 for the Piedmont/Stage communities. They have a student to teacher ratio of 14:1 and according to the schools website there are 489 students enrolled. Older students generally attend Sturgis Williams Middle School, which has a student to teacher ratio of 15:1 and Sturgis Brown High School, which is located on 500 acres in the shadow of Bear Butte and has a student to teacher ratio of 14:1. Your kids will appreciate what it's like to live in Piedmont, SD.
Public Services in Piedmont, SD
There are several services located in Piedmont, including a Post Office located on Main Street and a Senior Center right off the Interstate 90 service road. Like most local communities, Piedmont has a volunteer fire department which has 20 volunteers. Law enforcement is taken care of by the Meade County Sheriff Department. Piedmont Valley Library is available to county residents Tuesday through Saturday, and hosts not only book signings and local artists, but also has a Genealogy Group which meets the 2nd Monday of every month.
Spread throughout the community are several churches in the area including Grace United Methodist Church and Piedmont Valley Lutheran Church. The American Legion has Post 311 established in Piedmont which meets on the first Thursday of every month. Their meeting nights also include meeting for the Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion.
What Are the Neighborhoods Like in Piedmont, SD?
With the diverse type of neighborhoods in Piedmont it is easy to find a location that not only fits your needs but will make you feel right at home. You can choose from a single family home in a well laid out neighborhood, or a home with a little more room to roam. If you are looking for a home with a view there are several beautiful houses located in the Black Hills that overlook Piedmont, they are close enough to feel part of a neighborhood yet far enough apart that you can enjoy the scenery and abundance of wild animals.
In fact, our so-called "wild" turkeys, (which there are thousands in the Black Hills) will often have a daily routine to stop by your back deck the same time each day and peck around for leftovers from last night's BBQ. But don't abuse their friendliness, lest one of the several deer hanging out on your lawn decides to defend their brethren. One spring I watched a momma turkey manage it's future brood, in a nest just outside Piedmont. And, there is a reason the major geologic feature right next to Piedmont is called "Elk Creek Canyon."
How is the Weather in Piedmont, SD?
Piedmont’s temperatures are similar to those in Rapid City, with an average of 223 sunny days. The average high is in the 70’s, with July being the warmest month, averaging 75 degrees. The average low is in the 20’s with January being the coldest month, averaging 22 degrees. May is the wettest month, averaging almost 3 inches of precipitation.
What Activities are Available in Piedmont, SD?
Each 4th of July the community members from all around come to Piedmont Park with their blankets, picnic baskets, grandchildren and apple pie, for the annual eye-popping Independence Day Parade and fireworks displays. If you've forgotten what Americana was like 100 years ago, come discover it here.
Active lifestyles lend well to this area with plenty of outdoor activities. Camping in your own backyard while exploring the area can be done at either Covered Wagon Resort or Elk Creek Resort. Elk Creek Resort is also home of the Petrified Forest of the Black Hills, which is one of the largest outcroppings of fossilized wood in the area. There are numerous caves in the area including Crystal Cave Park is located a mile west of Rapid City and showcases sixteen types of rock formations. Straight west out of town is the entrance to some nice ATV and dirt bike trials. The area has been improved so that vehicles pulling trailers have a place to park and unload before heading out on their journey into the Black Hills National Forest. The United States Department of Agriculture has a website for the Black Hills National Forest which provides information on permits and trail access.
For a historical perspective of the area, Deadwood is located very close by, offering not only dining and gambling opportunities, but a chance to step back in time and explore the historical aspects of a gold rush town. Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are just two of the legends who made history in the area. Fort Meade Museum located near Sturgis was established in 1878-1879 by the units of the 1st and 11th Infantry and the reorganized 7th Calvary. Locate nearby is Fort Meade Recreational Area, 6,693 acres of forest and prairie offering a wide variety of activities including hunting, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, non-motorized winter sports as well as sightseeing along a national backcountry byway.
How is the Real Estate Market in Piedmont, SD?
Piedmont is a growing area northwest of Rapid City. Growth is fueled by a wide spectrum of benefits such as:
- A super-friendly old-west helpful-neighbor social environment
- Adjacent to the 1 million acre Black Hills National Forest
- A small, rural core community atmosphere
- Short commute to Rapid City and Sturgis
- Real estate prices still not inflated by city sprawl
- Wide range of home types and prices
- Not at all dominated by large suburban developments, many residents live on horse-property acreages and forested mountainsides
- Eye-popping panoramic views of the priarie
- Privacy and seclusion of many home sites
- One of the least restrictive Counties in the area
With the area in high demand for a such a broad range of benefits, homes sell at one of the highest rates in the Black Hills. Want a home with horse property in the Black Hills? Many of the best ones are here. Want a mountain-side log cabin? Lots of them here. Want to ride off into the sunset with your horse on a private million-acre ranch and never see another person on the trail? That's how National Forest access feels here. Prefer to hike a thousand miles of foot trails among tall pines, peaceful meadows and high vistas? Yup. All here.
The real estate market in the Piedmont area is almost always brisk. Check out yourself what is it like to live in Piedmot, SD.
So after all that, don't you see why we're so high on Piedmont, SD? Come on out and see for yourself!
Find your Black Hills dream home at Rapid City Search .com
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