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Tiny town

Living in Central City, SD

Central City is a tiny town of 140 people in Lawrence County, South Dakota. It's about 34 miles from Rapid City, SD and 323 miles from Denver, CO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 38°F, with about 179 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $277k and rent runs about $938 a month.

140people
$277kTypical home
$938/moRent
82° / 38°Summer / winter
179"Snow
251Sunny days
132Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Tiny town of 140
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 903 people per sq mi
  • 323 mi to Denver, CO
  • 34 mi to Rapid City, SD
  • 9 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $277k (≈$1,749/mo)
  • Median rent $938/mo
  • Median household income $60k
  • Property tax about 0.7% of value
  • 8.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 82°F
  • Winter highs around 38°F
  • Dry summers (dew point 49°F)
  • 251 sunny days a year (74 totally clear)
  • 114 cloudy days a year
  • 40 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 132 days a year with rain or snow
  • 179" of snow a year
  • 39 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 34 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Low violent crime (195 per 100k), county-wide
  • Low property crime (1,311 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 60
  • 16% of households have kids
  • 28% are 65 or older
  • 28% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 7% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 20 min
  • 6% walk or take transit to work
  • 42 mi to RAP airport
  • 315 mi to DEN (major hub)
  • 285 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 70% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1948
  • 90% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Hilly terrain
  • Elevation 4,954 ft
  • 914 mi to the ocean
  • 128 mi to a big lake
  • 10 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 4 mi to the nearest ski area
  • Campground in town
  • 6 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 43 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 16 bars within 25 mi
  • 13 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 13 museums within 25 mi
  • 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 34 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 37% of South Dakota districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 5 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 10 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 7 mi to the nearest vet
  • Dog park in town
  • 10 congregations per 10k people
  • 10 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Lawrence County: R+31 in 2024
  • South Dakota: R+29 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Low tornado risk
  • Moderate wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Moderate drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.

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