Box Elder, South Dakota

Coordinates: 44°06′43″N 103°04′54″W / 44.11194°N 103.08167°W / 44.11194; -103.08167
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Box Elder
čhaŋšúška
FIPS code
46-06620
GNIS feature ID1267290[4]
Websiteboxelder.us

Box Elder (Lakota: čhaŋšúška;[7] "box elder maple") is a city in Pennington and Meade counties in the State of South Dakota. The population was 11,746 at the 2020 census, making it the 11th most populous city in South Dakota.[5] Ellsworth Air Force Base lies on the northeast side of the city.

Box Elder was named from nearby Boxelder Creek.[8]

Indie Rock band Pavement has a song on their second album named after the city.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.91 square miles (36.03 km2), of which 13.90 square miles (36.00 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.[9]

Box Elder is located within minutes of

Ellsworth AFB
, and surrounds it on three sides.

Climate

Climate data for Rapid City, South Dakota (Rapid City Regional Airport), 1981−2010 normals
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 76
(24)
75
(24)
83
(28)
93
(34)
98
(37)
109
(43)
111
(44)
107
(42)
104
(40)
94
(34)
83
(28)
75
(24)
111
(44)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 37
(3)
40
(4)
48
(9)
58
(14)
68
(20)
78
(26)
87
(31)
86
(30)
76
(24)
61
(16)
47
(8)
37
(3)
60
(16)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 13
(−11)
15
(−9)
23
(−5)
32
(0)
42
(6)
51
(11)
58
(14)
57
(14)
46
(8)
34
(1)
22
(−6)
13
(−11)
34
(1)
Record low °F (°C) −27
(−33)
−31
(−35)
−21
(−29)
1
(−17)
18
(−8)
31
(−1)
39
(4)
38
(3)
18
(−8)
−2
(−19)
−19
(−28)
−30
(−34)
−31
(−35)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.30
(7.6)
0.46
(12)
0.93
(24)
1.80
(46)
3.22
(82)
2.53
(64)
1.85
(47)
1.56
(40)
1.29
(33)
1.42
(36)
0.53
(13)
0.42
(11)
16.31
(415.6)
Source: The Weather Channel (Historical Monthly Averages) [10]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1970607
19803,186424.9%
19902,680−15.9%
20002,8416.0%
20107,800174.6%
202011,74650.6%
2022 (est.)12,581[6]7.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
2020 Census[5]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 11,746 people, 4,120 households in the city.

2010 census

As of the

racial makeup
of the city was 79.5% White, 5.1% African American, 4.4% Native American, 2.2% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 2.4% from other races, and 6.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.9%.

Of the 2,443 households, 55.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 19.4% were non-families. 15.1% of households were one person, and 2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.26.

The median age was 23.5 years. 33.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 20.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.3% were from 25 to 44; 13% were from 45 to 64, and 2.9% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

racial makeup
of the city was 83.42% White, 2.29% African American, 5.60% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races, and 5.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.56% of the population.

Of the 993 households, 48.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 17.3% of households were one person, and 1.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.20.

The age distribution was 34.6% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 3.3% 65 or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.

The median household income was $32,344 and the median family income was $35,020. Males had a median income of $24,596 versus $17,313 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,692. About 13.0% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the

poverty line
, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those aged 65 or over.

Schools

Douglas School District serves families in Box Elder and those living on Ellsworth AFB.[12] The school district operates six schools in Box Elder:

  • Carrousel (Pre-Kindergarten)
  • Badger Clark Elementary (Kindergarten - 3rd grade)
  • Francis Case Elementary (Kindergarten - 3rd grade)
  • Vandenberg Elementary (4th - 5th grade)
  • Douglas Middle School (6th - 8th grade)
  • Douglas High School (9th - 12th grade)[13]

The school's athletics teams are the Douglas Patriots.[12]

Points of interest

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "History of Box Elder, SD". City of Box Elder. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  2. ^ "SD Towns" (PDF). South Dakota State Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 10, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  3. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  4. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Box Elder, South Dakota
  5. ^ a b c "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau. December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  7. ISBN 978-0-9761082-9-0. Archived from the original
    on October 18, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  8. ^ Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 46.
  9. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  10. ^ "Climate Statistics for Box Elder, SD". Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  11. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Douglas School District". www.dsdk12.net.
  13. ^ "Douglas School District 51-1 | Ellsworth AFB School Liaison Officer". Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.