Pierre: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

The Pierre School District has always held itself to high academic standards and the community has long been a source of support for its schools. Increased communication through the use of the Oahe Cable Channel by airing drama, chorus, band performances, and activities and lessons is a current focus of the district. Riggs High School hosts adult education classes, and is home to the Community Concert Series and the Short Grass Arts Council. Pierre Public Schools currently partners with the Capital University Center providing classrooms and technology. The Pierre Education Foundation provides financial support via grants for innovative Pierre educators. A cooperative spirit with the community of Pierre flourishes through several programs including: Right Turn, Advanced High, Character Education, Youth to Youth, Junior Achievement, Reading Buddies, the Mentorship Program for Students at Risk, Fine Arts and Athletic Booster Clubs, and Native American Liaison.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Pierre public school system as of the 2004–2005 school year.

Total enrollment: 2,624

Number of facilities elementary schools: 4

junior high/middle schools: 1

senior high schools: 1

Student/teacher ratio: elementary, 20.7:1, junior high, 17.2:1, senior high, 20:1

Teacher salaries average: $32,414 (2002–2003)

Funding per pupil: $5,607 (2002–2003)

Pierre also has a Catholic elementary school, an Indian Learning Center, and an alternative education program operated in conjunction with The Right Turn, a career learning center.

Public Schools Information: Pierre Public Schools, 302 E. Dakota, Pierre, SD 57501; telephone (605)773-7300

Colleges and Universities

While Pierre is not the site of any colleges or universities, it does boast the Capital University Center. This non-profit institution helps students earn university degrees through Northern State University, South Dakota State University, the University of South Dakota, and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. The center offers courses that enable students to obtain associate degrees in business, and master's degrees in business administration, industrial management, and technology management.

Libraries and Research Centers

Rawlins Municipal Library, which celebrated 100 years in 2003, contains nearly 50,000 books and has special collections on the history of South Dakota. The South Dakota State Library houses more than 180,000 volumes, with special collections on Native American and South Dakota history.

Other libraries in the city include those of the South Dakota State Historical Society, the South Dakota Supreme Court, St. Mary's Healthcare Center, the South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Library, and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks Wildlife Division Library.

Public Library Information: Rawlins Municipal Library, 1000 E. Church St., Pierre, SD 57501; telephone (605)773-7421; fax (605)773-7423

Pierre: Population Profile

Hughes County Residents

1980: 14,244

1990: 14,814

2000: 16,416

Percent change, 1990–2000: 9%

U.S. rank in 1990: Not reported

U.S. rank in 2000: Not reported

City Residents

1980: 11,973

1990: 12,906

2000: 13,876

2003 estimate: 13,939

Percent change, 1990–1999: 2.7%

U.S. rank in 1990: 1,963rd

U.S. rank in 2000: Not given (State rank: 7th)

Density: 9.9 people per square mile (2000, South Dakota state figure)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 12,337

Black or African American: 28

American Indian or Alaska Native: 1,188

Asian: 64

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 3

Hispanic (may be of any race): 173

Other: 40

Percent of residents born in state: 74.8% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 909

Population 5 to 9 years old: 954

Population 10 to 14 years old: 1,208

Population 15 to 19 years old: 1,023

Population 20 to 24 years old: 583

Population 25 to 34 years old: 1,716

Population 34 to 44 years old: 2,248

Population 45 to 54 years old: 2,076

Population 55 to 59 years old: 699

Population 60 to 64 years old: 505

Population 65 to 74 years old: 913

Population 75 to 84 years old: 680

Population 85 years and over: 362

Median age: 37.6 years

Births (2003, Hughes County)

Total number: 213

Deaths (2003, Hughes County)

Total number: 150

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $20,462

Median household income: $42,962

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 431

$10,000 to $14,999: 301

$15,000 to $24,999: 745

$25,000 to $34,999: 835

$35,000 to $49,999: 1,070

$50,000 to $74,999: 1,276

$75,000 to $99,999: 522

$100,000 to $149,999: 249

$150,000 to $199,999: 96

$200,000 or more: 79

Percent of families below poverty level: 5.5% (37.9% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: Not reported

Pierre

The City in Brief

Founded: 1880 (incorporated 1883)

Head Official: Mayor Dennis Eisnach (since 2002)

City Population

1980: 11,973

1990: 12,906

2000: 13,267

2003 estimate: 13,939

Percent change, 1990–2000: 2.7%

U.S. rank in 1990: 1,963rd

U.S. rank in 2000: Not reported (State rank: 7th)

Hughes County Population

1980: 14,244

1990: 14,814

2000: 16,416

Percent change, 1990–2000: 9%

U.S. rank in 1990: Not reported

U.S. rank in 2000: Not reported

Area: 13.01 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 1,484 feet above sea level

Average Temperatures: Annual average 44° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 16.8 inches of rain; 40 inches of snow

Major Economic Sectors: Finance, insurance, real estate, trade

Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (March 2005, state of South Dakota)

Per Capita Income: $20,462 (1999)

2004 ACCRA Average House Price: Not reported

2004 ACCRA Cost of Living Index: Not reported

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: Not reported

Major Colleges and Universities: Capital University Center

Daily Newspaper: Capital Journal

Pierre: Communications

Newspapers and Magazines

The Capital Journal is Pierre's daily paper; The Times appears weekly, and there are two weekly trade papers: The Farmer & Rancher Exchange and the Reminder Plus. Local magazines include Dakota Outdoors and the South Dakota High Liner. The journal South Dakota History covers the history of the Northern Great Plains.

Television and Radio

Pierre is served by some 20 radio station. There are two local television channels.

Media Information: The Capital Journal, 333 W. Dakota, PO Box 669, Pierre, SD 57501-0669, telephone (605)224-7301

Pierre Online

Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce. Available www.pierre.org

Pierre Capitol Journal. Available www.capjournal.com

Pierre Convention & Visitors Bureau (includes fishing report and hunting information). Available www.pierre chamber.com

Pierre School District. Available pierre.k12.sd.us

Rawlins Municipal Library. Available rpllib.sdln.net

Selected Bibliography

Hoover, Herbert T., and Larry J. Zimmerman, South Dakota Leaders: From Pierre Choteau, Jr. to Oscar Howe (Vermillion, SD: University of South Dakota Press: 1989)

Jensen, Delwin, Fort Pierre-Deadwood Trail (Pierre, SD: State Publishing Company, 1989)

Pierre: Transportation

Approaching the City

The Pierre Regional Airport, located three miles from central Pierre, includes offices, and boarding and baggage terminals. It is served by Mesaba (a Northwest Airlink) and Great Lakes Aviation. Greyhound and Jack Rabbit offer bus transportation.

Traveling in the City

U.S. highway 148 runs north and south through Pierre, connecting State Highway 34 that runs east and west and U.S. Highway 14/83 that extends eastward to Pierre from Ft. Pierre and turns north, then northeast as it runs through the city of Pierre. Other main streets are Missouri, Dakota, and Sioux avenues, which run east and west, and Capitol, Nicolett, and Broadway avenues, which surround the State Capitol Building.

Pierre: Health Care

Pierre is served by St. Mary's Healthcare Center, an 86-bed acute care facility. The center's north building facility includes a laboratory, expanded radiology lab, and an obstetrics unit with home-like labor, delivery, and recovery rooms. Services at St. Mary's include medical, surgical, pediatrics, obstetrics, ambulatory care, home health care, and Countryside Hospice, as well as a variety of specialties.

Health Care Information: St Mary's Health Care Center, 801 E Sioux Ave, Pierre, SD 57501; telephone (605)224-3100

Pierre: Convention Facilities

Pierre is the meeting headquarters for many South Dakota organizations. The King's Inn Hotel and Conference Center, located downtown, provides meeting and banquet space for up to 750 people. The Rivercenter Best Western Ramkota Convention Center has 16 different rooms that can accommodate groups of 15 to 15,000. Guests are served by a dozen hotels and motels throughout Pierre.

Convention Information: Pierre Convention & Visitors Bureau, 800 West Dakota Ave., Pierre, SD 57501;telephone (605)224-7361

Pierre: Municipal Government

Pierre is the seat of Hughes County and the state capital of South Dakota. The city has a mayor-commission form of government. Its five commissioners, including the mayor, each serve three-year terms.

Head Official: Mayor Dennis Eisnach (since 2002; current term expires June 2005)

Total Number of City Employees: 123 (2005)

City Information: Mayor's Office, 222 E. Dakota, Pierre, SD 57501; telephone (605)773-7407

Pierre, South Dakota/USA Mahto Founded in mid‐1880 with a Sioux name meaning ‘Bear’, it was renamed six months later after Pierre Chouteau (1789–1865), a French fur trader.