Piedmont, SD

Piedmont is a Meade County city along Interstate 90 on the eastern slope of the Black Hills, between Rapid City and Sturgis. The 2020 census counted 971 residents. The name comes from the French phrase for 'foot of the mountain,' and the geography earns it: the city sits in the Red Valley, a belt of red shale and gypsum that curves around the Black Hills. Founded in 1890, Piedmont remained unincorporated for nearly 117 years before incorporating in 2007.

Many residents work toward Rapid City, but Piedmont has its own working map. Mountain West Products turns bark from area sawmills into landscape products; High Plains Genetics supplies genetic material to livestock producers; and Jack's Campers is another local employer. Meade School District 46-1 serves the city. A drive through Piedmont moves from I-90 businesses to the Black Hills foothills quickly, which is the best read on the place: a small highway city with production, ranching, and mountain geography all meeting at the same edge.