Spearfish : South dakota

Spearfish is a growing town of 10,500 located on the western South Dakota border with Wyoming.  This is in the Black Hills area famous for the gold rush that displaced so many native Americans. Livability.com named it as one of the top 10 Best Small Towns in 2015. Picture of the Historic Commerical District courtesy of Jerrye and Roy Klotz MD; picture of Spearfish Creek courtesy of Wikipedia and Blucott.

It is hard to get a good fix on real estate prices in Spearfish. Livability.com reported the 2015 median price to be $172,000.

Frank Llloyd Wright visited the area and remarked about its beauty - "unique and unparalleled elsewhere in our country."  Spearfish holds the record for the biggest and fastest temperature change. in January of 1943 a Chinook wind took the temperature from -4 (F.) to 45 degrees in the space of 2 minutes, then after rising slightly promptly dropped back to -4 in just a few minutes.

It's a little isolated with the nearest large city, Rapid City 50 miles away. Winters are long and cold.

The town is known for it's beautiful views as it is surrounded by three mountains- Lookout Mountain, Spearfish Mountain, and Crows Peak.  Retireees who like the outdoors including hiking and biking, may enjoy living here. Spearfish Creek offers great fishing, and there is a campground within walking distance of downtown. Black Hills State University is also located here making it a college town.

Retail and Construction

January's average temperature is 27 degrees, July's average is 66 degrees.  Spearfish gets over 60 inches of snow annually.

Matthews Opera house, which opened in 1906, is the centerpiece of the Spearfish Arts Center and provides concerts and live theater; the Spearfish Area Historical Society provides programs with speakers concerning the area's history and development; downtown spearfish offers restaurants, shops, and breweries.