Outdoor Life Magazine recently announced its annual list of best American towns for hunting and fishing enthusiasts and our very own Rapid City topped the list! That’s right – out of the hundreds of towns that Outdoor Life reviewed, Rapid City was named the single best outdoor  town in the country.

Outdoor Life ranked towns from all across the U.S. using several socio-economic and outdoors-related categories. The magazine explained its categories and rankings this way:

Socio-economic subcategories make up 40% of the overall score and include:

• population percent growth since 2000
• median household income
• median home value
• cost of living
• unemployment rate
• population density
• mean commute time
• area amenities

Outdoors-related subcategories combine to account for 60 percent of the overall score and includ:

• the gun-friendliness of each town’s state
• huntable and fishable species nearby
• proximity to public land and waters
• the potential for taking a trophy-caliber animal or fish nearby

The folks at Outdoor Life recognized the unbeatable land access and wildlife populations that the Black Hills region prides itself on. The lakes and streams in the region are full of stocked and naturally-occurring fish that make most anglers drool just thinking about them.

Rapid City and the surrounding region’s economic strengths and generally mild weather were also big factors in the magazine’s number one ranking.

It’s always exciting to see the Black Hills and its area towns get mentioned in a new “best of” list. The mentions are always well-deserved, but can I ever really say that I’m surprised? Nope – not in the least. The Black Hills have been on the top of my list for a long time – and I doubt they will ever be dethroned.