Reource Perceptions in the Black Hills of Custer County, South Dakota: Fifty Years of Change

A greater understanding of the process of selection and cultural integration of newly perceived resources is essential if we are to better comprehend present and future changes. in settlement patterns. In recent years, the landscape of South Dakota\u27s Black Hills has undergone significant shifts in terms of population, residence patterns, and land values directly related to changes in resource perception. The portion of Custer County lying within the Black Hills, as delineated by the topography, flora, and fauna distinctive to that region, provides an excellent sample area in which to exhibit the ways changes in the ages, income levels, and land values all reflect the American culture\u27s shift in preferences from extractive resources toward aesthetic environments (resources). The unique blend of federal lands, as well as recreational and aesthetic -resources, has combined to attract increasing in-migration, resulting in a rising median age of the population, and shrinking land parcel sizes. This preliminary information is of use to economic developers, public land managers, and state and local planning agencies to meet the current and future needs of the population and natural environment