The following is from the 2021 Custer Community Guide & Membership directory published by Southern Hills Publishing.

The popular refrain, "Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play, where seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day," could well have been written about Custer County, South Dakota.

It was gold that brought the first settlers to Custer County, as they followed the wagon tracks of the 1,000-strong 1874 Expedition led by Lt. Col. George A. Custer.  But it has other, less tangible lures enticing residents to the area today: spectacular scenery, a wide variety of recreational opportunities, world-class attractions, a healthy environment, a sense of community and an indefinable essence which is often described as an aura of spirituality.

Surrounded by 1.2 million acres of the Black Hills National Forest, Custer City has three city parks, ball fields, horseshoe pits, volleyball and tennis courts, community swimming pool, nine-hole public golf course, disc golf course, skateboard park and aerobics/activities at the YMCA.

As one Custer High School graduate, who now lives and works in Texas, said, "I miss the Hills very much.  The air is so different from anywhere else.  It  makes you feel more alive, and every day you wake up in the Hills, there always seems to be this scent of freshness or newness, like a new experience or adventure to be found.  It's almost magical, and in a lot of ways it's just downright sacred.  I was so fortunate to grow up in such a great place within a good community."

For those of us who are fortunate enough to live and work here, it truly is the gold at the end of the rainbow.

The magazine can be picked up at the Custer Visitor Center or you can download and view the entire Custer Magazine: 2021 Custer Chamber Directory 2021 (joomag.com)