Like the Veterans we serve, rural communities are as diverse and exciting as you can imagine. For many, they offer an opportunity to be closer to family and friends, while some may just enjoy a greater sense of privacy. Perhaps the lower cost of living or even the allure of open space is appealing.
Regardless of what appeals to you, rural locations like Fort Meade, South Dakota, and the nearby city of Sturgis, have a lot to offer when it comes to enjoying a change of pace.
Fort Meade traces its history to the effort to protect the new settlements in the northern Black Hills in South Dakota, especially the nearby gold mining area around Deadwood. A temporary United States military camp was established in August 1876, on Spring Creek a little north of Bear Butte.
The talk of turning Fort Meade into a VA hospital began in the aftermath of World War I, when the military presence at Fort Meade had begun to wane and the demand for Veterans’ health services skyrocketed. However, the final decision to turn the fort into a hospital did not come until the end of World War II.
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Learn more about Fort Meade VA Medical Center and the charms of South Dakota living at VA Careers.
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Whether it’s access to the great outdoors or a calmer pace in your everyday life, you can find it in rural VA communities around the country.
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The eye care provided by ophthalmologists can make all the difference to our Veteran patients.
I would like to know more about Ft. Meade as I was born there on !3 January, 1943. My father was Capt. Frederick S. Hooper Jr. and in charge of a cavalry unit there.