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A very good friend of mine is moving to Minnehaha County SD towards the end of this year, and I mentioned that it’s right smack-dab in the heart of America, in among the states of the Great Plains, and near to the trail that Lewis and Clark took about 220 years ago.
I love that part of the country! It’s truly the heartland of America, with lots of history, and I’ve been near there many times — used to travel near there a lot for business, in all the seasons. But I wasn’t right in Minnehaha County.
To help him settle in, what do you like about that region? What’s beautiful there? What are some good sights to visit, and what would you caution him about?
Can you help a brother out? I live near San Francisco and look forward to visiting him there soon. I’m originally from Upstate New York so I’m familiar with the joys of winter.
200k in the county, based around Sioux Falls. A pretty good size for many but might to be too small or too big for some. Was growing 2-3 k per year but is now + 4-5k / yr for last few years.
The "county" covers a lot of territory, everything from small acreages out on county highways to what is rapidly growing Sioux Falls. Is the friend moving to Sioux Falls or an outlying area? Sioux Falls also sits on the border with Lincoln county, so part of town is south of that county line. This area of the state isn't known for scenery, but Newton Hills, Palisades and Good Earth state parks are good day trips. I suspect you might get more information if you ask specific vs general questions.
From what I’ve read it’s the most populous country in the state. That’s expected since Sioux Falls is there. I’m pretty sure he’s moving to an outer area and not into the city itself. Wish I had more info for you but I haven’t seen him in a couple of years since he left my church to join another. We’re getting together for a coffee before he moves out there in the coming months.
The county has a rectangular shape about 35 miles x 25 miles, so geographically it’s not large (for example here in California, Riverside County is about 200 miles wide). I’m in Northern California, BTW. We’re proudly different from Southern Cal!
Wish I had more precise info for you but I may not get that for a few weeks. I’m collecting the info I gather for when we have coffee. I prefer beer but he doesn’t drink anymore. Coffee works! But for now, hopefully that location is specific enough…?
I look forward to driving out to visit him. I have half a mind to visit him in the dead of winter too. Would be a good experience. I miss wintry weather.
The people are more direct than in NorCal, but they are more genuinely nice as well. The culture shock will be huge. Positions and feelings that one feels here are correct for here, but wrong for there. Best advice is to resist the comparative urge, let the culture soak in, even the silly stuff and just try it. Be active and join in things. Religious faith is helpful. Work hard and be honest.
The people are more direct than in NorCal, but they are more genuinely nice as well.
It's interesting to read your comment about folks being direct in SD. I grew up in SoDak but have spent most of my adult life in MN, where the indirectness/ passive-aggressiveness of MNans can drive me nuts sometimes-- it's like its own language/ dialect you have to learn!
And, as a person that prefers to be more direct, I don't know if that's just my personality or how much is influenced by my SD upbringing. When I tell people around here that the culture of my home state is different from MN, they just roll their eyes at me -- is SD directness really a thing?
It's interesting to read your comment about folks being direct in SD. I grew up in SoDak but have spent most of my adult life in MN, where the indirectness/ passive-aggressiveness of MNans can drive me nuts sometimes-- it's like its own language/ dialect you have to learn!
And, as a person that prefers to be more direct, I don't know if that's just my personality or how much is influenced by my SD upbringing. When I tell people around here that the culture of my home state is different from MN, they just roll their eyes at me -- is SD directness really a thing?
South Dakotans are overly friendly- some never want to leave the region. I went there for work and has a ten minute conversation about real estate and HOA nonsense with a government worker.
It's a live and let live place but life can be harsh. Winter weather is rough during blizzards, and it's hard to find good paying work.
It's not at all strange for neighbors to borrow each other's snow blowers or mowers with verbal agreements to return the item soon. Kind of in line with the "neighbor helping neighbor" thing.
South Dakotans are overly friendly- some never want to leave the region. I went there for work and has a ten minute conversation about real estate and HOA nonsense with a government worker.
It's a live and let live place but life can be harsh. Winter weather is rough during blizzards, and it's hard to find good paying work.
It's not at all strange for neighbors to borrow each other's snow blowers or mowers with verbal agreements to return the item soon. Kind of in line with the "neighbor helping neighbor" thing.
Your comments are why I've lived here my whole life and won't leave. There are getting to be fewer places in this country like this all the time. We not only lend out our things to our neighbors, we'll go blow out a neighbors driveway if we have the time and know they may be pressed for time for some reason.
I have an old farm tractor with loader (Farmall M-TA) that I use to clean the parking lot of my business and warehouse. There are several residential houses by my business where I know the people. One person is on disability and another is in his 70's. I clean out their driveway whenever we get a big snow. It only takes a few minutes with this big tractor. To some people it's a big deal, but it really isn't. It's just utilizing a few minutes of my time helping out someone that can use it.
In my residential neighborhood, someone is always helping clean out someone else's driveway.
South Dakotans are overly friendly- some never want to leave the region. I went there for work and has a ten minute conversation about real estate and HOA nonsense with a government worker.
It's a live and let live place but life can be harsh. Winter weather is rough during blizzards, and it's hard to find good paying work.
It's not at all strange for neighbors to borrow each other's snow blowers or mowers with verbal agreements to return the item soon. Kind of in line with the "neighbor helping neighbor" thing.
I think my post that you were responding to was likely pretty unclear. I grew up in South Dakota (5th generation) so I'm very familiar with the state and its people.
What I was trying to say: I tend to be a lot more direct than the Minnesotans I now find myself surrounded by. When a previous poster made a reference to South Dakotans being "more direct" (than NorCal maybe?), it got me questioning whether my own tendency to be direct was perhaps influenced by my South Dakota upbringing. Would be curious to hear others' thoughts about/ experiences related to this.
I think my post that you were responding to was likely pretty unclear. I grew up in South Dakota (5th generation) so I'm very familiar with the state and its people.
What I was trying to say: I tend to be a lot more direct than the Minnesotans I now find myself surrounded by. When a previous poster made a reference to South Dakotans being "more direct" (than NorCal maybe?), it got me questioning whether my own tendency to be direct was perhaps influenced by my South Dakota upbringing. Would be curious to hear others' thoughts about/ experiences related to this.
I think he meant they're opinionated....................................The regional term is "Midwestern blunt" but IMO it can be tackier and more thoughtless than New York City Loud.
Small towns have a problem with nosy people. And gossip and nuisance residents being tolerated.
Day to day life in a small American town can be much slower and weirder than a week or weekend in Los Angeles or Seattle. In large cities, nuisance alcoholics and creeps get incarcerated, in small towns those people are treated differently.
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