Are seniors welcome too, Governor (Sioux Falls, Rapid City: middle-class, for sale, real estate)

[Rudydog1]

Howdy..
So I see cute commericals from your governor inviting laborers to your great state. Are senior welcome too? Most likely yes, I guess the more appropirate question is cost of living and availablility of good medical care.

We are not working and have our incomes. Funny we are living in a big retriement state however I fear in the near future our taxes and medical care will be greatly effected to support a welfare state.

Usually in exchange for no state taxes, you pay through the nose in other state taxes, is this true in your state?

Just pipe dreaming for now, possible one more move before riding off into the sunset. So yes we have a dry heat however at 108-110 in summer gets old, ruines my flowers.

Outside of the winters, is South Dakota the panacia which I see on line and in ads?

Cheers..

[601halfdozen0theother]

If you'll look at the real estate websites you can see that housing in the wider metropolitan areas of our two biggest cities, Sioux Falls and Rapid City, has gotten much more expensive in recent years, and is becoming quite comparable to the rest of the country. Apparently property taxes have escalated in both places, too.

However, the cost of living and housing and property tax costs in smaller towns remain relatively low, though housing can be hard to find and services may be very limited.

Most of the state's medical services are in the two cities. In smaller towns your only access might be to telehealth or to a physician's assistant. If you need specialty care, in particular, you may be in trouble if you don't have easy access to the cities. And even then, specialty care may take some time. I had to go out of state just to see a dermatologist for what turned out to be a cancerous growth. If I had waited to see someone in-state it would have been a six month wait.

The current PR push is to bring in families with children. In the long term SD needs their labor and purchasing power. Us seniors aren't a good long term bet unless we are those who spend freely. However, SD is tax friendly for seniors.


As for weather, east of the Missouri the weather is terrible year round. Can you tolerate weather extremes? Summers are usually very humid and very hot, and winters are very cold and snowy. The only nice months, usually, are May and October. This matters more than you might think. West of the river has a drier climate and though winters are harsh and summers are hot, the lower humidity makes the weather more bearable. However, housing is harder to find West River.

So, yes, Seniors are welcome. Families with children are more welcome. It just depends on you and others whether or not you can adapt to the weather and other conditions in the state.

[SDbp]

The governor has got an ad running right now advertising there are 25000 job openings in the state. So they are looking more for workers than retirees.

But now I am retired, I am on the fence about staying as I originally came here for a job 10 years ago. I think I may be done with the snow and subzero winters. I think the weather is nice May to Halloween. Winters are snowy and long. It can get humid, but it's not THAT humid east of the MO River. West of the river it is drier. I have lived in northeast TX and near coastal SC. The humidity here is nothing like those places and is also better than where I grew up in Kansas City. The issue on relocating is how much snow and cold are you willing to trade for how much heat and/or humidity. And vice versa.

In exchange for no income tax, in Sioux Falls you get a 6.5% sales tax and what I think is a high property tax. I have looked around in the mountain west and the southeast, SD is still a pretty good deal on housing. Median listing price for homes for sale in SF is about 350k. You can find something cheaper if you're willing to live outside SF and Rapid City. I have not found that many locales where I have window shopped that are "desirable" and cheaper than SF.

For healthcare, I'd stick to SF and Rapid City. Every where else pretty much feeds into these locations if you need specialists. Not sure about Rapid City, but there are 2 x 500+ bed hospitals here in SF. I've been pretty happy with Sanford, and pretty sure Avera is just as good.

[lluvia]

But it was touted as the top retirement place just 5 years ago. What happened?
https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/...or-retirement/

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by lluvia

But it was touted as the top retirement place just 5 years ago. What happened?
https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/...or-retirement/

It STILL is. You can retire here and keep more of your money than almost anywhere in the U.S. The BIG negative, as a couple other posters have mentioned, is the weather. Summer can get humid (eastern SD), but the winters sometimes kind be brutal and if you get caught not respecting it, deadly.

Healthcare is only a problem in sparsely populated parts of the state. In Sioux Falls the healthcare facilities and expertise takes a backseat to nobody. Almost every rural hospital is connected to either the 2 major hospitals in SF or the one in Rapid City. The midsize cities over 10,000 population all have very modern facilities and competent doctors, nurses, & support staff. If they have questions, they're connected to one of the major hospitals with quick access to air ambulances (airplane & helicopter).

Unlike what was mentioned, you'll more often have longer waits to see specialists in other states than here in Sioux Falls. If you need to see a specialist outside of the SF area, yes it could be a problem. This problem is pretty universal if you're comparing RURAL care in this state with RURAL care in other less populated states. Keep this in mind. Getting to see a specialist in large populated cities can easily be even more difficult than in places like SD. This is ESPECIALLY true if you're Medicare/Medicaid.

[lluvia]

Originally Posted by jmgg

It STILL is. You can retire here and keep more of your money than almost anywhere in the U.S. The BIG negative, as a couple other posters have mentioned, is the weather. Summer can get humid (eastern SD), but the winters sometimes kind be brutal and if you get caught not respecting it, deadly.

Healthcare is only a problem in sparsely populated parts of the state. In Sioux Falls the healthcare facilities and expertise takes a backseat to nobody. Almost every rural hospital is connected to either the 2 major hospitals in SF or the one in Rapid City. The midsize cities over 10,000 population all have very modern facilities and competent doctors, nurses, & support staff. If they have questions, they're connected to one of the major hospitals with quick access to air ambulances (airplane & helicopter).

Unlike what was mentioned, you'll more often have longer waits to see specialists in other states than here in Sioux Falls. If you need to see a specialist outside of the SF area, yes it could be a problem. This problem is pretty universal if you're comparing RURAL care in this state with RURAL care in other less populated states. Keep this in mind. Getting to see a specialist in large populated cities can easily be even more difficult than in places like SD. This is ESPECIALLY true if you're Medicare/Medicaid.

Thanks for the info. That other thread about the lack of senior apartments/55+ places had me baffled.

[StealthRabbit]

Of course seniors are welcome. They require far less expensive infrastructure than families, and seniors come with bunches of money to SPEND. ANd they bring pretty good paying jobs to the area. Medical, financial managment, Services, legal... They buy newer cars and homes and pay others to fix and maintain them. They offer vast volunteer opportunities for cities and schools to cash in on.

Why not?

Come to SD, even if it is just for your one night domicile before you head to a warmer climate/ You still get to vote !

https://choosesd.com/why-south-dakota/
https://retirepedia.com/16-pros-and-...-domicile.html


I'd be there (as a senior non-resident SD Domicile) if they had 'enhanced' Driver's License.

renewal license in SD = $28
My renewal in another income tax free state was $305. Ouch for seniors (no wage income for over 20 yrs for me) My property taxes in this 'other' state have gone from $3 / day to now $48/day ('Californication' of property values in other states displaces millions of seniors).

Hang on... SD is one of the few 'affordable(?) states remaining. not for long. Come early, stay late.

[rkcarguy]

^^^^ +1 Stealth, I'd been eyeing SD myself, but property values and therefore property taxes are rising rapidly in SD. The same thing Californians did to WA is now happening there. It makes more sense to pay some state income tax along with lower property taxes in a different state than to follow all the lemmings flooding into "no income tax states" that don't end up being low in taxes by the time house/property values bloat in response to the lemming train.
I built a spreadsheet that calculates my total state tax load on what I think is my very average middle-class life/income for my current state and several prospective move-to states. Despite massive tax structure differences, WA and OR are tied for the highest on my list with taxes =13.3-13.4% of my gross income.
Working with a "total tax load by state" calculator is highly recommended. The sad part is, all the prospective states total 10% or more unless there is some exemption like no state income tax on social security. There is no free lunch.

[Rudydog1]

Thank you all for the info. We are not newbies to weather issues. I grew up in the east, hubbie and I lived in Virginia many years in two locations both having weather challenges.

One favorite movie is Fargo, of course it gives one a dismal view of this region like living in Alaska possibly.

I am assuming SF or its counterpart city have everything one would need after all, I live in northern Tucson, AZ. I am up about 3400 ft so summers are not hot however we freeze and ofter have snow February, March.

One question I do have is cost of utilities. Water here is very expensive and with all the inflation driving up electricity and natural gas prices this would figure into the mix. As an example for property taxes, my home here is just under 2800 sq. ft, property taxes are $2500 a year. My water is $100 per month but in fairness I have a pool and two story for just two people. I am enrolled in budget billing year around so my electric bill is $148, gas runs around $45. How would this compare to there? Most likely would not have such a big house for us now or a pool, possibly a hot tub, yard for pups. My husband likes to stay home, watches TV Ad nauseam, however I pet and house sit, work out at gym, garden, visit family etc.

Our cars are both long paid for so maybe a break in insureance. So example again our car insurance because of our location is $110 a month for a 1998 Eddie Baurer Ford Explorer, 2013 Dodge charger. No fault state. This was the lowest rate we could find, USAA and we are seniors, crazy.

Sounds like a road trip is warranted. Probably would not have a hard time selling here as our home is like a stay-vacation with pool, artifical turf for pups, lots of room, too big for us now.

Love this forum, yes we are of a few boomers left whom have not lost their minds yet and still have a lot to give to a community, town etc.. We looked at Idaho however it is getting scary there.

Cheers..Thanks..

[Rudydog1]

Oh one more big thing my hubbie mentioned, tornados? Better to live towards the west ?? Looks pretty scary.