Relocation from Midwest thoughts

[letsgobucks!]

Originally Posted by JPP

To say the SD school system sucks, comes from an individual who states he lives 60 miles south of Rapid City, so he must be talking about the Hot Springs schools, not RC schools. RC schools are good. Of course it takes parents teaming with teachers to make sure their children are giving 150% to their school work. We all know the kids who work the hardest in school have parents who insist on it & are engaged in their education. Like everything, you get out of it, what you put into it.
At this time, SD does not have a state income tax. Therefore, property taxes are sky high to pay for the public schools. That being said, SD teachers are some of the lowest paid teachers in the country. Whereas the public wants teachers to be paid more generously, they are not willing to increase their property taxes to do so, so wages stay low. If your wife makes a good living, come on to the Black Hills of SD. It's beautiful in the Black Hills. If she doesn't, look at WY, as their teachers receive wages greater than SD.

Thank you, JPP. We’re starting to look more heavily again at RC area. We really love the many outdoor activities of the black hills area and especially the politics of the state. Looking for a job for me now. It is too bad the teacher pay is so low. Conversely, some teachers work in schools that might as well be considered to be a combat zone and therefore must get good pay.

At this point in my career, I’m willing to take a reduction in salary for the trade off of working with a better population of kids and families. Like you implied, it’s all about the family, really.

Are there any particular areas of RC that you’d recommend to look in terms of communities to live? Or not live?

[Boicpl]

We moved here in July from Boise. Found a house up in the Spearfish area. We are retired so jobs were not important. It’s difficult like most other areas when it comes to finding a good house. We lucked out a few months ago and snagged one soon as it hit the market.

We found finding people who able to do work on your home challenging. Contractors,builders,landscapers etc. They are all booked up. At times you are lucky to even receive a call back. Just be prepared for that.

Rentals will also be hard to find. We found a new 2 bedroom apartment for 1162 a month. If we were to renew I think it will be closer to 1500 a month. They seem to book up really fast.

It’s really no different than other parts of the country. There’s a shortage of housing. Houses keep going up and up. The people here have been welcoming and it’s a great place to live. Unfortunately, I think Rapid City will have growth that they won’t be able to keep up with similar to Boise. Especially with the base population increasing.We went to Spearfish for the smaller town atmosphere.