Is Sioux City really that bad?? (Des Moines, West Des Moines: 2015, apartments, rental)

[jmgg]

Yes, a virtual work in progress with no end. There may have been some years where nothing was being done, but I don't remember it.

No doubt, Sioux Falls has benefitted by basically being the only big dog in South Dakota. The city leaders in Sioux Falls have transformed it from a city with only one major industry (that being a packing house town) to a major player in the retail, technology, banking, and health care industries. We still have the John Morrell packing house, but that's now just one of the supplemental industries here.

While Sioux City has continued to push for business with primarily blue collar jobs, Sioux Falls has remade itself into more of a high opportunity/higher wages city.

Sioux City did not have to stay stagnant all these years. Even though there are multiple +25,000 population cities in Iowa, there is only one inside of 200 miles of Sioux City (with the obvious exception of Sioux Falls) to provide their competition and that is Omaha/Council Bluffs. They're the only game in town for all of NW Iowa, NE Nebraska, and even Southwest Minnesota. Plenty of opportunities to have the "marbles" roll their way.

Sioux Falls more closely resembles Des Moines than any other city in the upper Midwest. Whenever I go to Des Moines, which is quite often since I have a daughter living just south of there, I can't help but to notice that it's just a much larger Sioux Falls. The only real difference being the state capital government job opportunities. Both cities are geared up for the same type of growth, with everything in Des Moines being proportionately bigger.

Sioux Falls only had approx. 40,000 people in 1960 and now it's estimated to be approx. 175,000 with construction still booming. The town wants to advertise positive opportunities. When you hit Sioux City you certainly aren't going to get that connotation when the first thing you see is their attempt (and hope) to extort what they can from you with their speed trap cameras.

[burrrrr]

Since everyone keeps mentioning the "speed-trap" cameras in beautiful Sioux City, I'll throw in a quarter to say my piece in the kindest tone possible about that. If it is something that get's the crazy, moronic, and demonic drivers of today's impatiently paced society to even maybe remotely kind of slow down and think twice about their actions, I'll take it, and support it - that goes for truck drivers and motorcyclists as well. I have absolutely no problem with tight enforcement on speed, and if people choose to speed anyway - I guess it does us all a favor by making the city more money - which is what we would want if we are going to complain about the "dire" conditions of Sioux City, correct? Maybe it will help with some of these beautification issues that they are apparently not taking enough care of in said community, according to the hip city-data community.

*oh, and by "tight speed control," I mean you get away with going up to 6 MPH over the posted speed limit in most areas of the country where these are installed, there is a grace area, fair enough for me*

I, for one, do not have a chip on my shoulder towards law enforcement, and can see the benefits of having tight traffic control. This is not uncommon in a lot of areas - including areas of Minneapolis, as well as Chicago which has installed them in many areas of the city. It may seem like a sharp contrast to the extreme republican states to the west so maybe it attracts extra attention in the Sioux City area, I don't know. I just find it funny that people think it is something unique to Sioux City, Iowa. Or maybe it's just the only real thing to b*tch about in the Sioux City and Sioux Falls region - if so, consider yourself lucky, it could be much worse.

What's ironic, is, while posting this - I have heard two vehicles accelerate at a disgustingly stupid rate outside my window on this beautiful summer day in the 60's with my windows open, and not to mention one tire squeal. So I'll leave the "cops suck, government sucks" mentality for the juvenile delinquent types, and be one of the rare few who enjoys photo enforcement, and enjoys the money it puts into our communities. No, I know, it is not a popular idea.

[Shay53]

Originally Posted by jmgg

Yes, a virtual work in progress with no end. There may have been some years where nothing was being done, but I don't remember it.

No doubt, Sioux Falls has benefitted by basically being the only big dog in South Dakota. The city leaders in Sioux Falls have transformed it from a city with only one major industry (that being a packing house town) to a major player in the retail, technology, banking, and health care industries. We still have the John Morrell packing house, but that's now just one of the supplemental industries here.

While Sioux City has continued to push for business with primarily blue collar jobs, Sioux Falls has remade itself into more of a high opportunity/higher wages city.

Sioux City did not have to stay stagnant all these years. Even though there are multiple +25,000 population cities in Iowa, there is only one inside of 200 miles of Sioux City (with the obvious exception of Sioux Falls) to provide their competition and that is Omaha/Council Bluffs. They're the only game in town for all of NW Iowa, NE Nebraska, and even Southwest Minnesota. Plenty of opportunities to have the "marbles" roll their way.

Sioux Falls more closely resembles Des Moines than any other city in the upper Midwest. Whenever I go to Des Moines, which is quite often since I have a daughter living just south of there, I can't help but to notice that it's just a much larger Sioux Falls. The only real difference being the state capital government job opportunities. Both cities are geared up for the same type of growth, with everything in Des Moines being proportionately bigger.

Sioux Falls only had approx. 40,000 people in 1960 and now it's estimated to be approx. 175,000 with construction still booming. The town wants to advertise positive opportunities. When you hit Sioux City you certainly aren't going to get that connotation when the first thing you see is their attempt (and hope) to extort what they can from you with their speed trap cameras.

Sioux Falls is not a big dog. Omaha is probably the only big dog right around us. Also even though Sioux Falls has a good population, its area population apart from the city is only 65,000 to 70,000 when the area is supposed to be the thing that makes a city a huge metropolis.
city population area population total population
Sioux Falls 164,000 + 65,000=229,000= Sioux Falls metro population
Sioux city 82,000 + 86,000= 168,000= Sioux city metro population


Sioux city has a bigger metro population if you minus the cities populations. Sioux falls likes to think they are so much bigger and better than Sioux city but in the end the really aren't that much bigger or better than us and in my opinion I actually like visiting Sioux city better but that's my opinion and I will leave it at that.

[funksoulbro]

Originally Posted by Shay53

Sioux city has a bigger metro population if you minus the cities populations. Sioux falls likes to think they are so much bigger and better than Sioux city but in the end the really aren't that much bigger or better than us and in my opinion I actually like visiting Sioux city better but that's my opinion and I will leave it at that.

I like to visit Sioux City when I get all depressed about how big a dump the Quad Cities seems to be. After a couple hours in Sioux City, I realize how much worse things could be in my own town.

And, when Sioux City people feel depressed about living there, they can always visit Waterloo for a nice pick-me-up. Nothing is worse than Waterloo.

[Xander_Crews]

It is a pretty normal city for the size, a little blue collar in spots, but even "cool" in some regards. Most of the people who mercilessly trash the city expect Manhattan amenities (or even the amenities of smaller cities that still dwarf SC) from a city of under 100k people. (It is kind of absurd.) Just like the guy above who is seriously comparing SC to a city with a CSA of nearly half a million people compared to a CSA of 180k.

It is the same thing as saying that I visit Davenport because it makes me feel good about living in Denver. The wild difference in populations makes the comparison silly.

I can think of multiple cities of the same general size that don't have half of the downtown that Sioux City has. I would personally choose it over certain larger cities. (...but not over my current city of Denver, CO.)

Sioux City is cheap, in a nice natural setting, it has a crime rate that is usually under the U.S. average, decent downtown core, big market area, etc... it isn't that bad at all, provided that you are looking for a small city. If you are looking for a medium-large city, SC starts to loose points... but if you are looking for a medium-large city, shouldn't you be looking at medium-large cities and not small ones?

[exploringoptions]

Just browsing this thread after posting my (somewhat redundant) thread below...I think Sioux City sounds quite livable based on what my spouse and I are used to/looking for. We aren't "large city" people to begin with, my hometown having a population of about 5,000 and his being similar. We are familiar with small cities, and have found that the mix of more urban (to us!) amenities and calm, neighborly atmosphere suits us. Thanks all!

[attrapereves]

On the speed cameras. I don't like speed cameras, but I'd actually prefer them to sneaky cops hiding. At least you know where the cameras are.

[Shay53]

Originally Posted by funksoulbro

I like to visit Sioux City when I get all depressed about how big a dump the Quad Cities seems to be. After a couple hours in Sioux City, I realize how much worse things could be in my own town.

And, when Sioux City people feel depressed about living there, they can always visit Waterloo for a nice pick-me-up. Nothing is worse than Waterloo.

Is there any city that you DO like

[atler8]

Sioux City, like Dubuque it's U.S. highway 20 sister city over on the eastern edge of Iowa, has some gorgeous natural scenic beauty, especially if, as in the case of Sioux City, you like settings amongst steep hills, rugged bluffs & multiple rivers.

[fezzador]

Originally Posted by Shay53

Is there any city that you DO like

Whatever city (or cities) he does like, it's surely not in Iowa.