Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My wife and I are exploring relocating from Seattle area and looking for advice on areas to consider. We are early 40s with a young child. I work in software and can likely work remotely, although local job opportunities would be welcome. My wife is an engineer and saw a fair number of jobs in both Rapid City and Sioux Falls that fit her experience. My current plan is to fly out at the end of September for 3-4 days to check out Rapid City and/or Sioux Falls areas.
We have libertarian/conservative values and are finding it increasingly expensive and hostile to stay where we are. We also want to raise our son in a more conservative/traditional/welcoming environment where he can just be a kid. Ideally, a smaller community within travel distance to an urban center might be ideal.
Criteria we're looking for:
- Low taxes
- Gun friendly
- Good schools
- Low Crime / Homelessness
- Community
- Fairly close to major airport (for family, travel, etc.)
- Decent medical care/services, good major hospitals?
- Governors/Leaders that treat their constituents like adults
Likes:
- kid friendly parks, recreation
- outdoor activities, hiking, skiing, parks, fishing, lakes, swimming, hunting, etc.
- sports training, etc.: baseball, batting cages, combat sports (muay thai / bjj), yoga
- cultural activities. My wife likes to attend ballet, theater/plays, town festivals, etc. on occasion.
- shooting ranges, firearms training, IDPA?
- sporting events - There is a minor league baseball team in SF? Any other major live sports?
- Gardening, enough room to have a yard to play in, small vegetable garden, and maybe a few chickens.
- Not being stuck in traffic.
- Costco, lol.
Potential concerns:
- tornados - Sounds like more on the SF side of the state. How much of a concern are these?
- Temperature extremes - Western WA is pretty mild. Neither my wife nor I do extremely well in extreme heat. I was sort of surprised by how few house listings we briefly looked at don't have air conditioning. Is it not that big of a deal? We like snow in winter, but is it so cold that you don't go outside at all? Are roads maintained well? Have heard Black Hills area is milder.
- Green/Trees - Western WA is pretty green all year round with a lot of trees. South Dakota is a lot drier overall? Dusty and more brown during the summer months? Or it just depends where you are? Is there ample water in most areas?
- poisonous snakes - We hike a lot in the PNW and don't have much to worry about in this department. Rattlesnakes very common in some areas? Easy to avoid?
- Professional/Medical services - One thing we do enjoy is very good medical services where we are. We don't have any major issues right now thankfully. I've heard mixed reviews of Rapid City hospitals and services. Nice to have good services nearby for our son (almost 3).
- We won't have any pre-existing relationships in the area. My wife is hopeful people will be more welcoming/friendly than we've experienced over here.
Other general thoughts, questions:
Sioux Falls area sounds like it has a lot more jobs and more smaller/suburb type towns within commuting distance? Also seems like it has more general opportunities similar to a larger urban center. Brandon & Sioux Falls appear to have highly rated schools.
Rapid City seems like it's closer to a lot more national and state parks, has potentially more hiking and outdoor activities, some downhill skiing opportunities (we go maybe a few times a year, but it's fun). My wife also has a background in geology, so she's really drawn to that area. Maybe a bit milder climate, or does that start further south? Maybe a bit more crime, less job opportunities? Some of the outlying towns seem to be a bit further out for commute distance. We also both like having mountains in the sky.
Is the drive between Sioux Falls - Rapid City pretty doable during late September? I'm debating flying into one city, driving to the other, and then flying back out. Is that too much to try to do in 3-4 days? Any advice on where to look, what to check out? Visitor's centers, reach out to realtors, etc.?
Any information/advice would be appreciated. Thank you!
My wife and I are exploring relocating from Seattle area and looking for advice on areas to consider. We are early 40s with a young child. I work in software and can likely work remotely, although local job opportunities would be welcome. My wife is an engineer and saw a fair number of jobs in both Rapid City and Sioux Falls that fit her experience. My current plan is to fly out at the end of September for 3-4 days to check out Rapid City and/or Sioux Falls areas.
We have libertarian/conservative values and are finding it increasingly expensive and hostile to stay where we are. We also want to raise our son in a more conservative/traditional/welcoming environment where he can just be a kid. Ideally, a smaller community within travel distance to an urban center might be ideal.
Criteria we're looking for:
- Low taxes
- Gun friendly
- Good schools
- Low Crime / Homelessness
- Community
- Fairly close to major airport (for family, travel, etc.)
- Decent medical care/services, good major hospitals?
- Governors/Leaders that treat their constituents like adults
Likes:
- kid friendly parks, recreation
- outdoor activities, hiking, skiing, parks, fishing, lakes, swimming, hunting, etc.
- sports training, etc.: baseball, batting cages, combat sports (muay thai / bjj), yoga
- cultural activities. My wife likes to attend ballet, theater/plays, town festivals, etc. on occasion.
- shooting ranges, firearms training, IDPA?
- sporting events - There is a minor league baseball team in SF? Any other major live sports?
- Gardening, enough room to have a yard to play in, small vegetable garden, and maybe a few chickens.
- Not being stuck in traffic.
- Costco, lol.
Potential concerns:
- tornados - Sounds like more on the SF side of the state. How much of a concern are these?
- Temperature extremes - Western WA is pretty mild. Neither my wife nor I do extremely well in extreme heat. I was sort of surprised by how few house listings we briefly looked at don't have air conditioning. Is it not that big of a deal? We like snow in winter, but is it so cold that you don't go outside at all? Are roads maintained well? Have heard Black Hills area is milder.
- Green/Trees - Western WA is pretty green all year round with a lot of trees. South Dakota is a lot drier overall? Dusty and more brown during the summer months? Or it just depends where you are? Is there ample water in most areas?
- poisonous snakes - We hike a lot in the PNW and don't have much to worry about in this department. Rattlesnakes very common in some areas? Easy to avoid?
- Professional/Medical services - One thing we do enjoy is very good medical services where we are. We don't have any major issues right now thankfully. I've heard mixed reviews of Rapid City hospitals and services. Nice to have good services nearby for our son (almost 3).
- We won't have any pre-existing relationships in the area. My wife is hopeful people will be more welcoming/friendly than we've experienced over here.
Other general thoughts, questions:
Sioux Falls area sounds like it has a lot more jobs and more smaller/suburb type towns within commuting distance? Also seems like it has more general opportunities similar to a larger urban center. Brandon & Sioux Falls appear to have highly rated schools.
Rapid City seems like it's closer to a lot more national and state parks, has potentially more hiking and outdoor activities, some downhill skiing opportunities (we go maybe a few times a year, but it's fun). My wife also has a background in geology, so she's really drawn to that area. Maybe a bit milder climate, or does that start further south? Maybe a bit more crime, less job opportunities? Some of the outlying towns seem to be a bit further out for commute distance. We also both like having mountains in the sky.
Is the drive between Sioux Falls - Rapid City pretty doable during late September? I'm debating flying into one city, driving to the other, and then flying back out. Is that too much to try to do in 3-4 days? Any advice on where to look, what to check out? Visitor's centers, reach out to realtors, etc.?
Any information/advice would be appreciated. Thank you!
Nice easy drive in September. Personally I would pick Sioux Falls to live in. The Rapid City area is very nice to visit but there is no way I would want to live there.
You'll get most of your criteria in both places but Sioux Falls leads in cultural activities, job opportunities and we have Costco. Rapid City gets the nod on milder weather and is way better in outdoor activities.
Tornados - way overblown - pun intended
Friendliness - no one's going to ask you over for dinner but will come over if you ask. People are much more chatty and friendly then Seattle (I lived there for 10 years)
poisonous snakes - sure they are there, I've seen one in my entire life.
Weather - it sucks 40% of the year guaranteed. It gets really hot, really cold, really windy, bugs and humidity in Sioux Falls. Basically tropical in the summer and arctic in the winter. Winter lasts 5 months and there's no green for that long except pine trees. Sorry but "mild" describes nothing about the climate here. Rapid City is a little better but those people go south for the winter too.
Weather aside - I like living here better than Seattle because it's not people,people,people everywhere.
Nice easy drive in September. Personally I would pick Sioux Falls to live in. The Rapid City area is very nice to visit but there is no way I would want to live there.
Thanks. I might try to make the drive so I can check out both areas.
You'll get most of your criteria in both places but Sioux Falls leads in cultural activities, job opportunities and we have Costco. Rapid City gets the nod on milder weather and is way better in outdoor activities.
Tornados - way overblown - pun intended
Friendliness - no one's going to ask you over for dinner but will come over if you ask. People are much more chatty and friendly then Seattle (I lived there for 10 years)
poisonous snakes - sure they are there, I've seen one in my entire life.
Weather - it sucks 40% of the year guaranteed. It gets really hot, really cold, really windy, bugs and humidity in Sioux Falls. Basically tropical in the summer and arctic in the winter. Winter lasts 5 months and there's no green for that long except pine trees. Sorry but "mild" describes nothing about the climate here. Rapid City is a little better but those people go south for the winter too.
Weather aside - I like living here better than Seattle because it's not people,people,people everywhere.
Haha, good to know it's overblown. Good information, thanks. Yeah, Seattle is not the friendliest. My wife has struggled with that after coming from Boston and other east coast places that are apparently much friendlier (or at least direct). I've been in western WA my whole life so it would probably be quite an adjustment, though I grew up pretty rural and hate living around so many people.
I'm pretty familiar with Rapid City and the communities outside. The in-laws live in Piedmont, SD, about 15 minutes outside of Rapid City. I've been going there 2 - 4 times a year since 2004, in all seasons.
Criteria we're looking for:
- Low taxes -- Yes
- Gun friendly -- Yes
- Good schools -- ??
- Low Crime / Homelessness -- Significant property crime/low violent crime. Some homelessness, mostly in the summer months.
- Community -- People seem to keep to themselves. You'll have to be the extroverts.
- Fairly close to major airport (for family, travel, etc.) -- Rapid City Regional will get you to Minneapolis, Denver or SLC for connections.
- Decent medical care/services, good major hospitals? -- Monument Health/Medical Center is the regional medical center for the area, and is located in Rapid City.
- Governors/Leaders that treat their constituents like adults -- ??
Likes:
- kid friendly parks, recreation -- In the towns - if you buy outside of town, i.e. to get chickens or other livestock, then no.
- outdoor activities, hiking, skiing, parks, fishing, lakes, swimming, hunting, etc. -- Plenty in the area, but not much in any town proper.
- sports training, etc.: baseball, batting cages, combat sports (muay thai / bjj), yoga -- Yoga yes, some martial arts - maybe not your listed ones, batting cages, school based sports, maybe some YMCA. Mostly in Rapid City, maybe Spearfish, but not much in the smaller communities.
- cultural activities. My wife likes to attend ballet, theater/plays, town festivals, etc. on occasion. -- Not much, and I mean not much. A few touring Broadway shows will come through each year. Each town will have an annual fair. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a big event each year.
- sporting events - There is a minor league baseball team in SF? Any other major live sports? -- No. Rodeos, and the PBR comes to Rapid City each year. There might have been a minor league hockey team in Rapid City. I'm not sure if it is still ongoing.
- Gardening, enough room to have a yard to play in, small vegetable garden, and maybe a few chickens. -- You can certainly find places
- Not being stuck in traffic. -- Absolutely, virtually never!!
- Costco, lol. -- Sam's Club in Rapid City
Potential concerns: It is Windy at times, a lot of the time. 100 degree summer days are not uncommon. Below zero winter days are not uncommon. Snow comes by storm and typically melts pretty quickly afterwards. It usually snows sideways due to the wind, so drifts are common. Skiing is really iffy most years and the season is pretty short. Driving/flying to Colorado a couple times a year is probably better. Snakes are around, but I've only seen them run over on the road. My wife got bit by a rattlesnake outside of Edgemont, SD, as a kid though. Lots of evergreen trees in the Hills to the West, with very thin undergrowth. Brown prairie to the east of Rapid City. If you water it will be green, otherwise it will be brown early in the summer. It can be weeks between summer rainstorms/thunderstorms, or winter snowstorms. Damaging hail can be a problem infrequently. You will have Hills in the background vista, no mountain peaks. It's more like the Coast Range in Oregon, but with much thinner trees and undergrowth. There are lots of interesting geological sites in the Black Hills. You can most likely drive between Rapid and Sioux Falls in September. That's pretty early for a winter storm.
I'm pretty familiar with Rapid City and the communities outside. The in-laws live in Piedmont, SD, about 15 minutes outside of Rapid City. I've been going there 2 - 4 times a year since 2004, in all seasons.
Criteria we're looking for:
- Low taxes -- Yes
- Gun friendly -- Yes
- Good schools -- ??
- Low Crime / Homelessness -- Significant property crime/low violent crime. Some homelessness, mostly in the summer months.
- Community -- People seem to keep to themselves. You'll have to be the extroverts.
- Fairly close to major airport (for family, travel, etc.) -- Rapid City Regional will get you to Minneapolis, Denver or SLC for connections.
- Decent medical care/services, good major hospitals? -- Monument Health/Medical Center is the regional medical center for the area, and is located in Rapid City.
- Governors/Leaders that treat their constituents like adults -- ??
Likes:
- kid friendly parks, recreation -- In the towns - if you buy outside of town, i.e. to get chickens or other livestock, then no.
- outdoor activities, hiking, skiing, parks, fishing, lakes, swimming, hunting, etc. -- Plenty in the area, but not much in any town proper.
- sports training, etc.: baseball, batting cages, combat sports (muay thai / bjj), yoga -- Yoga yes, some martial arts - maybe not your listed ones, batting cages, school based sports, maybe some YMCA. Mostly in Rapid City, maybe Spearfish, but not much in the smaller communities.
- cultural activities. My wife likes to attend ballet, theater/plays, town festivals, etc. on occasion. -- Not much, and I mean not much. A few touring Broadway shows will come through each year. Each town will have an annual fair. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a big event each year.
- sporting events - There is a minor league baseball team in SF? Any other major live sports? -- No. Rodeos, and the PBR comes to Rapid City each year. There might have been a minor league hockey team in Rapid City. I'm not sure if it is still ongoing.
- Gardening, enough room to have a yard to play in, small vegetable garden, and maybe a few chickens. -- You can certainly find places
- Not being stuck in traffic. -- Absolutely, virtually never!!
- Costco, lol. -- Sam's Club in Rapid City
Potential concerns: It is Windy at times, a lot of the time. 100 degree summer days are not uncommon. Below zero winter days are not uncommon. Snow comes by storm and typically melts pretty quickly afterwards. It usually snows sideways due to the wind, so drifts are common. Skiing is really iffy most years and the season is pretty short. Driving/flying to Colorado a couple times a year is probably better. Snakes are around, but I've only seen them run over on the road. My wife got bit by a rattlesnake outside of Edgemont, SD, as a kid though. Lots of evergreen trees in the Hills to the West, with very thin undergrowth. Brown prairie to the east of Rapid City. If you water it will be green, otherwise it will be brown early in the summer. It can be weeks between summer rainstorms/thunderstorms, or winter snowstorms. Damaging hail can be a problem infrequently. You will have Hills in the background vista, no mountain peaks. It's more like the Coast Range in Oregon, but with much thinner trees and undergrowth. There are lots of interesting geological sites in the Black Hills. You can most likely drive between Rapid and Sioux Falls in September. That's pretty early for a winter storm.
Thanks for the information, this is really helpful. The impression I'm getting is that Black Hills will be a lot drier / less humid than Sioux Falls area? Any particular outlying towns worth checking out? Spearfish, Hill City, Piedmont, Hermosia are all <30 minutes into Rapid City? (Currently looking at around a day and a half to explore on RC side).
Other random thoughts. How is water sourced in either area? Sounds like wells / aquifer in Black Hills? Not sure on SF. Any limitations for use in either area? Wondering about rationing, etc. Not planning on starting my own hydroelectric dam or anything.
Thanks for the information, this is really helpful. The impression I'm getting is that Black Hills will be a lot drier / less humid than Sioux Falls area? Any particular outlying towns worth checking out? Spearfish, Hill City, Piedmont, Hermosia are all <30 minutes into Rapid City? (Currently looking at around a day and a half to explore on RC side).
Other random thoughts. How is water sourced in either area? Sounds like wells / aquifer in Black Hills? Not sure on SF. Any limitations for use in either area? Wondering about rationing, etc. Not planning on starting my own hydroelectric dam or anything.
Rapid City area it is mainly groundwater. The in-laws are on a community well and pay a monthly water bill to the HOA. I think most newer developments outside the city limits are that way. Spearfish is a bit more than 30 minutes from Rapid City, but not too much more. You can meet most all of your daily needs in Spearfish and only would need to travel into Rapid for bigger shopping, purchases, events, or if you work there. Spearfish is very nice and growing quite a bit, so much of the town look newer. Hill City is nice. You'll get a bit more snow than in Rapid proper, and more trees in the area (Spearfish too). Piedmont and Black Hawk have very small proper towns, with most people living on large lots or acreage outside of the towns. They are pretty much suburbs to Rapid City, but not concentrated suburban sprawl like towns. Not much more than a post office, town hall, a couple cafes and bars, and not much more in each. Just houses spread out on big lots/acreage.
It'll be best to get a feel for both areas as they are very different. I'm from the eastern side of the state and when I go to the Black Hills I sometimes feel like the only thing I have in common is a license plate.
The Black Hills has a military/biker/rancher/outdoorsy/rez vibe. I notice more evangelical churches there and more hippie-ish types. It's also tourist central and I never fail to have some jerk with IL/NV/CA/FL or somewhere else's plates riding my tail when driving around the hills. Outdoor/nature activities are plentiful and the climate is milder and drier. Hailstorms are common as is snowfall but it melts more quickly.
Sioux Falls & eastern SD has more of a small town/farmer/white collar/more Democrat/almost kind of a Minnesota-passive-aggressive thing going on. There's about one degree of separation between everyone. There are a lot more professional opportunities and health care options (and the state's lone Costco), but far fewer recreational options as land is almost all privately owned. It is greener and water is more plentiful but there is no natural forest. Humidity is only a concern for maybe 6-8 weeks in July/August and not every day. When it comes to Winter, I generally don't spend any more time outside than I absolutely have to from mid-November until mid-March. Snakes or tornadoes have never been a concern for us.
Hopefully you'll have some good property to sell in WA. Housing is tight in SD and prices are on the rise thanks to our ever-self-promoting governor. Average list price in Spearfish, for example, was up almost 40% from 2020 if realtor dot com was correct (https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...sh_SD/overview). You can bet your hiney property taxes will be going up, up, up soon.
The drive from Rapid to SF is easy, 4 hours at 80 MPH with little between. Should be no biggie unless there is some extremely rare freak September blizzard which is doubtful.
It'll be best to get a feel for both areas as they are very different. I'm from the eastern side of the state and when I go to the Black Hills I sometimes feel like the only thing I have in common is a license plate.
The Black Hills has a military/biker/rancher/outdoorsy/rez vibe. I notice more evangelical churches there and more hippie-ish types. It's also tourist central and I never fail to have some jerk with IL/NV/CA/FL or somewhere else's plates riding my tail when driving around the hills. Outdoor/nature activities are plentiful and the climate is milder and drier. Hailstorms are common as is snowfall but it melts more quickly.
.
When we get to Eastern Wyoming and into Rapid City we mostly complain about the crazy Minnesota drivers. It's like they are seeing Hills for the first time, and thinking they are mountains, and can't keep in their own lane, LOL
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
