Gay couple relocating to Sioux Falls SD where to live? (Minneapolis: real estate, hotel)

[ericrion]

Hello, me and my partner are looking to relocate because of employment and living interest in Sioux Falls SD. We had previously stayed in Grand Forks ND while I was doing some coursework at UND and fell in love with the Midwest (yes we were even there in the wintertime). We are currently in NC. I would like to live in a small town near Sioux Falls SD and have looked in three states. Luverne Minnesota in Rock County MN seems beautiful but so does Rock City in Lyon County IA and some cities in SD below Sioux Falls seem intriguing. The reason I put Gay in the title was to find out maybe if some cities and even states were not as respecting (people do not have to accept us just respect us) as other places towards gays. Thank You for your time.

[Bagira]

If I recall right....5-6 years ago I remember that in South Dakota some gay org. put there name on a 2 mile stretch of highway for litter patrol or wanted to and the republican gov. and wacko religous right said HELL NO and did away with the whole Adopt a Highway statewide! For wanting one sign ROFLMFAO!

[Camden Northsider]

I would not live in Luverne, MN or Rock City as these are both pretty far away. If you choose a town outside of the actual city of Sioux Falls, choose one close by Sioux Falls or in Minnesota but keep in mind that if you live out of state you will have a long commute in order to do so and may face some closed-mindedness/ lack of acceptance in rural MN as well.

I would strongly suggest living in Sioux Falls - the east side of town and many historic neighborhoods in the central part of town are great places to live (in central I would suggest McKennan Park area, VA Hospital area, and/or close by Augustana College) - these are also the liberal strongholds in South Dakota. If you like the rural/ remote feel - I think you may be better off just finding a home in the country (not necessarily in a town) to live in then trying to get people's respect in a small town in South Dakota. Don't let me discourage you, though, there are a lot of nice, open, and accepting people in South Dakota, but many small towns are going to be a tough sell - Brandon, SD is more of a suburban town, that might be alright.

[ericrion]

Thanks for the info, I will look at maybe some rural areas outside of Sioux Falls. But we would also consider the areas in downtown Sioux Falls you posted.

[golfgal]

Sioux Falls is the biggest small town you will ever live in. It is a GREAT town. We lived there for a couple years and LOVED it there. There are many great historic neighborhoods as well as many new areas so you can find pretty much anything you want there.

Tea, SD is a nice town if you want to go smaller but again, SF is a GREAT place to live.

Luverne is about 35 miles from SF and highway 90 in the winter isn't fun. I would also venture a guess that you will probably run into some issues in Luverne given your lifestyle. There are still some people there that have issues with Catholics and Lutherans socializing. Brandon, SD borders SF and is a pretty town with a lot of amenities as well.

[sugarbeet]

Is there any reason you wouldn't want to live in Sioux Falls? If not, I would recommend that because it will have everything you want and need in terms of jobs, stores, restaurants, airport.

If you are set on living a distance away from there, consider Brookings or Vermillion. Both are university towns and, thus, are more liberal and diverse. By South Dakota standards.

However, I think you'll find most South Dakotans (or Minnesotans, should you choose that side of the border) to be accepting of differences. Or at the very least they will mind their own business.

[ericrion]

Thanks sugarbeet for the advice. Me and my partner have both grew up in small towns and love the feel of small towns that are in close proximity (30 miles or less) to a large town like Sioux Falls. However we are now wondering if it would be smart to commute back and forth in the winter and are in the process of looking at Sioux Falls real estate. One quick funny note about your member name sugarbeet, when we first arrived in East Grand Forks MN my partner and I got out of the car at the hotel and smelled this putrid odor in the air and thought the sewer system was backed up. When we asked the lady at the front desk if there was a problem with the plumbing she laughed and said no it comes from sugarbeets. That was our first experience on being on the plains.

[music7lover]

Move to a small town close to Minneapolis. Lots of gay culture here.

[DannyBanany]

I am from Rapid City, so I can't really speak for the Sioux Falls-ians, but why wouldn't you want to live in Sioux Falls proper? It is a great town and it is probably more culturaley diverse and liberal than any town with 200 mile of it. Post this on the South Dakota forum. See what results you get.

[ericrion]

I am new to city-data so it will take me time to figure how to put this thread under SD posting any advice would be helpful. Thanks