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I am posting for a friend (she is mostly blind)....
she is considering moving to south dakota from northern new mexico (i personally would love to join her but not financially able to move so i am stuck in the dry southwest lol)
anyway..she is considering hot springs, rapid city and sioux falls...hot springs might be way too small for her and not enough to do..she heard from negative things about rapid city and sioux falls is a bit colder than she might be able to handle....
she had a few questions and concerns...
Is the winter totally brutal here?? does it last for months?? what are other seasons like?? Is it much warmer in hot springs??
Was it is like to live here?
arts and culture in each area..she is a musician...(i hear not much music in hot springs)
one of her biggest concerns is that she is very liberal and spiritual and she is concerned she won't meet people with the same beliefs...
are there alot of lakes and rivers near each place?? (i was confused because someone wrote there was not much water near sioux falls?????
I am posting for a friend (she is mostly blind)....
she is considering moving to south dakota from northern new mexico (i personally would love to join her but not financially able to move so i am stuck in the dry southwest lol)
anyway..she is considering hot springs, rapid city and sioux falls...hot springs might be way too small for her and not enough to do..she heard from negative things about rapid city and sioux falls is a bit colder than she might be able to handle....
she had a few questions and concerns...
Is the winter totally brutal here?? does it last for months?? what are other seasons like?? Is it much warmer in hot springs??
To us who have grown up here, the winters can be long with snow often on the ground for around 5 months out of the year. In Hot Springs and Rapid City the weather is warmer allowing for periods of time where the snow can go altogether between snow falls. In SF where it tends to be a little colder when we get any snow in December, it usually stays on the ground until March. Spring and Fall in SD is usually very nice. Summers tend to be reasonably nice with July and August often getting quite humid in the eastern part of the state.
When the wind whips up, it can get brutal around here. You just have to be smart and don't venture out if it's a blizzard outside. The term wind chill factor is a very real thing here. Temps in late December, January, and February can dip down below -30 F. Throw in a 20 to 40 mile per hour wind and it translates into something you don't want to be out in. When it's below zero and nominal wind, it's not very tough to get around. Yes, you do tend to get used to it.
What is it like to live here?
I love it here. People throughout the state are in general very friendly. You'll find cliques exist in many of the small towns, but that's not a SD thing. It's most anywhere. Hot Springs and especially Rapid city gets overrun in the summer with tourists. I think many people living out there do get pretty tired of them. The Black Hills are wonderful for just getting away.
arts and culture in each area..she is a musician...(i hear not much music in hot springs)
For arts, crafts, and a music scene it's pretty much Sioux Falls. It's very limited in Hot Springs and Rapid City. Rapid City does have a fair amount of western art there.
one of her biggest concerns is that she is very liberal and spiritual and she is concerned she won't meet people with the same beliefs...
Plenty of libs in Sioux Falls, but the majority of people are conservative. She won't have a hard time finding other people who shares her beliefs on changing the world with all the unlimited money that the federal government has. There's even some safe places. I can't speak for the makeup of Hot Springs, but Rapid City is more conservative overall than what you'd find in Sioux Falls.
are there alot of lakes and rivers near each place?? (i was confused because someone wrote there was not much water near sioux falls?????
There are quite a few small lakes within 50 miles of Sioux Falls. Nothing substantial. Most people here travel to the Missouri River (approx. 90 miles to Yankton, 150 miles to Chamberlain) or the Iowa Great Lakes (90 miles) for water recreation OR they drive up to NE South Dakota where lakes are abundant 70 - 200 miles away depending on the lake).
The main lakes by Hot Springs and Rapid City are mostly up in the Black Hills such as Sheridan Lake and Lake Pactola. Both these lakes are very picturesque. A small lake called Canyon Lake is within the RC city limits.
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There's even some safe places. I can't speak for the makeup of Hot Springs, but Rapid City is more conservative overall than what you'd find in Sioux Falls.
