Home is where your heart is!! (Rapid City, Spearfish: neighborhood, living, prices) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

ALMOST2L8 · 12-01-2011, 06:51 PM

Thank you for your insightful post Brian!!

I have been reading and doing research on all of this...... and then some. South Dakota is the closer destination to Chicago, compared to where we originally began looking (Arizona or Utah). It is not only jobs i am looking for, I have multiple personal reasons for leaving where I am today. I have also looked into Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arkansas, and a few others. To be honest, I am not worried about work. I am flexible, and can work many jobs (mostly construction). Sioux Falls is where I will end up if RC does not work out. I've read quite a few of your posts Brian, and I recall you saying something about not wanting to take the chance and enter a new field of work while you were in RC. I might be wrong, it could have been someone else's post. But I have experience in a few trades so I can be flexible to change professions if need be. I am willing to take on extreme manual labor 12 hrs a day to make this work. Besides, I would rather take the chance and just wind up eventually going back home, than to stay stuck in misery and wonder at what might have been!!!

BTW: Home is Chicago, not where I reside now. After this, I will never come back here!!!

Thank you for your honesty Brian!!

Dale

TheBeagleLady · 12-01-2011, 10:42 PM

OP, I wish you luck in making the move to Rapid! I made the move about ten months ago and am so glad I did. I love it here.

That said, it's important to understand the reality of it and make sure you can deal with the downsides. I took an $11K pay cut to move here. Now, a chunk of that has been offset by better benefits and no state income tax, but it is something to consider. The other benefits outweigh the negatives. The scenery is great and the best part of all, LOW HUMIDITY!!!!!

The best thing to do is research and preparation. Take the advice you've received here to heart and ideally, line up a job before you move. I'm sure you will loveit here too.

ALMOST2L8 · 12-02-2011, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dogwalker425

OP, I wish you luck in making the move to Rapid! I made the move about ten months ago and am so glad I did. I love it here.

That said, it's important to understand the reality of it and make sure you can deal with the downsides. I took an $11K pay cut to move here. Now, a chunk of that has been offset by better benefits and no state income tax, but it is something to consider. The other benefits outweigh the negatives. The scenery is great and the best part of all, LOW HUMIDITY!!!!!

The best thing to do is research and preparation. Take the advice you've received here to heart and ideally, line up a job before you move. I'm sure you will loveit here too.

Thanks for the encouraging word dogwalker!!

I do not have an exact date, but I wanted to have my family moved there by April 27th of next year (our 5th anniversary). My oldest daughter will be starting school next year as well, so the timing couldn't be better!! I will be heading there alone, possibly as soon as Jan. But realistically, I'm looking at Feb. or Mar. Damned crazy holidays!! I have spoken with a few plumbers in RC recently, and it sounds pretty promising for the trade at the moment. In fact, rumor has it, that SD will be having it's own expansion as well in the coming years due to the oil boom up north. Maybe it is just some false rumors for the construction business in SD, but if this turns to be true, it will be extremely beneficial (more so) to those construction workers who were there before the expansion. I will be setting up more interviews as soon as the holidays pass. I have definitely taken everyone's advice into account when making the decision. Most of what I have been told, I have already planned for. One thing that is trained into your brain as a plumber is to live in the future!! Every move you make as a plumber on the job requires that you ALWAYS be thinking about what you will be doing next, as opposed to what you are doing at the moment. Throughout the years you tend to learn to live your life in a very similar way...

LOL It actually has kept me from lots of mistakes, and lots of trouble. Let's hope it can keep me afloat on this one!!

Dale

ALMOST2L8 · 01-27-2012, 04:40 PM

Hello all!! Just wanted to give an update on my attempt to high-tail it outta Illinois and into that beautiful country you guys call home. I have encountered a gentleman who was in need of a plumber for his company, and it just so happens, he has rooms that he rents, and is going to give me a job plus, a place to live until I can find a home for my family!! I will be heading up to Rapid City sometime in the next 30-60 days. Thank you all!! The information meant more than you can imagine. Wish me luck!!!

Also, I would be working in Rapid, but myself would prefer a smaller community. What town would one consider too far from Rapid for a daily winter commute?

Thanks again!!

uncleharley · 01-27-2012, 08:24 PM

"What town would one consider too far from Rapid for a daily winter commute?"

I live in Hot Springs and would not want to commute any further than to Rapid. I go to Rapid any time I want to, but it is not a have to type of thing.

uh

SD4020 · 01-27-2012, 09:31 PM

If you have a job lined up in Illinois it might be prudent to get some mileage out of it. There is a job fair in Rapid in March. Not sure on exact dates or location just yet.

I have a friend who lived in Rapid and drove daily to Deadwood. They since moved to summerset and cut the commute down for both by a fair amount.

ALMOST2L8 · 01-28-2012, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SD4020

If you have a job lined up in Illinois it might be prudent to get some mileage out of it. There is a job fair in Rapid in March. Not sure on exact dates or location just yet.

I have a friend who lived in Rapid and drove daily to Deadwood. They since moved to summerset and cut the commute down for both by a fair amount.

To be honest, I had my eye on Spearfish but anywhere in between would be fine. Would you consider a daily commute to rapid from spearfish too far?
My assumption is that it wouldn't be too bad, considering most of the drive will be on the interstate.

DeadwoodJ · 01-28-2012, 06:46 AM

Black Hawk, Sturgis, Summerset, Hill City, Keystone are all small towns near Rapid City that aren't too bad, they are all within 30 miles I believe.

ALMOST2L8 · 01-28-2012, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeadwoodJ

Black Hawk, Sturgis, Summerset, Hill City, Keystone are all small towns near Rapid City that aren't too bad, they are all within 30 miles I believe.

Thank you, DeadwoodJ. I have been looking in the Black Hills pioneer, for ideas on pricing, for those same areas. I have taken quite a liking to the lead/Deadwood area as well. But was thinking daily commute may be a bit much in those nasty winter snow storms. I think I will just have to make a few rounds back and forth from Rapid to some of these places when I get there before I decide where to live!!

Does anybody use Directv? How is their service in the black hills area? I was thinking of using them for the sports teams that I probably wouldn't be able to see otherwise. LOL

Thanks again!!

SD4020 · 01-28-2012, 01:57 PM

The popular places to commute from are Black Hawk, Summerset, Piedmont, Hermosa. They are all reasonable drives with great roads.

Spearfish is a bit of a drive. I wouldn't be a drive I'd want to make every day. With gas prices being somewhat volatile. I am bidding a project in Spearfish, thinking about the logistics of it, hauling equipment and materials etc. If you were to commute that far you'd spend a fair amount of your paycheck on fuel.