Moving to Sioux Falls... (Canton, Garretson: job, medical, house)

[angie08]

I live 45 minutes from Sioux falls, but I go there all the time. I also had my son there. There seems to be a lot of nice people there. I think Sioux Falls is a nice town, its not too big and not too small.

[GI_Mark]

Sanford Wellness Center. I liked the indoor running track (Big draw), the weights (both nautilus and free), the location (close to home), and the couples price for my wife and I. It was the combination of all of those things when compared to the others that made the choice pretty easy. I managed to lose 30 pounds while in Afghanistan and would like to keep it that way since I put so much effort into it. Oh yeah, things are still going great !!!

Mark...

[GI_Mark]

I have a couple of other odd questions that I'm sure there are good (or at least reasonable) answers to...

#1. When I come to where two roads cross in housing subdivisions, there are no stop signs. I mean there isn't ONE stop sign in my whole housing community. That seems a little odd, not to mention unsafe for all the kids in the neighborhood I see playing all the time. Is this the standard in most communities here ??

#2. Why is regular gas more expensive than the midgrade plus gas ?? It's on average 10 cents more a gallon than the midgrade, which is backwards from anywhere I have ever been in the United States and I have been to or through many of the States. Just curious...

Besides that, here's to hoping everyone is doing well !!!

Mark...

[Dakota Ann]

I have no idea about question #1 since I don't live in Sioux Falls, but I can explain question #2. Mid-grade Plus gas contains 10% ethanol, Regular contains no ethanol. South Dakota is a big pro-ethanol state. 10% ethanol gas is available 12 months a year, and for 11 of those months it's priced lower than regular. For about one month it's priced higher. I can't recall what month that is, but I believe it has something to do with the harvest. I'm not sure how other states price 10% ethanol gas. In Minnesota in the 1990's (not sure what the policy is now since I haven't lived there for over 7 years), gas with 10% ethanol was the only gas available during the summer months. Non-ethanol-blended gas was essentially unavailable during these months, so consumers weren't presented with a difference in price between the two.

[Jammie]

Ann had the answer to #2 and I may have the answer to #1. I'm not positive if that's common in Sx. Falls, but we have the same thing in Mitchell. The common rule to remember is always yield to the right and you should be ok. Of course, being extra cautious is always a good idea.

It sounds like you're getting settled in pretty well over there. Does it feel like home yet? It'll be nicer in a few months cause areas of the city are pretty during the summertime.

[DannyBanany]

Jammie answered the stop sign question for you. I thought I might add that Rapid City's residential areas are much the same way. Many intersections in my develoment do not have stop signs neither. I yield at them and if there is another car the rule is to give way to whoever was there first.

Also, have you noticed that people say "pop" instead of "soda"?

[Chris19]

The 10% Ethanol gas (midgrade) is generally cheaper than Regular Unleaded due to corn being plentiful and being in very close proximity to a number of ethanol plants. The state taxes ethanol 2 cents less than regular unleaded gas. 10% Ethanol gas runs fine in most cars. This is the same way in upper Midwest five-state region (Iowa, Minnesota, S Dakota, N Dakota, and Nebraska) with 10% ethanol blends mandatory in Minnesota.

Jammie and Danny are right with the intersection without stop signs. There are some intersections in Lennox and Tea along with Pierre that do not have stop signs and the yielding to the right rule applies. I generally avoid the iffy intersections as much as possible.

Danny is right, soft drinks in this part of the country are called "pop". I always call it that but can understand that it may seem odd to those who are not used to calling it that.

GI Mark, how is Sioux Falls treating you?

[ElkHunter]

Mark,

In South Dakota, people are treated like grown ups, until proven different.

Law is on the books, taught in drivers ed, it's in the manual. Yield to the person on the right. Works. Don't need no stupid ticket, ah, I mean signs. haha

Chris19. Methanol is cheap because it is Government subsidized. Yes, corn is plentiful, however, right now, it costs more to make it then what they are charging. the government is subsidizing thier costs because of the high cost of startup, research and development, etc. So they'll kick in some money to keep the price down, get the demand going, and eventually, the plants will work out all the kinks and then it really will be cheaper then gas without methonal. But right now, it's a false price.

[Chris19]

Elk Hunter, you have a good point on the ethanol. The government gives a tax credit to oil companies that offset the price. The working out the kinks and finding more efficient ways of producing ethanol (like cellulosic ethanol once it gets going) will be good to make ethanol more cost-effective and better than regular gas. I would like to see ethanol be more comptetive on price and be able to stand on its own well with less government subsidization.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by Chris19

Elk Hunter, you have a good point on the ethanol. The government gives a tax credit to oil companies that offset the price. The working out the kinks and finding more efficient ways of producing ethanol (like cellulosic ethanol once it gets going) will be good to make ethanol more cost-effective and better than regular gas. I would like to see ethanol be more comptetive on price and be able to stand on its own well with less government subsidization.

It will. And places like Mitchell, Sioux Falls, Pierre, Huron, Redfield, and such are going to make it happen. Like you say, they have to work the kinks out.

Standars in Manufacturing. First you make a product and you don't care what the cost is. Then, once you have it perfected, you start trimming costs and using proven techniques and making them better. Eventually you get down to a reasonable cost. hahahaha And then you charge what the market is willing to pay, regardless of what it cost to manufacture.