What it is like to live in Pierre? (Sioux Falls, Rapid City: living, restaurant)

[Highpointer]

I am considering a job offer in the capital city of Pierre. I am wondering what it is like to live there and what it could offer to me. I am a 38-year-old male and I am single, and I am looking for a place where I can advance my career and have an active social life as well.

[Jammie]

Pierre is a nice town and the people are friendly, but I've always thought it's a bit desolate. IMHO it's a good area if you like to hunt or fish, but doesn't have that much appeal to me personally. Don't misunderstand~it is a nice, clean community, but just wouldn't be my first choice. I'm not sure if we have any members here that live in Pierre.

[DannyBanany]

It all depends on what type of career you have. If you are into some political field, considering Pierre is our capital, then Pierre may be where you want to be. But if you are a single, young man just beginning a career in the private sector, you will want to live somewhere with more opportunity.

Pierre is just like any other small town in South Dakota, except it just happens to be where legislation takes place. IMHO there is no real appeal to Pierre at all. People I know that are from Pierre love it though. It must have something!

[KazinSD]

I lived in Pierre for 22 months and was not fond of it. The people were GREAT as they are in many SD towns, but it was always colder in the winter than the hills were, and quite a bit more humid in the summers since the river is there.

Not a tremendous amount of nightlife there, but outdoor sports are huge in the area and are excellent for fishing and hunting. Good boating of course with the rivers/lakes, and pretty decent intramural sports like softball, basketball and volleyball as well as a few dart and pool leagues.

Obviously a government job with some career advancement will make for a better lifestyle in Pierre than some have, and housing is a value compared to other parts of the country. I personally would have a hard time moving back to Pierre for any job, but if the offer was good enough, I'm sure I would go. It wasn't my cup of tea, but it certainly isn't purgatory either.

[Chris19]

Pierre is a town with many good qualities but is not for everyone. There are a number of good-natured people there and a few bad apples, but that is with anyplace. The city has an excellent park system for a city of it's size (14,000 plus) and has some very nice bike and walk paths. The city a diversity of churches and has a selection of eating places, some chains and quite a few locally-owned ones. The city is great for those who are big into hunting, boating, horses, and other outdoors-related acitvities. Overall, the city has many well-kept areas with a couple run-dwn areas. The chinese restaurant downtown is excellent.

The disadvantages include: being a town heavily reliant on one industry (state government), distance to larger cities (Sioux Falls is 3 1/4 hrs and Rapid City is 2 1/2 hrs), limited shopping, and the city may be tough for some newcomers to adjust to (more so from larger areas and for younger singles). If a person has a family and likes the outdoors, it is easier to acclimate.

I lived there for a year and it was not the town for me, but find the town a better one to visit than to live. I like the southeastern part of the state better due to it being rural (and urban around Sioux Falls and Sioux City areas along with Mitchell, Yankton, and Vermillion proper) but closer to larger cities and having more economic opportunity.

I think that the town is doing well and has been stable but has potential. If it had a couple of other major industries, it would be more appealing and will have greater growth and opportunity potential in future years.

Pierre is a nice town but certain people love living there and there are others who do not care for it. It is best to check the town, visit with locals, and do research before moving there.

[traveler73]

Ahh Pierre, the smallest capital city in the US. There has been a handful of times I have been to Pierre and it has never done much for me. Probably because it's literally in the middle of nowhere, but that is appealing for some people. As far as social life goes, there are better places in SD to look at. BTW, I'm speaking as a 34 year old single guy.

But sometimes you have to go where the jobs are regardless of how boring the town might be.

[DannyBanany]

Originally Posted by traveler73

Ahh Pierre, the smallest capital city in the US. There has been a handful of times I have been to Pierre and it has never done much for me. Probably because it's literally in the middle of nowhere, but that is appealing for some people. As far as social life goes, there are better places in SD to look at. BTW, I'm speaking as a 34 year old single guy.

But sometimes you have to go where the jobs are regardless of how boring the town might be.

Sorry to burst your bubble Traveler, but Montpelier, Vermont has less people than Pierre! One thing Pierre has over any other capital is that it is the only one that doesn't share a letter of its name with a letter of its state name.

PIERRE
SOUTH DAKOTA

No two letters are the same!