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High-Speed Internet is available throughout South Dakota. Mitchell is Jammie's hometown, so hopefully she will step in and tell you all about it. There are some major stores in Mitchell now, like Cabela's, Maurice's, WalMart Supercenter, etc, but the town still has charm. People there are friendly and it is the best place to stop while traveling I-90 between Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
Danny, I'm glad you like Mitchell. We've always thought it's a nice and clean and friendly town, but we've lived in this area our entire lives so it's always nice to get other opinions.
Eskape, our unemployment rate is 2.3% so there are jobs for anyone who wants one. Trail King, Verifications, Graphic Packaging, etc are big employers here along with the school dist., city, and county. There are also professional jobs if that's where your interests lie. Just let us know what you're looking for at the moment and we'll get the info to you along with phone numbers, addresses, etc.
According to the above search, there are 40 houses for sale in town that are under 100,000. I believe there's probably more then that since some may be for sale by owner or up for auction. Of course, you can adjust it to your own price range. The range I listed was zero to 100,000.
The above CD link will be updated in the future. Our population is now a bit over 17,000. You may also want to check out our "Picture thread" that is a sticky at the top of the So. Dak. forum. There are several pics of Mitchell on there.
Also, in the thread "Corn Palace" posted by Debey, you'll find a webcam for the Corn Palace.
Yes~South Dakota, especially the eastern part of the state is in tornado alley. We have humidity on our side of the state. I was born in 1955 and there have been tornadoes very near me, but I've never been in the direct path of one. I have been through a micro-burst and have personally been struck by lightning. So your chances of being in a tornado aren't that great. GENERALLY we don't have the powerful tornadoes they have in states to our south, but we have had some that have leveled small towns and done a lot of rural destruction.
Debey also lives just a few miles north of here and between the two of us, we'll try to help you any way we can.
Thanks a bunch; I appreciate your time in posting all that info. I'm sure I can put it to good use.
Right now, I'm compiling info on cities that interest me, and then, perhaps, later this year, I'll come on up and take a look see for myself and see what feels right and what doesn't.
If I could find a decent IT job that has little chance of being outsourced, I might stick with IT. If this helps you with possible employers, thanks in advance.
...Please tell me there is high-speed Internet in Mitchell...It sounds like a promising little city. I'll be more interested if there are jobs available. What about housing costs on average? I'm not too worried about good schools. Most schools are just fine. Is Mitchell in tornado alley?...
Both Mitchell Telecom and Midcontinent Communications have wired the town with fiberoptics. I use the former and it smokes along quite nicely. Qwest provides wired service as well.
For long term residents housing costs seem ridiculous - how can anybody pay that much for the old [insert name of long time resident family] house? Compared to national markets, however, it's significantly more affordable.
The schools are excellent - but I'm biased since my spouse is a teacher.
Tornado alley? Well, you can't live on the prairies without taking a few weather risks. Just remember, there's nothing you can do about it...everybody watches the weather, you head for the basement when warranted, and remember we're kind of on the north end of things so it could be worse!
Thanks for your info as well. MItchell and Aberdeen seem to be the smaller cities of choice here on the forum. Both seem to offer reasonable amounts of potential employment and high-speed Internet, which to me and others has become essential. The most important thing for me is the job security, good schools, and child-safe area. If those things are there, everything else falls into place.
There also seem to be loads of churches up in the midwest as well. I've been looking at some of the town websites, and there are more churches per small city than there are in similarly-sized Texas cities it seems. Interesting. I think churches make towns more beautiful, actually. Some may disagree, but cathedrals and old churches are just a sight to see IMO. Here in Texas, we are plagued with mega-churches that can (and do sometimes) literally take up an entire city block. Some of the non-denominational Bible churches in my area are HUGE and tacky looking. They are so large that when services let out, the police literally have to direct traffic because there are between 6,000 -10,000 attendees per service. It's crazy. I'm looking forward to the small town church scene where everyone knows everyone else.
Thanks for your info as well. MItchell and Aberdeen seem to be the smaller cities of choice here on the forum. Both seem to offer reasonable amounts of potential employment and high-speed Internet, which to me and others has become essential. The most important thing for me is the job security, good schools, and child-safe area. If those things are there, everything else falls into place.
There also seem to be loads of churches up in the midwest as well. I've been looking at some of the town websites, and there are more churches per small city than there are in similarly-sized Texas cities it seems. Interesting. I think churches make towns more beautiful, actually. Some may disagree, but cathedrals and old churches are just a sight to see IMO. Here in Texas, we are plagued with mega-churches that can (and do sometimes) literally take up an entire city block. Some of the non-denominational Bible churches in my area are HUGE and tacky looking. They are so large that when services let out, the police literally have to direct traffic because there are between 6,000 -10,000 attendees per service. It's crazy. I'm looking forward to the small town church scene where everyone knows everyone else.
Both towns are good choices. Mitchell is close to Sioux Falls for more shopping, specialized medical, and entertainment options. Aberdeen is on the upswing and is having new industry moving in, which will create many jobs and strengthen its economy.
Other cities to consider would be Yankton (an hour southwest of Sioux Falls and town about the size of Mitchell) and Watertown (100 miles north of Sioux Falls and population of 21,000). Both towns have opportunities for outdoor recreation. Lewis and Clark Lake and the Missouri River are big assets to Yankton along with easy access to Sioux Falls and Sioux City. It is 27 miles from Vermillion, where University of South Dakota is located and has cultural and educational opportunities, along with Mount Marty College within Yankton city limits. Watertown has two lakes and is a nice community also and has a 2-year school. It would be good to check the two communities out.
One may want to consider a town like Lennox (2200 people), Dell Rapids (3000 plus), and Canton (3000 plus) that are small but still have the basic amenenities. The three are within twenty minutes of Sioux Falls but have a small town identity and are safe, quiet communities. The three will grow in the future but not as rapidly as other communities that are closer to Sioux Falls.
[quote=ElkHunter;2425247]Energy is cheap up here. Yeah, I'm going to get blitzed on this one. hahaha I can see the steam rising off of Jammie and Debey right now. But they were protected and have lived in South Dakota for many years and don't realize what energy costs have done elsewhere.
I was stationed in San Diego for several years in the Navy. Now you'd think that San Diego would be cheap for energy because the temps are very moderate. About $300 a month was what I paid. I don't pay that much in Wyoming in the dead of winter. I know South Dakota isn't paying that much. We pay a fair share, but when you compare, it's not much. Oh we ***** about it, just cause we can. But it's not that bad.[/quote
All I'm going to say, is my house is cheaper to heat, than cool....74 degrees in the winter and 78 degrees in the summer. We put in new furnace and central air this is the 3rd heating season....I will say that the insulation we put in paid for itself, in 2 seasons, of heating, also....our house was built, pre-1910, and over a period of 12 years, every room has been gutted to the studs, insulated & sheetrocked...We also raised the house(1996) and put in a new basement, with drain tile....
It doesn't even look like the same house, but my husband was born (literally) in this house, in a blizzard, in 1961(his grandfather played the part of the dr/midwife)......there's some Forestburg history!
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Madison. It's not on the Interstate, there are lakes nearby, the population is 6500, it's home to Dakota State University, there are lots of community events, it's just 50 miles from Sioux Falls. I don't live in Madison -- maybe someone who does could provide more information. I guess if I was looking for the perfect small town for raising children, Madison would be at the top of my list.
Madison is a nice town. It has two lakes: Lake Madison and Lake Herman. There are a few state park areas. If you are into camping, Walker's Point State Recreation Area at Lake Maidson is a neat area to camp. Nice and wooded with modern camping facilities. My family camped there a number of times when I was growing up. Lake Herman is also a nice area to camp. I prefer Lake Maidson. The city also has Prairie Village, which is a model town of the 1910s and 1920s era. It is a neat place to visit. When I was there on a fourth-grade field trip, I though that it was cool to look at.
I am somewhat familiar with Madison due to my great-grandparents living there when I was a kid and my aunt going to college there.
The city has a nice recreation center for a city of its size. It partnered up with DSU. The city has a McDonalds, Pizza Ranch, Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut, Taco John's, and Subway along with a number of mom and pop eating places. The city has a Pamida and Lewis for smaller discount stores but is a short drive to Brookings and Sioux Falls for additional shopping options. The city has a number of churches and has a good school system. It has a small hopsital and basic medical services.
Unfortunately, the last time I have been to Madison was at my great-grandma's funeral two years ago. I would not mind to make a day trip there in the near future and also stop by Brookings.
I would suggest for you to type in City of Madison or check their Chamber of Commerce site and the site will provide further information. Madison is a nice, safe, and clean community for the most part.
Eskape: I live in Aberdeen. Right now Aberdeen is growing. There is a Beef packing plant that is being built and will be operational within the year. Also there is a Windmill propeller plant being built here also, so there is many jobs opening up. As for hunting, there really isn't a better place for hunting in the state for upland game birds. Pheasants, Ducks, and Geese. And for big game we have Whitetail deer. There is decent fishin all around here also. And great fishing within 75-100 miles. Check out Storybook Land in Aberdeen also.
Mike
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