moving to Alexandria (Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Menno: real estate, daycare, houses)

[katiep]

we are planning on moving to Alexandria soon, assuming all goes well with the house that we want. Is there a problem with resale of houses in the area? this will be our first home together and the first that we will own. we both work in Mitchell but I hope to work from home soon. we plan on having children in a few years and are wondering about the daycare in alex. i saw that there is one off main street. any info would be great. thanks.

[Jammie]

Hi Katie and welcome to the forum! We live in Mitchell, but we're from Alexandria.

As far as the daycare~I've known the director there for years. Her name is Carol and she's a very nice Christian person. She is fantastic with children. She and I used to go to Bible Study together years ago. I only know two of the employees there and they are both very nice people. They're both middle-aged (and a bit over mid-age) and have both raised their families and helped with their grandchildren. I'm sure I may know the others who work there, but just not sure who they are.

The real estate in Alex has always done very well. At one time the town had it's own grocery store and was somewhat self-contained. Things have changed, but it's proximity to Mitchell has always helped the homes sell well there. They have held their value very well with quite an increase, too.

Alex is a very friendly little town and you'll love it there. People take pride in keeping up their homes and having gardens and flower beds. Many still can from their gardens and do good old home baking. It's my favorite little town in eastern So. Dak.

I don't know where you're from, but just want to let you know that those 12 miles can be awfully far during the wintertime. Hopefully you and your DH will be working the same hours so you'll be able to carpool. Of course, I'm just not a winter driver or a winter person at all so take that into consideration. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them for you.

[egg man]

They have an excellent school district there.
They are somewhat limited in their choice of churches, so some people end up going to Mitchell. There is a Methodist, a Missouri Lutheran, and Catholic. It is a very Catholic community and if you are one you will do well there. I've known a few non catholics who tell me they've not felt at home there in the 20+ years they've lived there. There is a Mennonite church in nearby Fulton and a Baptist and Presbyterian in Emery which is just to the east a few miles.
They have a nice lake south of town for swimming and recreation. It is the county seat of Hanson county which is a very small county so local business options are very limited.

It's right on the interstate which makes travel handy, just ten minutes from Mitchell and an hour from Sioux Falls in good weather.
They have an excellent furniture store and two gas stations, a grain elevator and a couple bars. It seems they can survive in any town. It's a clean and quiet town. There is a large Carmelite Monastary there but the nuns are cloistered behind the wall so you won't meet them wandering the streets. They have a lovely visitor center at the monastary and there is a very unique shrine here to Our Lady of Fatima. They used to host the huge Mid America Fatima Marian Congress in June but I don't believe they do anymore. There is an active 4'H club in the area and the 4-H achievement days are held there in Alex. They also have a good sports program for kids.

There are several nearby Hutterite Colonies where you can buy home baked foods, jellies, and home raised meat and poultry.