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We currently live in AZ, and my wife is considering taking an RN position with the IHS hospital in Pine Ridge.
We are just trying to figure out what towns would be the best place to live. We are looking at Hot Springs and Chadron NE. Are we missing any other towns that might be closer to Pine Ridge? We have four school age kids, so we don't want to live in a tiny.
Chadron looks like a nice town and has everything we would need (Wal-Mart lol!) and according to mapqest, Pine Ridge is only 38 miles away, which really isn't far. Might take longer during snow storm.
Hot Springs looks like a nice place but, the commute is 54 miles. Rushville NE, is probably the closet town, but just not big enough for us. Hot Springs is closer to Rapid City which would also be handy. Does Hot Springs have a Wal-Mart or some other store like that?
We would probably only be there for 2-4 years at max, so we will just rent. My wife is hoping to become an officer with U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
We currently live in AZ, and my wife is considering taking an RN position with the IHS hospital in Pine Ridge.
We are just trying to figure out what towns would be the best place to live. We are looking at Hot Springs and Chadron NE. Are we missing any other towns that might be closer to Pine Ridge? We have four school age kids, so we don't want to live in a tiny.
Chadron looks like a nice town and has everything we would need (Wal-Mart lol!) and according to mapqest, Pine Ridge is only 38 miles away, which really isn't far. Might take longer during snow storm.
Hot Springs looks like a nice place but, the commute is 54 miles. Rushville NE, is probably the closet town, but just not big enough for us. Hot Springs is closer to Rapid City which would also be handy. Does Hot Springs have a Wal-Mart or some other store like that?
We would probably only be there for 2-4 years at max, so we will just rent. My wife is hoping to become an officer with U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
Any feedback would be appreciated thanks!
AZ to Pine Ridge SD? Unless you're familiar with winter weather in the northern plains you're in for a big shock.
I'm not familiar with Chadron, but I can say Hot Springs is a really nice town. It's just far enough on the edge of the Black Hills that the tourists are not overpowering.
Research Chadron well as that might be your best bet. Every mile you don't have to travel out there is a big plus.
I live in Hot Springs so I can fill in a few blanks for you. No, Hot Springs does not have a Walmart or other big box shopping. We do have two grocery stores, a health food store and a couple of convenience/gas station stores. We also have an ACE hardware that is well stocked. Every 4 to 6 weeks, my wife and I drive up to Rapid and load up at the Walmart, Menards, & other places. Rapid is about a 1 hour drive from Hot Springs.
In addition to the Walmart, Chadron also has a small college and a greater selection of business services. I do not know how to compare schools, but I suspect that Nebraska has a better school system than South Dakota.
Hot Springs has a hospital which was completed about 10 yrs ago. There are also a variety of health care clinics in town. I do not know what Chadron has to offer for health care, but I expect that they would be at least comparable. Hot Springs has a 9 hole golf course and of course the famous Evans Plunge.
Yes jmgg, we will probably be in for a big shock when it comes to winter. We don't live in the PHX are, we do live in a valley with a 11,000 foot high mountain range to the south of us and an 8,000 high mountain range to the north. We do occasionally get a few inches of snow but nothing like what you get there.
My wife has been a nurse for about 8 years and for the last year, she has been working on an Apache reservation near us and she loves it! If she can become a commission officer, this would be a great career move for her. I would be giving up a great job. We plan on moving every two or four years since she will be military and let our kids see different places. Life is too short to stay in one place your whole life.
She has researched Pine Ridge and feels this would be a great place to start her career with the IHS.
Thanks for the information. I'm leaning more towards Chadron. She more towards Hot Springs.
Remember Nebraska has an income tax and SD does not. I am not sure about the reciprical tax arrangements between the two states with income in one state and residency in the other. Also since Chadron has a college, rentals may be in tighter supply than Hot Springs.
I think if you're only looking at spending a couple years there either would probably be fine so I would lean towards the shortest commute and pick Chadron. Hot Springs does offer a bit more recreation opportunities nearby and is closer to the shopping and airport in Rapid if that's important to you.
One question though, does your wife already work for the IHS is Arizona? If so I won't bore you with details but she should be aware that the IHS facilities in SD all have significant issues related to funding, staffing, etc.
That commute is going to be hell in the winter... What kinds of plowing do they have on the rez? Practice blizzard driving I guess...
State roads well maintained. Also, the southern hills many times isn't pounded on like the northern hills.
Living in Chadron you will have income and personal property taxes. Where South Dakota doesn't. Also, you will have four lane roads from Hot Springs, well Maverick Junction to Oelrichs.
State roads well maintained. Also, the southern hills many times isn't pounded on like the northern hills.
Living in Chadron you will have income and personal property taxes. Where South Dakota doesn't. Also, you will have four lane roads from Hot Springs, well Maverick Junction to Oelrichs.
Well that's good to know, I've not driven through that area in the winter. Personally I like Hot Springs (and lack of taxes) but I think that you are right that Chadron might be the safer bet. Despite not being as naturally beautiful (IMHO) it's the easier commute.
I absolutely would NOT recommend Hot Springs as your first choice. Yes, the weather may be better, as previously mentioned, but if you have school-aged children, the only school I would recommend in Hot Springs is home school. They have a rampant bullying problem that extends up to the school administration. We know several teachers who have left the district because of it.
No matter where you live, the winter commute will be nasty and treacherous. My husband spent three years commuting from Custer through Pine Ridge to Bennett County Schools. There are times when he would not come home, due to the fact that he could not get safely through the rez. There is little to no phone signal in many areas, and even if they clear the roads, they blow closed quickly. Mountain snow, such as you have seen, is absolutely nothing like the below-zero, 60 mph windstorm, zero-visibility ground blizzards that the open plains get. The wind can and will blow for days, and the temperature frequently stays well below the zero mark. When this happens, the rez shuts down. Schools and businesses close, and there is no travel for days at a time.
As previously mentioned, IHS health centers and hospitals are in a precarious financial situation - keep this in mind, as IHS has considered closing some of these in the Pine Ridge area permanently. When and if they do so, it will likely be without much notice, if past closures are any indication.
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Not so much.
