Living outside of Sioux Falls? (Brookings, Spearfish: budget, apartments, vacation)

[Garo]

Hello,

I was just curious as to how far outside of Sioux Falls does one have to commute to be away from the city and be surrounded by nothing but farms and country? We're considering a move there and we're looking forward to gaining some the peace and quiet that comes with privacy. My job would be in Sioux Falls so I would like to be within a 30 mile commute, is that possible? We are really intriqued by the Dakota's and plan on visiting in a month or so but I thought I'd try and get some early insight.

Also, if anyone has an idea of what the average price/acre of land costs in the country in SD, I would be gratefull.

Any information or thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

Garo

[Jammie]

Just a few miles, actually. There is a space of country between Sx Falls and Hartford and Tea and all the surrounding towns. Depending on where you'll work, you could get by with less then a 10 mile drive and live in the country and that's from nearly any place of business.

As far as the cost of an acreage by Sx. Falls~ http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage~ you can check out the local newspaper while we wait from one of the members from there to post.

Welcome to the forum.

PS, the link keeps telling me it's expired, but if you click to go back, it'll take you right to the paper.

[debey]

welcome, to the forum & South Dakota, Garo! You definitely can live in country & drive into Sioux Falls, in less than 30 minutes! Where do you live, currently?[ I cannot help, much, either, as I'm about 80 miles, from there. ]I hope you have a wonderful trip/vacation, to South Dakota!

[Chris19]

It is possible to live in the open country and live within 30 minutes from Sioux Falls. Your best bet would be checking the Hartford (a few lakes), Dell Rapids, Chancellor, Beresford (north of), Lennox, Canton, Worthing, Brandon, Larchwood (Iowa), Valley Springs, Beaver Creek (Minnesota), Garretson, and Baltic areas.

A person can find open land near Tea, Harrisburg, and Brandon, but the land around these towns may be a little harder to come by for building, may be more expensive than Lennox, Canton, and Hartford areas, and you may have more neighbors in the next 15-20 years at the rate the area is growing.

I am a little more familiar with Lincoln country and aware of some of the issues there.

South of Sioux Falls has lot of flat areas and gets hilly around the Big Sioux River and a couple of the creeks that run through the area. Many houses have to be built up or be on a hill to have a full basement and many have partial basements due to the area not draining as well as areas north, east, and west of Sioux Falls (the land is marshy in spots).

The areas west of Sioux Falls (north of 41st Street), north of Sioux Falls (except for the Big Sioux River valley), and east of Sioux Falls are areas with gently rolling hills. These areas are probably better places to build houses and do not have as much drainage problems as areas south of Sioux Falls, as long as your house in not in a low spot of a hilly area.

Many of the nearby small towns have grocery stores, convenience stores, eating establishments, good schools, churches, and other small service businesses. Many of the small towns mentioned are in the 300 plus people range with many that have between 1000 to 3500 people.

There are many great areas to buy or build an acreage in Minnehaha, Lincoln, and Turner (northeastern) counties along with Lyon County, IA (northwest part) and Rock Country, MN (southwestern part). Good luck with your trip and move to South Dakota.

[Garo]

Thank you all for your quick responses and help. My wife and I currently live in TN. We've never really fit in with the deep southern lifestyle and are looking for a change. Sioux Falls really sounds like what were looking for and we can't wait to visit this summer to scope it out. We love small towns and welcome the drive to get away from the city. In the event my job comes through and we confirm what we already think on our visit, we would probably start off with a apartment in SF with hopes of buying a small farm out in the middle of nowhere.

Thank you all for the information.

[MJ1986]

I think you would love working in Sioux Falls, while living in a small town or out on a farm. It's a quality of life that is second to none. Sioux Falls has plenty of affordable apartments to start out with. The cost of living is low here. Good luck with your job offering and your visit! Let us know when you make the trip down here.

[computerguysd]

You might want to check out acreages in Moody County, north of Sioux Falls / South of Brookings. When we found our acreage 13 years ago, the land prices were lower than Minnehaha, Lincoln or Brookings counties. Of course, it's a bit more of a commute. There's a house being built near us that the builder told us the owners plan to rent out when it's completed. If you're interested in commuting about 50 miles from Sioux Falls / 15 miles from Brookings, let me know and I'll try to find out when they expect to have the house finished.

[Garo]

Ok, the stereo-type of SD people being overly nice appears to be very true! I appreciate all the helpful advice from each of you. We are getting more excited each day about visiting soon. I'm sure I will have plenty more questions to ask later but what is the most reccomended place to eat in SF? Is there any particular establishment that is the pride and joy of the area? We like all types of food and for this particular trip anything not too formal would be ideal. Thanks again.

computerguysd,

Thank you for the advice and heads up on the house. We will keep it in mind.

[Chris19]

Garo,

There are plenty of restaurants in Sioux Falls. Many fast food, fast-casual, family-style sit downs, chain sit-down, grills, steakhouses, and even fine dining along with other kinds. There many great places to eat and a little bit for everyone. There are a number of locally-owned establishments that are decent.

Bracco, Spezia (well-respected), and Jonny Carinos are popular for Italian food. Sioux Falls has a good supply of Chinese restaurants and many of them are good. I like the Chinese sit-down restaurants better than the buffets, but China Star is a popular Chinese Buffet. For chain restaurants, Texas Roadhouse is very popular and often busy and Famous Daves BBQ is um um good. Marlin's Roadhouse Grill is South Dakota-based and is popular. The Keg is a local favorite for chicken and Pizza Ranch a newcomer in the Sioux Falls market and is popular for Pizza. For the those on a budget, Culver's is a good stop. If you like ice cream, B&G Milky Way is a local favorite and have great ice cream and treats.

We even have Sonics up here with one here and another one opening this summer.

[DannyBanany]

Sioux Falls has a Pizza Ranch!? I have to drive to Sturgis or Spearfish to have Pizza Ranch out here. I thought they were just for smaller towns! I hope we get one, it's good stuff!