sioux falls (neighborhood, live, farms)

[tpabes]

I find AAA to be well worth it, and I haven't used it for any car problems yet. I have enjoyed the money I have saved at hotels, some attractions, even NAPA auto parts and the free travel services they provide. The print you out trip planners and give you travel books, etc.

[Chris19]

I have AAA and have it for emergencies. Fortunately, I have not had the need to use it but it is there just in case. I use it for hotel discounts (which it often pays for itself), discounts at Hard Rock Cafe (when I buy a t-shirt there), and other places where there are discounts. If I can smell a discount, I am there. AAA has very good travel material and hotel books.

Regarding Sioux Falls, there is a variety in the weather. That is a good point and is the reason why I live in this part of the country. The city and state are generally good in clearing out the roads after snow or ice. Usually, the interstates, state highways, and main roads through Sioux Falls get cleared out the best. County highways, side roads, and lesser travelled roads generally clear out a little later due to less traffic (friction from the cars) and being of a lesser priority than the main routes.

[blackpointyboots]

If your looking for an older house and you have kids I would suggest the area between 14th down to about 33rd or 38th street and between Minnesota Ave and Cliff Ave east vs. west. You can generally get a good idea of the specific block in that area by looking at the other houses to see if they are well maintained or not. Most of that area is quiet, fairly kid friendly and will hold value. Compared to other markets those homes are a steal. There are some wonderful homes in the Cathedral district but that area is hit or miss. You will have a near million dollar Victorian mansion next door to a run down home converted into apartments. I lived in that district for a number of years. The problem is that crime tends to pop up even though many in the neighborhood keep their homes TV show quality. Lots of petty theft, drunk and disorderly, people roaming onto properties. Friends that still live there cope by using iron fencing around their yards, security cameras and tying alley garages into back yard fencing to keep people out. I would have no problem living there without small kids. It just isn't really save to let your kids go play on the sidewalk.

There are some great newer areas south of 57th street. The VA hospital area has some wonderful 60's era homes that were very high end when originally built. There are also some nice 20's era homes around there also.

If your unsure about the weather come up here in January and be outside for a while. One thing you will notice is many homes have attached double garages. That is so you can get from the house to the car and leave without having to go outside in the winter.

[wantoutoftexas]

great info everyone, thanks for the input. Where is the the cathedral district area you are referring to ? , Since I don't know the area real well, if I could get some streets then I could figure out the rest, I know the basics, the loop, 29, 90, Minnesota, empire mall and so on. I would prefer not to have to fence my front yard and be able to let my 8 yr old go play without too much worry, But I'm not a freak over "the perfect" no crime area, hey, it happens, I'm just trying to collect info so I know where to look when I come up.

As for the weather, yeah it's cold, I know. but thats what coats and heaters are for. we will be coming up at the end of November to check it out in more detail. Thanks again to all.

[Jammie]

Sorry~like you, I'm not very familiar with Sx. Falls either. We were just over there yesterday, but I don't pay any attention to streets or areas.

Crime Rate Comparison: Sioux Falls Vs. Dallas

This is one of my favorite crime charts and I compared Sx. Falls and Dallas. I realize the crime will be much more because of population differences, but it does break it down per 100,000 people. I'm not trying to "dis" Dallas, but for what you're used to, IMHO you'll feel safe any place in Sx. Falls.

[Chris19]

wantoutoftexas,

You will not have to worry about having a fence in your front yard. Homes up here do not have that and have no reason to have it (unless if they have a larger dog, even at that it is not common).

The good thing about the climate up here is that it is not favorable for poisonous snakes like the copperheads and spiders such as black widows, thus you will not find any of that here. The frost and cold kills off the houseflies and mosquitos.

To be honest, November is an iffy month. We sometimes have Novembers that are nasty (snow, ice, etc.), mild Novembers (dry and 40s to 60s in temps), or somewhere in between. It varies by year.

I hope that your trip up to South Dakota is an excellent one and you like Sioux Falls.

[DannyBanany]

Jammie, I just used your link and compared crime between Sioux Falls and Rapid City. It says that Sioux Falls has higher rates of murder, rape, and auto theft than Rapid City. I always thought we had more crime out here!

Crime Rate Comparison: Sioux Falls Vs. Rapid City

[Jammie]

HMMM, it looks like RC is higher in certain areas of crime. But the super bad one~murder~ Sx. Falls wins (or loses) hands down.

What is kind of funny about the crime map is when you compare any of our towns to different areas of the country. I don't mean like Iowa or Wyoming, etc~but there is such a difference in other areas. Just check out Mitchell's crime rate and the funny thing is, I think crime has increased here.

[MJ1986]

Originally Posted by wantoutoftexas

great info everyone, thanks for the input. Where is the the cathedral district area you are referring to ? , Since I don't know the area real well, if I could get some streets then I could figure out the rest, I know the basics, the loop, 29, 90, Minnesota, empire mall and so on. I would prefer not to have to fence my front yard and be able to let my 8 yr old go play without too much worry, But I'm not a freak over "the perfect" no crime area, hey, it happens, I'm just trying to collect info so I know where to look when I come up.

As for the weather, yeah it's cold, I know. but thats what coats and heaters are for. we will be coming up at the end of November to check it out in more detail. Thanks again to all.

wantoutoftexas, Here is a link that might help you. This historical district would be west of Minnesota, around 6th Street, west of downtown. There are some beautiful houses...and it has a "historical" look to it. One section of street in that district is all quartzite stone...it's pretty neat.

[wantoutoftexas]

MJ, Thanks for the info, that does help, was there a link you were going to put up ?