Retirement in Yankton Area (Sioux Falls, Rapid City: insurance, house, unemployment rate)

[pacnwgirl]

We are thinking of relocating to the Dakotas, we would start out in the semi-retirement mode. Any input on cost of living would be great, monthly utilities,prop. taxes,and food. Also medical and shopping. Just looking for a new and fun change for retirement. We were looking into the Southern states but decided it would be hard to adjust to the weather etc.
We have two wonderful Bichon dogs and enjoy the simple live.
Any input would be appreciated.

[Jammie]

Hi Pacn, Yankton is a good choice if you don't mind chilly winters. Here's the info that City Data provides about Yankton and it'll also take you to other threads about it.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Yankton-South-Dakota.html

The Yankton Press and Dakotan is their local newspaper if you want to get a feel for the community.

It's an older, historic town and was originally our state capitol. It's right along the river and they have a nice beach down there. A lot of people go there for boating and camping, too.

The cost of living is 83% with a national average of 100%. Property taxes are $19.36 per 1,000, but we also get nearly a one third discount on property tax. AND evaluations are very low compared to many areas of the country. For 100,000, you can get a nice house in a lot of areas of So. Dak. Insurance is probably much lower then in the southern states. Our state unemployment rate is the lowest in the nation and has been seasonally adjusted to 3.2%. We were below 3% in the previous months.

Property taxes are a bit high here, but it's mainly because we don't have a state income tax.

If there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask us and we'll try to find the answers and good luck in your search.

[pacnwgirl]

Hey Jammie......Thanks for the information, would you have another choice besides Yankton???
I'm sure I will be in touch with more questions.
Don't forget to vote!! by the way, is Yankton D or R???

[MJ1986]

You might want to consider the Black Hills area. It's very scenic, and a lot of people are retiring there.
Or Sioux Falls, which is where I live. Medical facilities here are top notch, and shopping is plentiful. There are more restaurants here than I can keep track of.
Are you looking for a small town feel? Theres a lot of smaller "bedroom" towns around SF.

And Yankton, and SD is republican. Sioux Falls is probably the most democratic part of the state.

[Jammie]

Yankton is a good choice, but there are a lot of others. We live in Mitchell and like it, but we've always lived in this area so we're still here.

Do you like mountains or flatter land? How big of a town are you searching for? Sioux Falls is the largest town in the state followed by Rapid City. Both are very nice cities. I like some of the smaller towns out in the Hills~Deadwood, Hill City, Hot Springs, etc. But for those of us who still need employment, that could be a problem in a smaller town.

If you go to the site above, you can scan through the different towns and see what interests you. Many of them have pics and maybe one specific town will just appeal to you.

[billiefan2000]

I have relatives who live in Yankton and they tell me it is a good place to retire at

Yankton sorta feels like Columbus Nebraska or Norfolk Nebraska

(small town feeling with some things you can find in bigger cities)



Yankton does have a Burger King and a Subway (which is good)


not to mention it is close to the Lewis and Clark Recrecation Area

[lazlaz]

If you're into fishing and hunting yankton would be good, right on the river and plenty grass land surrounding for pheasant and deer hunting. Slow quiet town, most of the medical specialists are located in Sioux Falls on that side of the state which is about 1 hour away from Yankton.
POP about 14,000. I don't recall there being many if any family friendly walking trails.
I don't believe Yankton has dog parks. I say Sioux Falls or Rapid City bigger yet not to big.
Sioux Falls has several neighboring communities just outside the city limits which seem to be a growing attraction which offer the basic shopping needs yet you are close enough to SF to go to the mall, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Cabellas is located in Mitchell SD with would be about 1 hr from SF and Yankton.

[Chris19]

Yankton has some trails down by the river. Lewis and Clark Lake (a reservoir on the Missouri River behind Gavins Point Dam), which is several miles west of Yankton, has a good trail system and is a good place to hike, bike, camp, fish, and swim. Also one can go boating on the lake. Yankton has a park on the riverfront along with several other parks sprinkled throughout the city. There are plans for the Meridian Bridge to be converted into a pedestrian bridge for bikes and walkers. It used to be a bridge for motorists and a new bridge (Yankton Discovery Bridge) handles vehicle traffic now.

My mom and I drove on the Meridian Bridge right before the state opened up the new bridge and were one of the last ones (not the very last) to go across the bridge on our way to Colorado last fall. On the way back from Colorado, we went on the new bridge. The new bridge is nice and spacious and is now a straight shot to Broadway, which is a main route through Yankton. I love the new bridge but hope that the Meridian Bridge is preserved and would be a good pedestrian with a few updates/modifications.