Considering moving to SD within a few years (Sioux Falls, Rapid City: credit card, houses)

[poochcol]

Hello, here are some points/questions to find out where in SD I should most look at, and to a lesser extent, if SD is the best place to move.

1) I like playing basketball. How hard would it be to find gyms with guys who play full court games regularly? If it's any difficult, discuss cities/areas I be stay near.

2) I like milder weather, which appears to be in the southwest, but housing's cheaper in the east in equally urban situations, yes? How well do you cope with the cold winters (state your residence / general area of the state)? How do you dress for them (state your gender)?

3) Discuss good/bad spots for white collar jobs that one with a BA in business admin. can get (I've not yet graduated). Mention how you know.

4) I'm looking to be in a relatively high concentration of agnostics/atheists, or religious people who would date outside their religion (I'm bisexual, but namely women). Discuss good and/or bad areas for me, and how you know.

5) I like a relatively small-town community, but without everyone knowing everyone or being in each other's business, and at least an okay social outlet for someone [by then] in their late 20s. I'd like decent spacing between houses, for privacy purposes. Think of areas to suggest that have a decent mix of these, or what to avoid if such areas are otherwise in abundance.

6) South Dakota is one of my top considerations b/c of the cool weather, cheap housing, and no state income tax. Also, I think it would have a less rugged culture and better M-F ratio than the other state fitting those filters: Wyoming. Does anyone know enough about WY to say that this assumption's incorrect? Once again, mention how you know.

First post on this site. Thanks in advance :-)

[DannyBanany]

The three cities I would look at are Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Spearfish. SF and RC are South Dakota's largest cities, so there is much more diversity and more to do. Spearfish is SD's most liberal city and it has a younger scene. It's also home to Black Hills State University which is a very liberal school.

1. You could find open full-court games in any of these town easily. All of these towns stay pretty active and there is plenty to do.

2. It's true that the Black Hills region stays much warmer than the rest of the state, but we pay higher costs for housing because the Black Hills are a very desirable area. Winters here are usually not too bad (exception of this winter) and I usually wear good shoes, jeans, a couple layers of shirts, and a peacoat. I'm a male. BTW thermals really help and they look good too.

3. For a BA in bus. admin. I'd stayin Sioux Falls and Rapid City. There are just way more businesses and positions available here. Avoid small SD towns.

4. SF, RC, and Spearfish will have the most atheists, homosexuals, and open minded people in the state. I'd say SF and Spearfish will have more than Rapid City even.

5. No part of SD is too crowded. You'd be fine anywhere.

6. I can't say factually that WY is less diverse than SD but I'd definitley assume so. WY is almost totally rural and very desolate. Their largest city, Cheyenne, has about 60,000 people.

Best of luck and welcome to the South Dakota forum!!!

[Chris19]

For basketball/gyms and having a small town without people being too nosey, the Sioux Falls area may be one of your best options. Also, the Sioux City metro-but stay on the SD side (Dakota Dunes or North Sioux City). Sioux Falls has smaller communities such as Tea, Crooks, Brandon, and Harrisburg that are smaller communities and have a younger contingent in them. They are small but get more suburbanized, but still nice places to live and within a short hop and skip from Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls has many Christians but it would be the best area in South Dakota if one is agnostic/athiest.

As with the colder weather, we drive more cautiously if there is either snow or ice on the road, put more layers of clothes on, and keep busy indoors with sports, socializing, and the everyday stuff. There are some people who like to snowmobile if there is enough snow on the ground.

I hope this his helps.

[Chris19]

Vermillion is another town, about 10,000 people or so, and has a good-sized college. Unfortunately, it does not have as much for job opportunities other than what is at the Unversity, Polaris (distribution center), e-Telecare (customer service center) or the retail that do not pay very well. Some people drive 27 miles to Yankton, but your best bet would be to drive 35 miles southeast to Sioux City/Dakota Dunes to work. Sioux City has a lot of call center-customer service jobs, especially in the old Gateway campus in N. Sioux City. Vermillion is one of the more liberal places in South Dakota and has a small gay/homosexual community there and some people of other faiths. I went to college and the town has more diveristy within it than most other places outside of Sioux Falls and Rapid City. Vermillion is another place to consider.

I would agree with Danny that Wyoming is less diverse than South Dakota and you would have an easier time in a place like Rapid City or Sioux Falls than a Cheyenne or a Casper.

[MJ1986]

Originally Posted by poochcol

Hello, here are some points/questions to find out where in SD I should most look at, and to a lesser extent, if SD is the best place to move.

1) I like playing basketball. How hard would it be to find gyms with guys who play full court games regularly? If it's any difficult, discuss cities/areas I be stay near.

2) I like milder weather, which appears to be in the southwest, but housing's cheaper in the east in equally urban situations, yes? How well do you cope with the cold winters (state your residence / general area of the state)? How do you dress for them (state your gender)?

3) Discuss good/bad spots for white collar jobs that one with a BA in business admin. can get (I've not yet graduated). Mention how you know.

4) I'm looking to be in a relatively high concentration of agnostics/atheists, or religious people who would date outside their religion (I'm bisexual, but namely women). Discuss good and/or bad areas for me, and how you know.

5) I like a relatively small-town community, but without everyone knowing everyone or being in each other's business, and at least an okay social outlet for someone [by then] in their late 20s. I'd like decent spacing between houses, for privacy purposes. Think of areas to suggest that have a decent mix of these, or what to avoid if such areas are otherwise in abundance.

6) South Dakota is one of my top considerations b/c of the cool weather, cheap housing, and no state income tax. Also, I think it would have a less rugged culture and better M-F ratio than the other state fitting those filters: Wyoming. Does anyone know enough about WY to say that this assumption's incorrect? Once again, mention how you know.

First post on this site. Thanks in advance :-)

Like Danny & Chris said, Sioux Falls or Rapid City would fit #1.
#2, I live in Sioux Falls, and it gets cold (like most of the state). I think Rapid would have a milder climate compared to SF.
Sioux Falls is a growing city...and I don't think you would have trouble finding a job.
#4... Sioux Falls is diverse, and the religion thing is not a problem here. My opinion, I would stay away from small towns... Nothing against them, but its not your fit.
#5... Sioux Falls fits this category again, in a way... Its big enough where you don't know everyone, but people will stay out of your business. It's not small town (South Dakota-wise).
#6... Not too familiar with Wyoming... I do know its more sparsely populated than South Dakota.

[poochcol]

To elaborate, an active gay community isn't highly important to me, but an open-minded population is. Being in most small communities wouldn't bother me really, as long as I was within a decent driving distance of a city or town which could support an "okay" social life (I'm not looking to go clubbing every week or anything hehe).

Though it may not matter in 1-3 years before I'd probably move out of Long Island, how has the recession affected things out there? Something that might scare me off are SD laws against online gambling, which in practice may not be enforced and just mean it's a little more likely I'd have to pay a fine, but still. Someone check here:

http://www.gambling-law-us.com/State-Laws/South-Dakota/

Highlight all instances of "gambling business" on the page or just scroll down, and tell me how you interpret the wording in regards to whether placing wagers over the Internet on sports would be okay or not. Thanks.

[ashnat]

Rapid is the most open minded you'll find around here.

[nanjosbrand]

I'm no lawyer, but placing bets on sports online is something I know some people in South Dakota do. I do know that some credit card companies won't let you gamble online because of this law though.
I agree with some of the other respondents that Sioux Falls would be your best bet for a South Dakota town to live in. I know the Avera McKennan Fitness Center has men's basketball leagues in the summer and winter, so you'll definitely be able to play. Haha...no women's league at the gym I go to....not enough of them sign up. I would play if I didn't have such good luck at dislocating my shoulder when I play basketball.
Sioux Falls is getting to be a more open minded city. I know quite a few people who would describe themselves as "humanists" here in town.
As far as the bitterly cold weather, most of us dig a hole and hibernate all winter long...haha... Just dress for the weather and layer clothes. I'm female and with a pair of snowpants, snowboots, scarf, big puffy coat, and a hat, I am able to deal with the blistery cold and wind for a while.
You should be able to find a job no prob with a B.A. no problem.

[DannyBanany]

You really may want to consider Spearfish then. It's a very open-minded town, it's close to Deadwood if you'd like to gamble legally, and the housing crisis hasn't really hit SD hard at all.

[DeadwoodJ]

I saw this on the website this morning.

KOTA Territory NewsCouncil members revise discrimination ordinance