Relocating to Spearfish? (Rapid City: rentals, student loan, unemployment rate)

[NerdyChick]

Hi there

I might be looking at moving to Spearfish in a year or so to study and since I have a slight planning obsession I'm looking into a lot of the info now.. What can I say, I like being prepared

Is there any online resources to look after rentals? I've tried searching a bit around and I found the Black Hills Pioneer where I found quite a few rentals, but I was just wondering if there was something more to look at too

Also, how cold are the winters?
I keep hearing horror stories about how horribly cold it is and I'm wondering if I'm just moving to a place as cold as it is where I am now (Winters mostly range -4 to -22) or somewhere colder. With the winters I'm used to, I like to think I can handle the cold.

Lastly I was wondering what things there are to do?
I love nature and the area seems to offer lots of that, so I figure I'll be running around like a mad woman with my camera taking lots of pictures.
I've never been a party person, so that's nothing I'm all to concerned about, but having some other stuff to do than study could be nice on occasion
I found some sites that lists a tiny bit of info, but asking to check for more doesn't hurt

Thanks in advance for any help!

[airboat5]

Where are you coming from? and yes theres tons and tons of stuff to do.

[rjl78]

Spearfish is a collage town, it does have nice downtown area. Weather, its can get cold. They do receive copious amounts of snow.

Spearfish is a nice town.

[no8fann]

Spearfish is a beautiful little town with lots to do within driving distance in the local area (will you have your own transportation?). There are several city parks that we have noticed already. Lots of places to walk, bike and hike. Spearfish Canyon is a great place to explore. Lots of local places to eat and a Wal-Mart for college neccessities! There is a movie theater (albeit a small one), and a community recreation center (though I assume the college has some sort of gym facilities).

I can't comment on the weather because we have only been here since the end of June, but I would imagine if you are used to snow and cold, you will adapt just fine. Spearfish has everything you need to be able to function, even in the winter, without having to make a 45 minute trek regularly to Rapid City.

If you have other questions, we will be glad to help!

[NerdyChick]

Originally Posted by airboat5

Where are you coming from? and yes theres tons and tons of stuff to do.

I'd be coming all the way from Sweden
Yay! Lots of things to do sounds good, I live in a very small town now with very little to do, so lots of stuff will be a good upgrade

Originally Posted by rjl78

Spearfish is a collage town, it does have nice downtown area. Weather, its can get cold. They do receive copious amounts of snow.
Spearfish is a nice town.

Thanks

Originally Posted by no8fann

Spearfish is a beautiful little town with lots to do within driving distance in the local area (will you have your own transportation?). There are several city parks that we have noticed already. Lots of places to walk, bike and hike. Spearfish Canyon is a great place to explore. Lots of local places to eat and a Wal-Mart for college neccessities! There is a movie theater (albeit a small one), and a community recreation center (though I assume the college has some sort of gym facilities).

I can't comment on the weather because we have only been here since the end of June, but I would imagine if you are used to snow and cold, you will adapt just fine. Spearfish has everything you need to be able to function, even in the winter, without having to make a 45 minute trek regularly to Rapid City.

If you have other questions, we will be glad to help!

I'm hoping to have my own transportation, will have to see how the budget goes I guess. Lots of places to walk, hike and bike sounds fantastic
I just started browsing through the picture thread and I'm just sitting here going "Ooooooh" and "Aaaaah"

Glad to hear one can get everything one needs there too, just in case I'm not able to get my own transportation if I move there

[no8fann]

I am not sure about public transportation, but I believe there is a trolley system of some sort. Not sure if it runs around town, or just from town out to local points of interest. Does anyone else know?

[rjl78]

I don't recall Spearfish having any trolleys or transit system. I might be wrong though.

[no8fann]

Prairie Hills Transit runs it, it looks like. http://prairiehillstransit.com/default.aspx

[Jammie]

Nerdy, Spearfish is a great choice. I love that town mainly because it's right by Spearfish Canyon and it is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. And there's a little creek that runs right through town. It's so neat because it's clear mountain water.

There's quite a bit of info on the CD site and here's a link~

http://www.city-data.com/city/Spearf...th-Dakota.html

The weather is on there, too and you'll find it as you scroll down. I think Spearfish would be a tad warmer then the weather you described.

A few of the stats may be just a bit behind~like the current unemployment rate, etc., but there are some gorgeous pics on there.

So what made you choose Spearfish?

[NerdyChick]

Thanks for the tips about public transportation!
Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on a car so I won't depend on that to get around, but we'll see I guess!

Jammie,
Thanks for the link, I'm going to check that one out right away

To be honest, first I was just browsing on the base of which schools goes within my budget range (Cause the limit set by the student loan company isn't that high, at least not for US tuition to go. )
Then while sifting through what goes within that range, Spearfish among a few others stuck out cause of their location and the impression I got of the town and surrounding area from websites and pictures and of course what I can read on forums