Rapid City attitude towards alternative types? (Spearfish, Sturgis: 2011, crime, theater)

[Raevyna]

Hello. My husband and I are planning on relocating our family either spring of 2010 or 2011. Rapid City is one of the places on our list of possible new places to settle down, so I'm trying to feel our options out here.

We currently live in Minot, ND, and have had a lot of trouble fitting in and finding people to relate with due to our very alternative lifestyle and outlook on life.

We both have tattoos and piercings, listen to extreme metal, love to create art, have middle-of-the-road political views, and are very outspoken atheists.

We absolutely love the Black Hills area, and love outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and biking. It seems like a decent area to raise our small children, with excellent schools and at least adequate shopping.

But we're afraid that we'll be as ostracized and friendless as we are in our current town.

We both prefer more of a Minneapolis lifestyle with concerts, art, etc; but having grown up in a very low-crime city, I can't imagine raising my kids now in a big city like Minneapolis/Chicago/Indianapolis. But at least we'll have Denver for concerts.

I know with the Sturgis Rally you're used to not-so-conventional people wandering around in black clothing, etc. But how accepting is the area towards alternative people on a year round basis? Does it sound like my family will have a hard time fitting in and finding friends with similar lifestyles?

I'm hoping to get some brutally honest opinions from people who either currently live in the area or have only left recently. If you don't want us in your community, speak now or you may have to deal with us next year in person!


Thanks in advance!

[rjl78]

It would take some time to find friends however in time I believe you would find those who share the same views.

[Raevyna]

Would Spearfish be a better fit for us maybe, with the University to bring in some younger people? Or is the entire Black Hills area maybe too conventional/conservative for us to feel really comfortable there?

[rjl78]

I think you might have a harder time in Spearfish.

Rapid is a central spot and would be best chance.

[ashnat]

um, this is tattoo central. I think I'm the only tattoo free adult in Rapid City! heehee No not really, but there are more tattood than not tattood.
You'll fit right in. I'm Agnostic. I just don't voice it loud and clear. I don't hide it either.
I think you'll like it here.

[Raevyna]

Originally Posted by ashnat

um, this is tattoo central. I think I'm the only tattoo free adult in Rapid City! heehee No not really, but there are more tattood than not tattood.

Well, that's definitely a positive note!

[mskutnick]

I think you will fit right in with rapid city. i have lived here for a few months now and its almost like a miniature Minneapolis. a little bit of everything. its a pretty diverse town. Many walk of lifes from what i have seen. My wife and I are open minded people though. we socialize with all types of people. thats what makes life so great though. meeting all types of people. .. I lived in Minot, ND for 6 months and yes. the people there are very selective on who they associate themselves with and that is typical for that type of area though. But again, my wife and I have friends from,, the very religious, to ...the atheists, and different lifestyles as well. We dont judge. My wife and I live our lives the way we live them and our friends live their lives the way tey live theirs. if we get along, all is good. There are enough people out there in the world that are looking for attention, and status quo anyways.. why should we just add to it huh?
I wish you luck in your choices. As long as nobody is getting hurt and your lifestyle makes you happy. its all good. gees. I run a business and have tattoos. Its all about personality. if you are pushy about your beliefs. of course you will run into problems. but i dont see that happening in rapid city. I like it here. No, I love it here. the black hills are beautiful, and the food is good, and beer is flowing when you want it. lol.

[Raevyna]

Originally Posted by mskutnick

I think you will fit right in with rapid city. i have lived here for a few months now and its almost like a miniature Minneapolis. a little bit of everything. its a pretty diverse town. Many walk of lifes from what i have seen. My wife and I are open minded people though. we socialize with all types of people. thats what makes life so great though. meeting all types of people. .. I lived in Minot, ND for 6 months and yes. the people there are very selective on who they associate themselves with and that is typical for that type of area though. But again, my wife and I have friends from,, the very religious, to ...the atheists, and different lifestyles as well. We dont judge. My wife and I live our lives the way we live them and our friends live their lives the way tey live theirs. if we get along, all is good. There are enough people out there in the world that are looking for attention, and status quo anyways.. why should we just add to it huh?
I wish you luck in your choices. As long as nobody is getting hurt and your lifestyle makes you happy. its all good. gees. I run a business and have tattoos. Its all about personality. if you are pushy about your beliefs. of course you will run into problems. but i dont see that happening in rapid city. I like it here. No, I love it here. the black hills are beautiful, and the food is good, and beer is flowing when you want it. lol.

Hey, thanks for more positive comments. It's a pretty big endeavor to relocate your family to another state, so we're trying to be very thorough with our research of potential new locations.

By the way, how are the radio stations? Do you have any hard rock or metal stations?

And what about theater? I love to act, and the community theater programs here in Minot are lacking severely. I'd love to get involved and hopefully make some new friends through it wherever we end up moving.

[DannyBanany]

Coming from someone that just moved to Minneapolis from Rapid City, I'd say the two are similar in a lot of ways and dissimilar in many as well. Rapid City's downtown is very artsy and non-conventional compared to many cities of its size. I guess you could compare it to Uptown in Minneapolis in a few aspects. There's Art Alley, Global Market, funky shops, bistros, etc. Also, like Minneapolis, Rapid City is somewhat of a haven for liberals, atheists, gays, alternatives, etc in a sea of conservative prairie. Granted, Rapid City is VERY conservative itself but there are patches of liberal-minded people here and there for diversity. Both Minneapolis and Rapid City also have a lot of recreation and a great parks system.

They're dissimilar in, of course, weather! Rapid City's weather is a dry paradise compared to Minneapolis' wet winters and muggy summers. Also, Minneapolis is a large city after all. It has a lot of traffic, diversity, some crime, and did I mention TRAFFIC?!?! Rapid City traffic is non-existant. It's Sunday driving all the time!

Spearfish may be more accepting of your lifestyle than Rapid City, however, Spearfish is a small town and doesn't offer as much as Rapid City.

[DannyBanany]

And yes, Rapid City does have a couple hard rock stations. I believe it's X-Rock or something like that. I don't listen to the radio much!

Rapid City has the largest Civic Center in the Dakotas and gets many great shows and theater events. The Dahl Arts Museum brings in a lot of great shows as well. I think you'd like the beauty and diversity of Rapid City. Just take the good with the bad.