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Can I get a bit of input on the Spearfish area. We are looking to get out of Oregon. I was born & raised in Sioux Falls, and really miss the Midwest. South Dakota seems a natural choice for me, but maybe not so much for the Hubby!
He loves to ski, so that is important.
What is the culture there like? Any help/info would be appreciated! Thanks
Spearfish is close to Terry Peak ski area - so that's an option; lots of winter sports activity up there and throughout the Hills.
Spearfish is a small college town - neat downtown area, Opera House that has activities every month or so, one movie theater (small - so we don't get EVERY movie that comes through), enough stores to cover the basics (we have a Wal-Mart, KMart, Safeway and some small local stores) - Rapid City is close enough - about 40 min drive south - to take care of the rest, once or twice a month, depending on how frequently you care to make the drive. Lots of outdoors stuff to do - a nice golf course, beautiful city parks (with frequent festivals), nice housing - some will tell you it's expensive, but that's only in comparison to the rest of the state. I have been seeing beautiful homes in the $150-200K range - which I think is VERY affordable, given the location. There are those that are more, but if you have a decent budget you will fare pretty well in the housing market.
Beautiful town - great parks, awesome rec center, active in the arts, for SD quite liberal IMO. only 30-40 minutes to skiing snowmobiling etc. while Spearfish gets half the snow of the ski resorts. Decent little college and Spearfish creek meandering thru town is a gem - dining choices are decent for a small town as well. Nice views - being along the interstate helps the economy and quickens the trip to Rapid City when additional shopping choices are required. People in Spearfish seem fairly active and proud while sometimes I think (in general) they can be a bit uptight for my tastes, that same attitude is part of why I think it is so much cleaner than surrounding towns. Strong growth oriented economy. This info is coming from someone that has lived in the northern hills most of my life and lived in Sp. in 99-2000 so my love for the area is positively biased as it fits me well.
Thanks, everyone...next question ~ what about Deadwood?
We are coming from a very small tourist town & want to continue our retail business when we relocate.
He has expressed an interest in Deadwood, too.
I think we will make a trip up that way in a couple of months, probably look to make a move in the fall.
Would love to continue to chat with folks from that area!
Deadwood is a small tourist town located up in the mountains. It definitely has more of a mountain vibe than Spearfish does. It's also smaller and has less in the way of amenities, but Spearfish and Rapid City are nearby too. Deadwood also gets a lot of snow. Much more than Spearfish and especially more than Rapid City.
Not sure of your what you retail. That would have a decision on location. I would prefer Spearfish over Lead or Deadwood as a place to live and work. Spearfish downtown has a nice feel. The impression I get of Deadwood, its more suited to gaming more than anything.
Thanks, everyone...next question ~ what about Deadwood?
We are coming from a very small tourist town & want to continue our retail business when we relocate.
He has expressed an interest in Deadwood, too.
I think we will make a trip up that way in a couple of months, probably look to make a move in the fall.
Would love to continue to chat with folks from that area!
Deadwood is a bit limited when it comes to retail since gaming devices tend to affect value in the commercially zoned areas - Most of the retail is secondary to the gaming and part of a casino complex. There are some occasional places that come up for lease and a few parcels that can't have gaming due to zoning or deed restrictions which give potential for retail - that aside their is a lack of retail so the right opportunity/idea could have some good potential IMO. Spearfish does seem to have one of the more diverse/successful down towns with a good amount of lease space in the outskirts as well, and Lead although lacking a solid downtown seems to be improving and the slow but constant developments (science lab, opera house, updated grocery store, Warf mine expansion) seem to be helping supplement the recreation aspect of the community.
Thanks, I really appreciate all the input! We have had so much fun just talking about moving! I think we will head that way in April.
Coming from the Sioux Falls area (LONG time ago!) I remember it was quite humid, is there less humidity in the hills area?
Our business is jewelry design, silver smith & bead/work, not Native America design, more of an artistic or free form using lots of natural stones, etc.
We also love to teach workshops as that tends to be the butter for the bread when the tourist leave! Anyway, I will keep chatting with you all & asking stupid questions as they come up, if no one minds ~ Thanks
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