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Safety / Low Crime - Rapid City, though both are relatively safe.
Affordability - Tri Cities by far. TC's cost of living is about 47% below the national average. RC about 15% above. Buying
Power (cost of living vs. annual income) is in that same range.
Low Taxes - Not sure, due to the various taxes. SD has no state income tax. But some people in TN qualify to not have to file a state return. But overall, it's probably more in line with the affordability.
Low Regulations for things like homeschooling - I knew a family in the Nashville area who homeschooled who said TN is a
homeschool-friendly state. Not sure about SD.
Buying land for a good price (5+ acres) - Tri Cities
Affordability - Tri Cities by far. TC's cost of living is about 47% below the national average. RC about 15% above. Buying
Power (cost of living vs. annual income) is in that same range.
Wow, I didn't know there was that big of a difference in the cost-of-living between those two areas. I just figured that Rapid City was a smaller city city in a relatively sparsely-populated state and assumed it was generally very affordable.
Low Taxes - Not sure, due to the various taxes. SD has no state income tax. But some people in TN qualify to not have to file a state return. But overall, it's probably more in line with the affordability.
TN does not have a state income tax. There is a Hall Tax on some investment income, etc, but it's supposed to be phased out by 2022. We do however have a high sales tax rate, and food is taxed although at a lower rate.
Also, and I don’t know how I didn’t realize this before now, but South Dakota has no state income tax of any kind, not even interest or dividend earnings (which I believe Tennessee does tax)
I think both areas have certain advantages, but as a Pennsylvania resident, I feel like it would be easier to adjust to the geography, climate and landscapes of Eastern Tennessee. I’m worried that South Dakota may feel uncomfortably foreign with it’s really unique landscapes (seems like it’s a mix of prairies, alpine mountains, bizarre rock formations, and the Wild West) Plus the extreme cold might make me question what the hell I did moving there.
On the other hand, I’ve lived in Raleigh and Florida and been all over the South (but not East TN) and generally I feel like the South is too hot and humid for me. I feel like I’m such a northerner.
I guess I’m going to have to lose somewhere either way.
At the general state level, according to this page, your money goes further in South Dakota than in Tennessee: https://taxfoundation.org/real-value-100-state-2019/But you will live in a specific area, which is why I linked the metro map, not the state level map. It's like crime, living in one city can be drastically different than living in a different city in the same state. Tri-cities has a value of $114.5/$117.1 per $100, compared to Rapid City at $110.99
Also, and I don’t know how I didn’t realize this before now, but South Dakota has no state income tax of any kind, not even interest or dividend earnings (which I believe Tennessee does tax) Again the Hall tax is being phased out, is at 1% now, and will be entirely gone in 2022.
I think both areas have certain advantages, but as a Pennsylvania resident, I feel like it would be easier to adjust to the geography, climate and landscapes of Eastern Tennessee. I’m worried that South Dakota may feel uncomfortably foreign with it’s really unique landscapes (seems like it’s a mix of prairies, alpine mountains, bizarre rock formations, and the Wild West) Plus the extreme cold might make me question what the hell I did moving there.
On the other hand, I’ve lived in Raleigh and Florida and been all over the South (but not East TN) and generally I feel like the South is too hot and humid for me. I feel like I’m such a northerner. The key in TN is elevation. I'm originally from MI, much of the Gulf Coast area, and even west TN are much too hot and humid for me, but here in the tri-cities area it's much more bearable. Early morning temps in August here are often in the sixties with high heat and humidity not affecting the weather until much later in the day, unlike a lot of the southeast, which can be sticky and uncomfortable by 8AM. If you aren't familiar with dew points maybe look them up and use a weather site like Wunderground to do some comparisons.
I guess I’m going to have to lose somewhere either way.
PA is not terribly far away from northeast TN, any chance for a visit to check it out in summer?
Also, and I don’t know how I didn’t realize this before now, but South Dakota has no state income tax of any kind, not even interest or dividend earnings (which I believe Tennessee does tax)
I think both areas have certain advantages, but as a Pennsylvania resident, I feel like it would be easier to adjust to the geography, climate and landscapes of Eastern Tennessee. I’m worried that South Dakota may feel uncomfortably foreign with it’s really unique landscapes (seems like it’s a mix of prairies, alpine mountains, bizarre rock formations, and the Wild West) Plus the extreme cold might make me question what the hell I did moving there.
On the other hand, I’ve lived in Raleigh and Florida and been all over the South (but not East TN) and generally I feel like the South is too hot and humid for me. I feel like I’m such a northerner.
I guess I’m going to have to lose somewhere either way.
I don't consider the Black Hills to be an alpine environment. Black Elk Peak is only 600' higher than Clingmans Dome. Neither area has summits that are anywhere near timberline.
North and East of Rapid is prairie.
It'll definitely be colder in the winter than PA, but the summers will be more tolerable than the southeastern sweatbox.
Bristol Humidity
Rapid City Humidity
If I could comfortably afford to live in both, I'd pick Rapid City 100% of the time. I have no desire to live in Dixie. I don't care how cheap it is.
Last edited by bluescreen73; 02-23-2020 at 10:35 PM..
Certainly the southeast will be more humid, but being in the higher elevations mitigates that to an extent.
Dew point is a much more reliable indication of comfort level than just looking at a humidity level.
Living in Bristol I am quite comfortable outdoors most of the year, with roughly a six week cold stretch from late Jan to early March, and a sticky period from late July until early September. I have no idea how that compares to SD.
I think I’ll have to just visit both. I noticed the poll has been neck-and-neck the whole time. When we move in a few months, maybe we’ll rent an RV and check out some of the prospective destinations.
While East TN is basically the front-runner at the moment, there’s still other good options like Rapid City, Coeur d’Alene area (possibly across the border with Washington to avoid state income tax), and perhaps even areas in the Midwest (namely Iowa) or Intermountain West (namely Idaho and Utah)
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