Rapid City South Dakota (Sioux Falls, Aberdeen: sales, foreclosure, car insurance)
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I see alot of threads, and comments etc. saying that South Dakota is beautiful with the Black Hills to the East, and the great plains to the West.
Which I agree, depending on your opinion of beautiful, this states can be very pretty.
I also see alot of people saying that South Dakotans are the nicest people. And alot of people make it seem like Rapid City is a wonderful place.
I am sorry, but am I the only person who sees what it is actually like here?
Alot of the people are very ingorant, and it makes you wonder how smart the top officials really are.
For instance the bus stop. It has one little strip of road for 5 BUSES to enter, and exit. Now that doesnt makes sense does it? Most of the time buses are for public travel. Apparently, you are dirt poor if you have to take the buses in Rapid City. The only people who ride it are clearly not you average everyday people. And if they are, that is quite sad.
Also, the black hills. Sure they are hills in the middle of nowhere, but they are far from being very enormous, and are extremely exaggerated. Their name explains them HILLS. It seems like the people here just want to get tourist so badly. Sure Mt. Rushmore is the a national landmark, but your are not missing Anything, by typing it on google.
And all the tourist attractions, they are quite boring. Sure South Dakota is historical. However, its only enough to see maybe once.
Alot of the people on the streets are extremely rude, cutting in front of you, pushing you. All with the classic picture of a redneck.
There is absolutely no opportunities here. If you live here, and going through high school, IF you graduate, becuase half the people drop out, your first goal is to get the hell of this state. The jobs pay extremely low. Like teachers barley have enough money to feed themselves, most teachers are retired already, becaue if that was their primary job, then they are screwed.
They think they can get by with the dumbest things, like most substitute teachers dont even know anything about the subject they are subbing in for, more like babysitters.
I could criticize some more, and I am more than likely going to get a negative response, but lets grow up people, you can't always pretend everything is fine and dandy. We are not very religous, most south dakotans need their big gas guzzler Ford Truck, and I have never seen so much racism before.
Am I the only person that sees this?
You asked, "Am I the only person that sees this?" I think you pretty much are.
Actually, the Black Hills are in the West and the Plains are in the East. But that's ok~the teachers who are starving to death had probably fainted from hunger by the time your geography class or state history class rolled around.
You asked, "Am I the only person that sees this?" I think you pretty much are.
Actually, the Black Hills are in the West and the Plains are in the East. But that's ok~the teachers who are starving to death had probably fainted from hunger by the time your geography class or state history class rolled around.
Jammie,
You answered that one Right On The Nose! I have lived in South Dak for, cant even remember the number of years now, & Wish to live no where else, unless I could find exactly, thats Exactly, what SD has right now, only with a warmer climate. I will never find that so I am staying put. Love it Love it Love it Here!
Bob
BTW Jammie, what do you use to post pics. I have a pic you would all be interested in seeing if my upload program would work, but it does not all of a sudden.
You know I have seen and heard basicly that same rant about most of the states in this area. Be it South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, ect. ect.
Kinda like people asking if we have electricty. (Ya we got it last week, but we just ain't sure what to do with it.)
Okay, I guess we all drive BIG ford trucks, with spit stains down the door. On the weekend we use it to run down people of other races. And we all be stupid, gun toteing redneck, dropouts. Ahhh. but we are the ones who sterotype people.
WELL I LOVE YOU, TOO. (rant almost over......) If you do not like South Dakota, nobody is holding a gun to your head making you come to the Black Hills.
Awoods, that's funny. I needed that this New Years morning.
Goldpanner, I'm exactly the same way. I really don't like the cold and snow that we have up here, but our state does have a LOT of good qualities. I'm still on a quest for a So. Dak. type place that has a beach and palm trees though. Don't know if it's out there or if I'll ever find it, but I'll keep looking.
For pics~I use Photobucket for my pics. I think you have to click on the very bottom IMG to get them to load on here now. Then of course, just click on the yellow postcard with mountains looking thing and it should upload. Hopefully anyway. DM me if you are still having problems with it.
Jammie, there's no such place. Sigh. Sorry - all of the warm places with palm trees have been inundated by snowbirds who moved there and promptly decided to outlaw everything from putting up a fishin or boat dock next to theirs, thru hunting the cute bunnies and deer (that immediately overpopulate and decimate their plantings) to who is allowed on the pretty sandy beach that they don't want to share.
And then the PETA people come, and the people who hate huntin dogs, and the people who call the sheriff to come kill the boar coon on the roof of their car that is threatening them because they dared to build a house in HIS backyard! Tween that and the gators who look like logs and smile at you just before they bite you in half the better to swallow you, and the gummints that beg the snowbirds to come and give them all sorts of incentives and then have to literally double taxes to provide all of the amenities and infrastructure that they 'forgot' they'd need with all those people coming... Nah. You don't want it. Trust me.
Awoods, that's funny. I needed that this New Years morning.
Goldpanner, I'm exactly the same way. I really don't like the cold and snow that we have up here, but our state does have a LOT of good qualities. I'm still on a quest for a So. Dak. type place that has a beach and palm trees though. Don't know if it's out there or if I'll ever find it, but I'll keep looking.
For pics~I use Photobucket for my pics. I think you have to click on the very bottom IMG to get them to load on here now. Then of course, just click on the yellow postcard with mountains looking thing and it should upload. Hopefully anyway. DM me if you are still having problems with it.
Hey Jammie,
I've got a house in NE Florida you're welcome to trade some time in the sun for!
I see alot of threads, and comments etc. saying that South Dakota is beautiful with the Black Hills to the East, and the great plains to the West.
Which I agree, depending on your opinion of beautiful, this states can be very pretty.
I also see alot of people saying that South Dakotans are the nicest people. And alot of people make it seem like Rapid City is a wonderful place.
I am sorry, but am I the only person who sees what it is actually like here?
Alot of the people are very ingorant, and it makes you wonder how smart the top officials really are.
For instance the bus stop. It has one little strip of road for 5 BUSES to enter, and exit. Now that doesnt makes sense does it? Most of the time buses are for public travel. Apparently, you are dirt poor if you have to take the buses in Rapid City. The only people who ride it are clearly not you average everyday people. And if they are, that is quite sad.
Also, the black hills. Sure they are hills in the middle of nowhere, but they are far from being very enormous, and are extremely exaggerated. Their name explains them HILLS. It seems like the people here just want to get tourist so badly. Sure Mt. Rushmore is the a national landmark, but your are not missing Anything, by typing it on google.
And all the tourist attractions, they are quite boring. Sure South Dakota is historical. However, its only enough to see maybe once.
Alot of the people on the streets are extremely rude, cutting in front of you, pushing you. All with the classic picture of a redneck.
There is absolutely no opportunities here. If you live here, and going through high school, IF you graduate, becuase half the people drop out, your first goal is to get the hell of this state. The jobs pay extremely low. Like teachers barley have enough money to feed themselves, most teachers are retired already, becaue if that was their primary job, then they are screwed.
They think they can get by with the dumbest things, like most substitute teachers dont even know anything about the subject they are subbing in for, more like babysitters.
I could criticize some more, and I am more than likely going to get a negative response, but lets grow up people, you can't always pretend everything is fine and dandy. We are not very religous, most south dakotans need their big gas guzzler Ford Truck, and I have never seen so much racism before.
Am I the only person that sees this?
Sorry about your negative thoughts about South Dakota. Most South Dakotans are not rude people and not everyone in South Dakota falls into the redneck stereotype. They have some rose colored glasses at a discount store, which may cure your ills about South Dakota.
Well, many people need the big Ford trucks to do farm and ranch work and to pull boats, horse trailers, and get through gravel and snowpacked backroards. I and a number of other South Dakotans drive cars. My car is a mid-size V6 Pontiac that gets 29-33 mpg on the open road (with cruise control and going 70-75 mpg). I rather drive a larger car that gets reasonable mileage. The V6 comes in handy when going up hills and the car is heavy and handles the snow better than a tinny Kia that gets higher mileage yet gets stuck in the snow easily. A number of people drive mini-vans (which get better mileage than trucks), SUVs (to get around the snow/gravel roads and to haul people and items), and smaller fuel-efficient cars such as Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla, Chevy Cobalt, and Honda Civic.
People are not ignorant here and are not shallow-minded.
Regarding opportunities, Sioux Falls is a growing metro area of over 200,000 people with a low unemployement rate and its medical, financial, manufacturing, and service industries are doing well. It has been noted well in national magazines for its quality of life and a good place to do business. Many of my college friends found good-paying jobs in Sioux Falls. Other areas of South Dakota have opportunities, if one looks for them and is not overly picky. Aberdeen has hundreds, even thousands of jobs heading in its direction, with the coming of three employers. There are opportunities in South Dakota.
In fact, Sioux Falls and South Dakota are not seeing the foreclosure problems as they are in other parts of the country. Quite simply, South Dakotans are smart enough not to pay overinflated prices for homes and use the very high values as a ATM (and cry foul when house prices fall from the over-inflated values to more reasonable levels-it is called a correction in the housing market). Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and a number of other areas in South Dakota are growing and holding their own. No, one will not find job in those areas that afford the lifestyle of wearing Ralph Lauren clothes and drive a Lexus, but many people in the state live simpler but confortable lifestyles (and are not as materiastic as those in suburbia).
Many teachers work nine months out of the year.They get continuing education and work second jobs (to keep busy) in the summer. The teachers care about their students and most do a good job keeping order and making sure the students learn the concepts that should be taught in our schools. Most of the teachers are not starving. If they were, the would be going to the soup kitchen or be getting food stamps. Before you rush to judgment, be sure to consider the cost of living. Housing is much more reasonable, taxes are significantly lower, car insurance rates are lower (less traffic, minimal car thefts, and safer drivers), and other factors are lower than most of the country. Yes, teacher should be paid more, but they are not starving by any means.
There is a hidden beauty in South Dakota and in the Black Hills. No, there are not too many multi-million dollar resorts only for the rich and the famous, but there are many natural and man-made attactions. Of course, I have been to these a number of times. They have a charm of their own. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I see beauty, apparently others may not.
I find the rant to be misinformed and one-sided. South Dakota has its negatives and there are things I do not care for (conservative Republicans running everything), but there are things I like such as caring people who are not stuck up, low cost of living, limited urban sprawl (areas where there is sprawl is managed), and limited crime and illegal immigration. A person needs to come here with an open mind to truely appreaciate it. The first post has a narrow mind about South Dakota. Here ends my story.
I see alot of threads, and comments etc. saying that South Dakota is beautiful with the Black Hills to the East, and the great plains to the West.
Which I agree, depending on your opinion of beautiful, this states can be very pretty.
I also see alot of people saying that South Dakotans are the nicest people. And alot of people make it seem like Rapid City is a wonderful place.
I am sorry, but am I the only person who sees what it is actually like here?
Alot of the people are very ingorant, and it makes you wonder how smart the top officials really are.
For instance the bus stop. It has one little strip of road for 5 BUSES to enter, and exit. Now that doesnt makes sense does it? Most of the time buses are for public travel. Apparently, you are dirt poor if you have to take the buses in Rapid City. The only people who ride it are clearly not you average everyday people. And if they are, that is quite sad.
Also, the black hills. Sure they are hills in the middle of nowhere, but they are far from being very enormous, and are extremely exaggerated. Their name explains them HILLS. It seems like the people here just want to get tourist so badly. Sure Mt. Rushmore is the a national landmark, but your are not missing Anything, by typing it on google.
And all the tourist attractions, they are quite boring. Sure South Dakota is historical. However, its only enough to see maybe once.
Alot of the people on the streets are extremely rude, cutting in front of you, pushing you. All with the classic picture of a redneck.
There is absolutely no opportunities here. If you live here, and going through high school, IF you graduate, becuase half the people drop out, your first goal is to get the hell of this state. The jobs pay extremely low. Like teachers barley have enough money to feed themselves, most teachers are retired already, becaue if that was their primary job, then they are screwed.
They think they can get by with the dumbest things, like most substitute teachers dont even know anything about the subject they are subbing in for, more like babysitters.
I could criticize some more, and I am more than likely going to get a negative response, but lets grow up people, you can't always pretend everything is fine and dandy. We are not very religous, most south dakotans need their big gas guzzler Ford Truck, and I have never seen so much racism before.
Am I the only person that sees this?
I have to agree with Jammie on the reason for your misinformed geography!
But in actuality, the Black Hills qualify as a mountain range. They are actually taller than the Appalachian Mountains on the East Coast. Harney Peak reaches 7,242 feet into the air while Mount Mitchell in the Appalachians is only at 6,684 feet. Harney Peak is the highest point between the Rocky Mountains and the French Alps.
Rapid City's bus system is not used by many people because Rapid City does not have much of a commute to where taking the bus would be a better option than driving your own car. I work downtown and I live at the south end of Rapid City. It takes me 10 minutes at the most to get to and from work. Nearly everybody in Rapid City has cars too, so why take the bus?
Chris is right about the MEGA-CAB Ford Dually Pickups too. People who ranch and farm around the Black Hills region need them to haul larger loads and use them for work. It's not like the average businessman living in Rapid City has one for the daily commute. The most common cars that I see around here are Tauruses, Impalas, Accord, Camrys, and SUVs.
You also do not give any clear examples of the ignorance you see here. Please elaborate on that. I see ignorance everyday, whether it be in Rapid City, New York, Paris, or here on this forum!
I enjoy Mount Rushmore, but I do not think it is that great either. Probably because I've lived here since I was about 2 years old and I see it all the time. When we have family visit us, they LOVE going to Mount Rushmore. My aunt from Saint Louis nearly had a panic attack because she was in such awe over it. Some people might not like it. Heck, I went to Paris and I thought the Eiffel Tower was ugly!
I do have to agree with you about opportunities in South Dakota. We seem to be limited on what jobs we can do here. Hopefully that will change in the future with all of the advances we are making.
Sorry you don't enjoy South Dakota. Hey, if it's any consolation, I hated New Jersey and California!
If anyone doubts the beauty of the Hills, one just has to stand in front of Sylvan Lake and look around or Climb Harney Peak and just stare in awe at the beauty. IF that's not enough to move you, then probably nothing will.
Hoping to move back some day! (A job took us away for now but it won't be forever)
PS Wages may be lower in SD than in some other places but consider the fact that there is no State income tax and the low cost to register your car each year. When we lived in Virginia we had to pay to register and title the car, pay personal property tax to the County, sales tax to the county and an inspection fee on top of that! And most of these fees were paid in different buildings so you had to drive around trying to find the place to pay. In SD, at least where I lived you could register and title your car, register to vote, obtain your driver's license and do many other transactions all under one roof and the waiting time to do all of that is practicially zero!
Sorry if anyone is having a bad time in Rapid City--I only have good memories except for trying to get around during the Rally but that's a whole other post!!!
Pam
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thru hunting the cute bunnies and deer (that immediately overpopulate and decimate their plantings) 
to who is allowed on the pretty sandy beach that they don't want to share.
Tween that and the gators who look like logs and smile at you just before they bite you in half the better to swallow you, and the gummints that beg the snowbirds to come and give them all sorts of incentives and then have to literally double taxes to provide all of the amenities and infrastructure that they 'forgot' they'd need with all those people coming... Nah. You don't want it. Trust me. 
