Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
First off, I would like to say just how wonderful and helpful everyone seems here. I have just spent the last hour reading through prior posts here and everyone is so nice! I am so happy to see that.
My husband and I will be moving to Rapid City in late July/early August. A little background: we both grew in a very small town in NE Florida. He joined the military straight out of HS and we got married a year later. A year after that, we recieved orders to Japan. We have lived here in Okinawa, Japan for over four years now and have finally received orders back to the states. After the initial shock of hearing we would be moving to a cold climate (growing up in Florida then living on a tropical island, neither of us have even seen snow, much less lived in a northern state!!), we are now very excited to be coming to Rapid City. We have done a lot of research and feel like RC will be the perfect match of small-town hospitality and charm, along with city conveniences and distances.
I do have a few questions about some things in the area that we haven't found in our research so far. We have already contacted several realtors, etc. and have decided building with Kaski Homes in a new subdivision right on the Rapid City/Box Elder line. We are very happy with our housing choice and are happy to see the progress so far. As for work, obviously my husband has his job worked out (haha), but as far as my career I am a little concerned about not having anything lined up prior to the move. I have 6 years of prior Customer Service experience, 2.5 of fashion sales management and just over 3 of retail banking management. I recently graduated with my English degree and I am hoping to get a job in the writing field, either with a newspaper or magazine, etc. If that is not available, then preferably something in an office setting/management. I haven't had too much luck finding anything!!! I have read that salaries can be low, although the trade off of low unemployment is great. But I am hoping that I won't have to go too far off the good salary I was making prior to the move.
Aside from that, we are obviously concerned with adjusting to a cold climate when neither of us have any experience with anything below 40 degrees. Having driven on the 'other side' of the road for four years, I am already nervous about driving on the 'right side' again, much less adding snow into the mix! We know nothing about winters.
I know we have more questions, but this post is getting pretty long so those can wait!! LOL. If anyone has actually read through this long post, I would appreciate any advice or tidbits you could give to help us out on our move. We are really excited to join the RC community and hope to stay there for a very long time!!
South Dakota Welcomes you!
I am glad you found us....there are several members, very familiar with the Rapid City Area, who will be posting soon.
I would like to thank you & your husband, for your dedication, and service, to the United States & The USAF.
Have you ever been out to the Hills? It's a beautiful area and you'll love that part of it.
As far as employment, have you contacted the Rapid City Journal? They may have something that you would be interested in or could point you in the right direction.
The only concern I'd have for you is the fact that the coldest temps you've been in is 40 above. Driving in snow and ice may also be something that may take some getting use to. The Rapid area is actually the "banana belt" of the state so you may not have to deal with the very cold temps we can have here.
I am glad to hear that you are so excited about your move to Rapid City. Getting used to winters is going to be really interesting considering you've never had one. Rapid City winters are relatively mild compared to the rest of South Dakota but nonetheless we get our fair share of snow and cold. You will have to go shopping for winter coats, scarves, boots, and maybe even long underwear so save up some spending money!
I too have noticed all the subdivisions being built by Kaski. You will be living in Rapid Valley, an area east of Rapid City. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to get to Rapid City and 10 minutes to get to Ellsworth AFB. There is a lot of new development out your way and you will not be far from hotels, restaurants, and the new mall. You will also be very close to the city-bypass that leads straight into the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore.
Like Jammie said, try the Rapid City Journal or Rapid City Weekly News if you are interested in working for a newspaper. There are also some local magazines like Faces and Panache that cover everything from local artists to just local citizens. If you are interested in customer service there are several call centers and CSR opportunities, most companies in Rapid Valley. And if you want to stay in retail we have plenty of places to shop and we're building another mall in your area.
I hope you enjoy your new home and best of luck!
What a change for you guys!
Hi there!
We just moved here in May. At first we considered Kaski Homes, but ended purchasing a 10 acre horse property about 6 miles from Ellsworth. Husband is Air Force. We relocated from Washington State. Not sure how I like it yet. It definately has a small town charm about it. But more bugs then I'm used to and really windy! I've been out here a couple times in the past to visit (husband's mom lives here) and did the whole "tourist" thing. Not alot of night life but Deadwood has been alot of fun. Haven't survived my first winter yet...funny people keep telling me "just wait until winter" which leads me to believe its gonna be really harsh.
Well, I hope you adjust well when you get here. Probably a good thing they are relocating you here in the summer )
Welcome to South Dakota!
I'm glad to hear that you're settling in. This spring has been unusually wet for us in Western South Dakota so we have had a lot more bugs than usual. Luckily, we are finally out of a 10 year drought and our ranchers can get some much needed relief. (A little too much relief up in Belle Fourche )
I hope Rapid City grows on you and you enjoy living here. It must be really windy way out on the plains by Ellsworth!
Hi and Welcome to the forum and South Dakota. I will most likely be following or beating you there in the next month or so. I lost my job here in Palm Coast (NE Florida where you're from) and have been wanting to move to the hills for over 10 years. I've been saying for the past year that if I lose my job and have to start all over, I'm starting over in the hills! So far, nothing has opened up as far as a job anywhere so my Wife and I are considering taking our small bank roll and heading out.
If you haven't purchased a home yet, take a little time and look around, you will be glad you did I'm sure. As far as a job, the area you're going is growing and you should be fine. You most likely won't make what you were, but you'll get by, and I am certain you will be glad you are there. It really is beautiful in the hills.
I've posted a bunch of pictures here in 3 different threads from my trip out there the first week of July so check them out and you will have a little better idea of how things look.
LDryer, so glad you joined us on the forum and in South Dakota. I won't even comment on winter because I whine about it all the time and don't want to scare you. The Hills really is a beautiful place to live.
Hi and welcome You will LOVE the hills!! Really the winters are not bad on the West side of the state - very comperable to Denver where we get some snow, but it is melted by 3pm
Shoot any questions our way and we can help you out!
Relax, you'll do fine. Winters are not as bad as some people make them out to be. Oooops. I said winter. Look, Jammie just went and put a sweater on. hahaha
Some very simple things you'll do automatically because you haven't experienced winter. For instance, when there is snow on the ground, double your distance and half your speed. We don't have much traffic so you'll get used to the right hand side the road pretty easily. Instead of leaving 3 car lengths, leave 6. Instead of going the speed limit of 35, go 20. Nobody's going to honk at you.
I would caution you, do not buy winter clothes until you get here. The clothes where you are look warm, but they're not made the same as the ones you'll find here. Dress in layers. It might be 20 below zero when you get up. But by noon or 1 it could be 40 degrees outside. If you dress in layers you'll stay warm and you can drop a layer here and there as the day warms up.
Rapid City is very good about snow removal so streets are cleaned up pretty quickly.
Yes, wages are low. But so is the cost of living so it kind of equals out.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The Hills really is a beautiful place to live.
