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Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
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I currently reside in the state of Missouri, but was considering a move from the Lower to the Upper Midwest. What kinds of advantages does Sioux FAlls over compared to St. Louis? I am traditonally a big city kind of guy, but am interested in a potentially smaller city. What kinds of things are there to do, day and night in Sioux Falls? What is the city famous for?
I'm not an expert on SF (in SD , SOUTH DAKOTA NOT SAN DIEGO GRRRRR that irritates me, SF means Sioux Falls), but I have been there TONS of times.
Let me start by saying: Sioux Falls is a nice city. It has a decent amount going on, but obviously not as much as STL. It is very clean and has great air quality. The unemployment is low and CoL is low. The city is famous for the Falls on the Big Sioux River. It is a very livable place, but it is not the most exciting city and you'll notice this coming from St. Louis. Also, one thing, the winters there are terrible! They are almost as bad as in Minneapolis (I think about 3 degrees warmer on average). The average high for three months is still below freezing. It's a nice place to live, but I don't exactly know what you are looking for. Just my $0.02
I currently reside in the state of Missouri, but was considering a move from the Lower to the Upper Midwest. What kinds of advantages does Sioux FAlls over compared to St. Louis? I am traditonally a big city kind of guy, but am interested in a potentially smaller city. What kinds of things are there to do, day and night in Sioux Falls? What is the city famous for?
Take Chesterfield, St Charles, and St Peters from the western edge of StL, flatten them out, and plop them down in the middle of prairie and corn fields. That's pretty close to what Sioux Falls is. Now instead of the big city "amenities" being across town, they are 4 hours away. Advantages are going to depend on personal preference. People that are here will say they like that it's clean, safe, semi-lower cost of living (although SF is pretty much in-line with cities like Omaha, Minneapolis, Kansas City, etc). The majority of people also grew up somewhere in the area, so it's the closest "little city" with employment.
I currently reside in the state of Missouri, but was considering a move from the Lower to the Upper Midwest. What kinds of advantages does Sioux FAlls over compared to St. Louis? I am traditonally a big city kind of guy, but am interested in a potentially smaller city. What kinds of things are there to do, day and night in Sioux Falls? What is the city famous for?
Sorry, my homer is coming out, but depending on what you are looking for, you may want to look at Rapid City, SD also. It has 120k ppl in its metro. The thing that I enjoy about it is that the city is on the edge, and in the Black Hills. Plus the winter is way more mild than SF. We don't even have a month where the average high is below freezing. Just a thought if you are looking for a more scenic place. The city itself of SF is definitely nicer than RC though.
I recommend omaha ne or lincoln. Sioux falls is nice for a family, but there isnt much to do but eat and go to the movies. The pavillion has a nice art exhibit here and there, but you would be disappointed. Rapid city is great, but what is there for single people?
Well the OP didn't say anything about being single and I don't think anyone would say that Rapid has more than SF in that regard. All that I'm saying is that it could potentially be an option. Idk what the OP's criteria is, but depending on what it is, RC could be a decent choice.
The city is famous for the falls, even though 3/4th the time they are running with dirty bath water. There is the typical night life bars, drunks, there arn't many "shows" that happen in Sioux Falls, its basically your typical throw back midwestern town, very laid back. Summer there are a few lakes in the area to go swim at and a few decent parks. There is a semi-pro hockey, baseball,football and basketball team so there is some okay sports entertainment. Overall its a good place to raise a family but its bitter cold in the winter and most days druing the summer are very windy. I've lived in for 17 years and will be moving in July, after saying all of this im excited to get out of Sioux Falls.
It really depends on what you consider to be a City. Sioux Falls is a small town when you comepare it to places like Denver, Kansas City, etc...
Sioux Falls started out as the main hub for agricultural economics in the area. It has the biggest mills, the largest shipping available for cattle, hogs, and such, packing plants, etc.... It was the biggest market place for all the small towns in Eastern South Dakota. It was the Big City. Through the years it has had to diversify to stay in business and it has done a good job of doing so. Major hospitals, large Regional VA hospital, financial call center, credit card organizations, etc. They seem to have always stayed one step ahead.
You won't find the musicals, or shows, or stage that you will in big cities, although Sioux Falls does have things to do. There is plenty to keep busy with, but that all depends on the person. There are bored people living in down town Denver. hahaha
Is there anything, in particular, that you want to get out of it? Eastern South Dakota is famous for their pheasant hunting. There is outstanding fishing available. The deer hunting is pretty good The River is not too far away. It is pretty centrally located to visit Omaha, the Twin Cities and such.
Typical of being that far North and being stuck out on the prairie, there's not a lot to slow the winds down and the fronts that roll through. But then again, if you are into snowmobiling, cross country skiing, ice fishing, it could be a very desirable area. If you are into tree covered hills and outdoor sports, it's probably not the place you want to be.
I'd pick the Twin Cities area if I was you. I mean if a person has the ability to move anywhere and find well paying work... well then not even the Twin Cities.. maybe Portand, Oregon or Denver, CO or Denver's surrounding suburbs. Beautiful climate there. For answers to the rest of your questions, look above.
I hate to say this but I agree with stockwiz... I enjoy Sioux Falls and have planted some roots but if I could pick-up and go anywhere, I would really have to consider two things. 1.) Family 2.) Environment.
If the east side of South Dakota could swap the wind, John Morrells and the prison for the west sides hills and attractions this city would be top-notch, greatness!
I 100% don't understand how the city decided to put a meat packaging plant and prison in the most prime real estate the city has to offer. Really, the prison has the BEST view of the city. Blows my mind. You're standing there enjoying Falls Park and you do a 180 and BAM! Ouch! Whaaaaa T. F.? Pig Plant and a Prison? I've heard stories that the city had the option between the prison and the University of South Dakota(USD) and they picked the prison because of jobs
Maybe I'm in a bad mood today.....I don't know. After that rant, I do have to say I enjoy the city and the people. I live downtown and enjoy a lot of what it offers. Music, art, events, food, parks and really, really nice people. Sioux Falls has an old school charm about it that's hard to find in other cities and I really appreciate that.
Best of luck with your move and if you choose Sioux Falls, Welcome!
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I mean if a person has the ability to move anywhere and find well paying work... well then not even the Twin Cities.. maybe Portand, Oregon or Denver, CO or Denver's surrounding suburbs. Beautiful climate there. For answers to the rest of your questions, look above.
