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I don't mind Sioux Falls. However, I think Yankton, Madison, or Brookings would be more to my suiting. All are an hour from Sioux Falls, they are smaller and seem to offer good quality of life and outdoor activities.
If there was no family factors I'd look west river, spearfish, whitewood, or hill city, Custer.
Thanks, SD4020, but those places, I fear, would be just too small for me. I'm hoping Sioux Falls isn't. Moving from close to the San Franicsco/Oakland area back to Sioux Falls might be ok, but I don't envision a move any time soon to a smaller place. It'd be nice to be somewhere with more to do, where my family is, and near an airport where I can getaway a few times a year to Vegas, etc. In fact, I'd like to spend some months in the winter "away" where it's warmer if I can figure out how to do it and have it not cost me an arm and a leg because of keeping an apartment in SFalls and spending significant time elsewhere during the Nov to March months.
Burkmere, I wouldn't think that FSD would be "too small" for someone from there. I see it as a condensed version of Fremont, Pleasanton, Santa Clara and such, but more orderly. I've been here in a very small town for 18 years, & morphed into someone that finds even Yankton annoying. Sioux Falls airport is nice & deals can be had going west. The town is great for medical, & I think our facilities can hold their own against places that we always considered "the best" for doctors in the bay area. Depending on your health situations, the weather would be my primary concern, as weather like we are having now can be as crummy on you as January chilly, especially if something comes up & you can't get out of Dodge. I'm telling you, this getting old ain't worth a hoot...
thx for the replies. GDBLU good points. I'm really thinking SFalls is where I want to be during retirement...as long as I can spend some time elsewhere during bad weather months. Anyone have any ideas for a good and economical way to spend much of Nov -April away and not have it cost an arm and a leg??
Interesting posts. I retired a couple years ago from MN and moved to Prescott, AZ. The climate and geography here are unbeatable in my estimation. The downside is that there are fewer roads here due to the terrain. That means big city traffic even in an area with fewer people than Sioux Falls. I am also not thrilled with the health care available here. There are good facilities in Phoenix but that is almost 100 miles away.
I am still renting and am now seriously considering checking out Sioux Falls. I would rent there as well for a while to make sure I want to put down roots. I can afford to go south in the winter for 2-3 months so that is not an issue. The only downside is that there fewer direct flights out of FSD than PHX.
Any more feedback from folks in a similar position would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Interesting posts. I retired a couple years ago from MN and moved to Prescott, AZ. The climate and geography here are unbeatable in my estimation. The downside is that there are fewer roads here due to the terrain. That means big city traffic even in an area with fewer people than Sioux Falls. I am also not thrilled with the health care available here. There are good facilities in Phoenix but that is almost 100 miles away.
I am still renting and am now seriously considering checking out Sioux Falls. I would rent there as well for a while to make sure I want to put down roots. I can afford to go south in the winter for 2-3 months so that is not an issue. The only downside is that there fewer direct flights out of FSD than PHX.
Any more feedback from folks in a similar position would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
However, Sioux Falls does have a direct flight through Allegiant Air to Phoenix.
Actually, anyone have a good method for renting maybe a studio apt or condo for two or thre months in the winter south somewhere. Would have to be near an airport so I could do some travel from there....how much would tenting a studio cost for two or three months in some of the snowbird areas?
Actually, anyone have a good method for renting maybe a studio apt or condo for two or thre months in the winter south somewhere. Would have to be near an airport so I could do some travel from there....how much would tenting a studio cost for two or three months in some of the snowbird areas?
Thanks.
I used to travel in Eastern SD and Southern Minnesota for business over 1/2 the year by car for about 8 years. Winter and summer. Phoenix is home, and I lived in the SF Bay area for a long time as well.
It is easy to make the seasonal transitions between Phoenix and Sioux Falls. It's called extended stay no lease, no credit check apartments. Phoenix has LOTS of them and Sioux Falls has one called Value Place.
Weather wise, living in Phoenix from November-May and Sioux Falls from May-late October would be ideal. You're looking at about $700-$750 a month for an extended stay place, cable and utilities included, pay like $5 a week for high speed internet access. No deposits. You can move out and put excess stuff in storage so you don't have to pay rent in two places.
Or buy a 2 bedroom small condo in Phoenix or Sioux Falls, and that can be done on the cheap. Then move in an extended stay place at the other city and turn in your keys and move out when you are ready to go back to the place you own.
$750 a month in Phoenix? Sounds to me more like one of those extended stay motels. Good price but I can't imagine you get much for that especially if it is in a decent neighborhood.
For tax purposes I would suggest making SD your residence and wintering in AZ. I grew up in MN and am used to a colder climate. My plan is to reside in SD and spend Jan, Feb and March in AZ. I am budgeting for $1500 a month for a furnished place so I don't have pull a trailer down.
My folks lived in South Dakota and wintered in Apache Junction Arizona (Suburb of Phoenix). They wintered in Apache Junction because it was on the outskirts of Phoenix and not in the busy part of town. Plus it was easy to make a nice day trip over the the small mountainous areas to the East.
The first few years they went there, they had a motorhome. They chose that so that if they decided they didn't like a place, they could unhook and move at a moments notice. After a few years, they found themselves going to the exact same park every year, so they bought a park model and just left it there. They chose that park because there were a lot of folks from South Dakota in that area. Enough folks that every month they had a "South Dakota" picnic and often the folks would run into people they knew back in South Dakota. The park offered great entertainment in that they had weekly pizza parties, lots of outdoor events from swimming to golf. They loved it down there, but they really loved coming back in the spring.
Not sure exactly what the folks paid for the RV park in Apache Junction, but my dad said that he pretty much broke even going South, instead of the time and effort to shovel snow, pay the extra utilities for the cold, etc. They put their house at 55 and left it that way all winter, having a guy check it for them once a week. So cost of utilites were a real savings.
So you might think of a RV, either a motorhome or a pull type trailer and heading down to AZ for the winter.
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Thx..
