Some questions about Brookings (Sioux Falls, Rapid City: rental, crime rate, student loan)

[Looking4FreshStart20]

Hi all -

We currently live in texas, but are potentially looking at Brookings for a move in 2020. We are looking at several other states, but Brookings is an option due to a close friend who went to college there.

Basically, my main questions are:
What is the crime rate like? I've seen conflicting stories online where some sites say its one of the safest cities in the state. But another one that said its not very safe. We have kids, is this a safe place for us to take them?

Also, because we are coming from texas, we're curious what the tornado activity is like in Brookings. Is it common? Have there been any big ones? Is it rare, or is this a concern? Would we need a storm shelter?

And lastly, what are the winter months like? I've heard that eastern south Dakota gets less snow than western, but I know Brookings is close to the Minnesota border. What types of temperatures/snowfall can we expect in a typical average winter?

I know some of these stats I can find online(and I have), but it's much better to ask people who are actually familiar with the area. Internet statistics can be very inaccurate.

Thank you all!

[SDbp]

I have lived here 6 years and lived in Longview TX for 5 years (early 90s), so I will try and answer your questions.

I live in Sioux Falls, but I think the situation in Brookings is pretty similar. South Dakota towns and cities are safe for the most part. There are increasing issues with meth etc (well, everywhere actually) but it doesn't impact most people if you're not into that scene. i work with several people with young children, and they all seem to think it is safe and like it here.

Yes there are tornadoes in SD, but not like TX. I don't recall one here locally since I moved here.

I wouldn't say West River necessarily gets more snow that the east side of state, just depends on storm track. But depending on where you live in TX, i think you will find the winter weather here harsh, if not brutal. We have subzero weather every winter, and can expect an avg of 45 inches snow, but 2 recent winters (since I got here) have been 65+ inches. The wind can turn a light snowfall into blizzard conditions.

Hope this helps.

[jmgg]

SDbp covered things pretty well.

Brookings will have more issues than most with drinking since it's a college town and being the ag. based college they tend to booze it a bit more than other colleges. Conversely, being a college town, there are always more things going on than in most other communities. It's a pretty short jaunt to Sioux Falls for shopping and expanded entertainment options.

You won't find a big drug culture there any worse than other rural communities now a days. Meth. has raised it's ugly head here as well as all over the country. I wouldn't concern myself about the school in Brookings or any of the small towns around Brookings as to safety for my kids.

Crime in general is less in South Dakota with the reservations being the exception. The only community that I think has increased significantly is Sioux Falls. It's grown extremely fast and with the growth has come in a LOT of outside criminals. I don't think Brookings has experienced this in any degree close to what Sioux Falls has.

Brookings is on the far north end of tornado alley. It's nothing I would concern myself with.

The eastern part of SD almost always gets more snow (and rain for that matter) than western SD. When a blizzard does hit, it can be more dangerous in western SD due to the wide open spaces and smaller population base. If you get stuck in a blizzard out there, be prepared to hunker down for a couple days in your car before you get rescued.

[sholomar]

Originally Posted by Looking4FreshStart20

Hi all -

We currently live in texas, but are potentially looking at Brookings for a move in 2020. We are looking at several other states, but Brookings is an option due to a close friend who went to college there.

Basically, my main questions are:
What is the crime rate like? I've seen conflicting stories online where some sites say its one of the safest cities in the state. But another one that said its not very safe. We have kids, is this a safe place for us to take them?

Also, because we are coming from texas, we're curious what the tornado activity is like in Brookings. Is it common? Have there been any big ones? Is it rare, or is this a concern? Would we need a storm shelter?

And lastly, what are the winter months like? I've heard that eastern south Dakota gets less snow than western, but I know Brookings is close to the Minnesota border. What types of temperatures/snowfall can we expect in a typical average winter?

I know some of these stats I can find online(and I have), but it's much better to ask people who are actually familiar with the area. Internet statistics can be very inaccurate.

Thank you all!

It's very safe here. Even in the dumpy mobile home parks not much goes on as far as crime.

There's little in the way of severe weather in Brookings. It can happen but it's not that common. Not even hail is that common. As it climbs the coteau the storms tend to weaken.. basically the storms with tornadoes and hail tend to form more out by Mitchell and Huron in the evening and weaken as they move east. That's not to say you'll never see it though... statistically it's possible it's just more common to the west. We get plenty of heavy rain here though. Don't buy a house with a full basement around here.. Volga, Brookings, and Aurora are built in what is basically a swamp compounded with the fact the Big Sioux aquifer is beneath us and precipitation trends suggest more above normal precip going forward in the great plains. This spring we haven't been able to go long enough before another big low pressure system storms in out of Colorado to dry out and lower the water table... it's as high as many locals have seen it in 30 years. Also beware that a lot of the new construction homes are being built in areas where the water table is not far below the land surface.. I'd hate to see you stuck with water issues like I am.

Winter is what you make of it here. It's up in the "coteau des prairies" so often there can be hardly any snow in Sioux Falls while there's a foot or more in Brookings. There's also a significant temperature difference between Brookings and Sioux Falls many days in the winter and spring. It typically does not get warm enough to melt snow in the winter in Brookings, so it will pile up and all melt in March, and expect the occasional April snowstorm as well. In many ways the climate in Brookings has more in common with Fargo, ND than it does with Sioux Falls SD... it's a mix of the two. Once you get about 30-50 miles south of Sioux Falls, the amount of snow you have to contend with is vastly less. However, if you like to ice fish, you will like it up in Brookings... the lakes freeze every winter and there's plenty to choose from.

Honestly I would only move to Brookings if you are unskilled labor and can't find a job elsewhere. If you can find a job elsewhere with the same pay, pick Sioux Falls (or Brandon), Mitchell, Rapid City, or another state. The main reason to come specifically to Brookings is either you grew up here, you're coming down from North Dakota for the "warmer weather," or like me you need low skilled manufacturing jobs. The main reason to move to South Dakota is lack of a state income tax, otherwise if you are skilled labor somewhere like Des Moines IA, the Twin Cities, and the Milwaukee Metro area are better in almost every way (I love Sioux Falls but lets face the facts here) One of my co-workers daughters went to school to become a schoolteacher, graduated, and is teaching in Brookings. I understand she grew up here, but it makes no sense to be a schoolteacher in Brookings carrying all that student loan debt when you can go to the Milwaukee metro area or the Twin Cities and make $20K more per year and have a much nicer area to live in as far as scenery and amenities.

[sholomar]

A couple of more things... temperature wise average lows in the winter are around 0 and highs around 20... lows of -20 happen typically every winter probably 5 times or so, and -10 can happen anywhere from 10 to 20 times. Average temps in Sioux falls are about 5-7 degrees higher in spring, fall, and winter... not that big a difference in summer. Lower elevation has a lot to do with temperature differences. Rapid city is much warmer due to Chinook winds. Sometimes those chinook winds can get down to Yankton and occasionally Sioux Falls if the winds are really strong out of the west, but because Brookings is several hundred feet higher in elevation and goes up in elevation when you pass Huron, the Chinook effect is quite limited.

Sioux Falls has a GREAT park system due to the way the Big Sioux river circles around the city. It also has a great paved bike trail that connects all the parks without ever having to cross a street. It's by far one of the selling points of the city for me or anyone who enjoys that sort of thing. It's a better park system than many cities much larger. The area around Falls park is beautiful, and the area in eastern Sioux Falls between there and Brandon iare hilly and relatively scenic by eastern South Dakota standards. Driving up to Brookings to visit your friend is a painless 40-45 minute drive going 80-85 MPH. Locals think getting around is a pain, but anyone from any large city will see that compared to where they came from it's a breeze. I don't know where all the congestion is because I don't commute there daily, but between I-29, I-90, and I-229, most of the city is accessible fairly easily. It's a great city for those who don't want to deal with the traffic of a larger city like Omaha.

https://www.google.com/search?client...30.tgIwWUQ8CVM

If picking South Dakota, the ideal scenerio.. pick Sioux Falls (or Brandon), drive to Brookings when you want to visit.

[eddie gein]

Brookings is a nice little unpretentious place. It is a little bit dressed down compared to your typical college town and seems more like a regular old farm town in many ways. It has a few great little spots to eat downtown and a couple other just off campus.

I Texas equivalent would be maybe Commerce. Very similar, although I'd say Brookings has a little more charm than Commerce.

[OneDawg]

You need a JOB first and a RENTAL unit second. Otherwise don't consider moving anywhere.