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Hi all,
I am currently interviewing for a position that would send me to Madison, SD. Don't know yet if it will be a reality, but I would love any insight into what to expect, where I might want to live, etc.
My wife and I are in our mid-20's and are originally from a small town in Wisconsin, so I think that it is safe to say that we are used to harsh winters and a slower-paced lifestyle. I can imagine that SD might be a little slower paced than we would ideally prefer at this point in our lives, but on the other hand, I have been living in the western Chicago suburbs and can't wait to end the craziness! haha...
If possible, we would enjoy a neighborhood-like atmosphere, perhaps with a nice downtown. Shopping and entertainment/nightlife nearby would be a plus, but we're not sure how far from Madison we would have to go for that! Would Sioux Falls be the closest place for that? Looks like that's about an hour away.
So, would you suggest living directly in Madison, or maybe a city nearby? Any other insight or thoughts about whether you think we would like living there from what you know about us?
My wife and I joke that we always wanted to end up in "Madison"... it might just be in SD instead of WI!
I am from Madison, and must say for 20 year old's there is not much in the way of nightlife unless you count bars as the thing to do every night.....I believe they have local bands every weekend at some bars, but not much shopping around town except for a couple dollar stores.....Sioux Falls is an hour away as is Brookings, Sioux Falls will have more but is an hour away...I was not happy being there but not everyone desires to live in bigger cities like me, I still return because my parents live there but it does not seem a town for 20 year olds in my opinion but visit and see for yourself.
Neighborhoods are nice, downtown is alright but small. Keeping yourself entertained may mean driving 30 to 40 minutes, there's Royal River Casino about 50 minutes away, a few really nice Steakhouses within 30-40 minutes away. But there are places in Madison too, just not a ton. I always get a sense that the town isn't too busy, but isn't a ghost town by any means. With the college there, they have what most typical college towns have to offer, sports, a few bars, a few different things going on for community and culture, and of course, there's Prairie Village which has a few fun events in the summer that seem to draw a real good crowd. I lived in a big city and know that I'd rather drive 75 mph for an hour to get somewhere than to sit in traffic for an hour to go 20 miles, but that' me
If you want a more urban experience, Sioux Falls, rather than Madison, would be a better choice. If you are coming for a University position, than there are people to commute with as a number of DSU folks live in SF and carpool together. The roads can be hazardous in the winter, as you would expect, but it is Interstate and a major highway from SF to Madison. You could try a town like Crooks, although I don't think it has a downtown, (on the north and west side of SF) so you were within close striking distance of SF and closer to Madison for you daily commute. That would be about a 45 minute drive.
Last edited by slowdog101; 07-05-2010 at 10:39 AM..
Reason: more detail
I like Madison, it's a quiet town, but no nightlife aside from bars. If you want that, you'll have to go to sioux falls. They've got a pretty nice state highway to travel on to get to the interstate though so it's an easy enough trip to sioux falls. They've got a grocery store "sunshine foods" a "Lewis" department type store, and one across the street from Lewis.. can't think of the name. They've got a farm/hardware type store in the downtown, McDonalds, Taco Johns, Pizza Hut, a chinese place, and a few other places to eat. Nice towntown with small mom and pop shops.
I wouldn't live in Sioux Falls and commute to Madison, I'd live in Madison and commute to Sioux Falls. Madison real estate prices are very reasonable.... you'll get something for $60k that would cost 90k in Sioux Falls, and 110k in Brookings, which has outlandish real estate prices and property taxes at the low end. The only place cheaper to find real estate is pipestone, mn. If you're renting on the other hand, Sioux Falls is fine. I just wouldn't want to drive from there to Madison every day. Yuck!
You could also live in Colman, SD which is right around highway 34 and the interstate, a happy medium so you don't have to commute super far to get to either place. Colman is a nice small town, with real estate prices that are a bit higher then Madison, but still reasonable. Not much in the way of places to rent. More new development is being built in Colman due to it's proximity to the interstate. There's even a small golf course there.
Dell Rapids would be another choice for a happy medium, nice town , growing fairly steadily... lots of new housing built there, very pretty, hilly town, with many neighborhoods built on hills. Higher property taxes then Colman (just inside minehaha county) , slightly to much more expensive housing depending on what you buy, a better school system as the town is larger, with more amenities. Dell Rapids is an excellent place to buy a home.. prices should remain stable or appreciate, with continuing development not only residentially, but commercially going forward. Places to rent as well.
There are other towns I don't know much about. The whole corridor on I-29 between Brookings and Sioux Falls, and all communities within 5-7 miles of the interstate, should fare fine long term, assuming you have a long term outlook.
Madison South Dakota
If you’re a school teacher and like to do drugs come teach at Madison South Dakota the school district. They don’t care if the teachers use drugs or does the State Of South Dakota we have no drug testing policy.
Madison is pretty boring, but if you like small, boring towns then it's for you. There's really nothing there except for the college. It is a really good computer school.
There are some nice lakes around there for fishing and a state park. It's only an hour from Sioux Falls.
I lived in Madison for 6 years and miss it alot. It is a great place to start a family but for adults you have to "make your own fun". I found Sioux Falls to be a perfect distance and The Twin Cities to be very accessible. What do you value?
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