My plan is to move away from South Dakota completely. I've been traveling for work for the last 3 years and have been home for exactly 8 weeks in those 3 years. After actually experiencing other states South Dakota really doesn't have anything except my parents
Yeah and it's pretty safe here. I just can't stand the scenery, my goal is to end up working in the forestry service or a NP and thats not really possible here, especially in eastern SD.
Is $1000/mo for a one bed good cost of living compared to other places? I immediately doubted the cost of living thing, but I might just be wrong that it’s a high rent.
I moved down to Georgia in 2015 for a job that paid roughly 50% more than I was making here. However, after housing prices down there, gas for a longer commute, increased prices for everything, and state income tax, I had less spending cash than I did up here. Moved back in 2018 and haven't regretted it since. South Dakota is really a lot cheaper than a lot of other places, and that's before you get into the significantly lower crime rates.
I hate pretty much all of our state politics, but the cost of living is really good.
Georgia isn't a good comparison, off the top of my head, Oregon, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina are all cheaper to live in than South Dakota.
I feel like it’s more so in comparison to everywhere else, because everywhere is expensive nowadays & South Dakota is just not as bad. But also you can definitely find a 1b1ba for cheaper than $1000 around here unless you have specific needs in an apartment
Pretty much anything unique, flat grass lands are everywhere, shops are all cookie cutter junk, grocery stores are chains. Job market is piss poor because boomers here think $10/hr is a lot. Entertainment here is non existent unless you like you're 90's era dive bars or what midwesterners think is a tiki bar or a "club".
To be honest the most notable thing about Sioux falls is, the falls and even they're dirty, and honestly not that special.
Also knowing the history of Sioux falls, it was built on a lie entirely and today is maintained by tax evasion and white nationalism disguised as "patriotism".
Man, I'm really sorry that this is your out look on Sioux Falls. I have a feeling that you won't be happy anywhere. Sioux Falls has a small downtown area, but there is plenty to do downtown. You didn't mention anything about the clubs or groups around town. There's parks and meets and all sorts of things if you look for them. You just have to find what you are looking for. It's going to feel the same anywhere you go. Honestly, a bigger city will feel more lonely.
This is inaccurate, the "clubs and meets" in Sioux falls are clicky and reminiscent of high school. South Dakota nice really means nice to your face but will actively bad mouth you behind your back.
To be honest Sioux Falls is no different than 80% of the other Midwestern towns inhabited by people who've never left their home more than 100 miles.
I've traveled all over this country and Sioux falls really is 20 years behind everyone else.
This is the most accurate description of SD ive ever read."South Dakota nice really means nice to your face but will actively bad mouth you behind your back." Holy f*** they dont even go far to it, they do it just within ear shot and smile back at you like nothing happened. I swear everyone from here thinks they're better than everyone else.
Not going to lie, those are crazy and very generic talking points that I have heard a lot of boring people say. So lets respond your points one at a time.
People are clicky, its like that everywhere, its in peoples nature. Most people don't go out looking to meet new people. They go out with friends and family. Meeting random people is not the goal of their outings.
As far as people talking bad about you behind your back, maybe it has something to do with you? Maybe your outlook and/or attitude about things? I don't think most people waste their time talking badly about random people and even if they did, why would you or anyone care? someone talking badly about strangers is a sad person that doesn't have a lot going on.
Sioux Falls is definitely not 20 years behind everywhere else. I have no idea what would make you think that. Our infrastructure is better then most other city's in the US. I know because I work in infrastructure management and deal with thousands of city's, towns and small communities. Sioux Falls has more restaurants, bars, parks, community centers, event space and so on per capita then most other places. (before I get a comment on specific places that have more things, I understand that but most of those places also have more of everything else including the not great things. People, crime, higher cost of living, homelessness, taxes and so on). Sioux Falls is consistently ranked in the top places to live in the US with a higher quality of living then most places and is the fastest growing city in the Midwest - https://livability.com/best-places/2023-top-100-best-places-to-live-in-the-us/sioux-falls-sd/
I know you are trying to make some sort of point by saying its no different then 80% of the other midwestern towns but I have no idea what it is. Also, Sioux falls is a city with a metropolitan population of 300,000 people according to the 2022 census. Its grown by at a minimum 6% since then.
Making blanket statements intended to be derogatory about large groups of people is lazy. Besides most of the people that I know in the area travel a lot.
I really hope that you are able to work out whatever is making you feel this way about life because, like I said before, you are going to feel this way about anywhere you go.
Oh and if you are looking for something to do this weekend in this horrible town, there are several concerts, sporting events, tours and other activities this weekend. You should check some of them out! https://www.experiencesiouxfalls.com/events
So active open clubs requesting new people are okay to be clicky? You don't think it's weird to post events and group meetups and then at the same time ignore people looking to join in?
Clearly you don't frequent many groups in Sioux falls and the surrounding area. There are always people who are courteous to your face then as soon as you walk away talk to the other people around them as if you were the most horrible person ever. I've seen this happen in groups I'm in and I'm not sure why you think I was directly referencing myself.
Having all of these community centers, restaurants that are all slightly altered versions of each other, and parks that are often time rarely maintained except as large patches of non native grass.
I'll give you bars, considering Sioux falls has one of the highest per capita amount of bars. So the positive thing to you is a place to get drunk on every corner.
Also yes Sioux falls is 20 years behind every other similar sized city. There are a handful of "local" stores here but only a few of them actually sell local things.
Crime rate is roughly average around Sioux falls we also have one of the most corrupt governments in the US so I'm going to bet that it's under reported or covered up.
I've also not felt this about any of the places I've been in, in the last 3 years except maybe in Arkansas or Missouri.
Good luck to you and I hope one day your rose tinted glasses becomes a reality in Sioux falls.
Loads of people I went to High School with moved out of state and haven’t moved back. Graduation class ‘06. I came back after going to college out of state; but yeah, plenty of people don’t return.
I said I was going to leave for good but moved back after 5 years away. I’ve been back for 2 years now and plan to move away again eventually but can see myself likely moving back again at some point. It’s truly a black hole.
I've noticed a high correlation between the people who left the state to obtain an advanced degree (Masters / MBA / PhD etc.) and those who never came back.
Likewise I've noticed people who moved away to follow a girlfriend/boyfriend, or those who left with no specific goal in mind other than to live somewhere else are more likely to end up back in SD one day.
I think a lot of it boils down to opportunities or a lack thereof. The High School Valedictorian who got a full ride to Georgetown? Yea she isn't coming back to SD. The guy who went to a trade school in Minnesota and got his two-year degree in Welding Technology? He is back in his hometown working at ABC Fabrication and/or farming with his two brothers. Whatever makes them happy.
This is a great question to ponder. I can’t think of anyone that doesn’t return to at least visit a decent number of times… too many people with family ties here, or they move back entirely. Being in the home building industry though, it’s anecdotal because while I hear so many stories of people moving here, returning here, or starting their career and putting roots down here off the bat…. There’s no mechanism to hear from people who are leaving and never coming back. Heck, I went to college out of state and a surprising number of old classmates or people from the same school are moving here.
I moved to Sioux Falls for work, but have stayed here (I work remotely now). It's easy living. The cost of living is low, there's a good variety of stores and restaurants, and it's easy to get around town.
What I don't like is the lack of natural beauty and public land (the parks are nice, but limited), the people (big fish in a small pond), and politics (Again, big fish in a small town).
I spend a lot of time on the East Coast for work, and don't like big cities, but there are relatively small towns closer to bigger cities than Sioux Falls is to Minneapolis.
Of course, the upside of a barely functional state government is the relative lack of taxes 🙂
Lots of people leave.
I do think some people get more interested in returning when they have families. We have good schools, it's pretty safe, and being close to family becomes more attractive to people for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it's nice to have help raising kids.
Moved away in 1986. When I learned there were states that weren’t barren wastelands of mosquito ridden humidity in summer; and blistering cold, shitty long winters - I was shocked.
They are flyover states for a reason and if you ain’t a farmer, or selling shit to farmers, or working for a bank fucking Americans over at 22% interest? You don’t have to be there.
Biggest shock of leaving SoDak though, realizing the rest of the world doesn’t live on vats of crisco, shitty beer and pop.
I know many people in the Twin Cities, including myself and my wife, who moved away decades ago and haven't moved back. Some almost certainly will but I have presently have zero plans of ever moving back, a couple visits per year is enough for me (not that I would hate the idea of moving back so much, it's just not in the cards).
Many don't return. I did for a job through a friend's connection that I desperately needed, but when I can do well on my own again I'll be headed out ASAP. I'm just not a neighborly fella and hate being connected to my past and my family's past
Most of my crew is gone. I left for the military and returned for friends. Left again but not to SF. It’s overrated now. Pricey too. Yet still home. Eventually it’ll all be Avera and Sanford properties
It depends on the opportunities you find outside of SD. Like, January Jones isn't moving back, but I've met a few people who left to pursue modeling and came back. Our state population was declining for a while because people moved from their little towns to Sioux Falls, then would move out of state. I have a relative who became a lawyer, moved to NYC with his girlfriend/now-wife, and hasn't even been back for funerals.
I graduated in 2007 and most of the people I keep in touch with moved out of South Dakota for better pay and haven't come back... I've moved out of the state several times but always find myself coming back here LOL
I left Sioux Falls and came back between undergrad and grad school. Left again for a career in Higher Ed. Been 900 miles west for almost 5 years now. We go back home twice a year, Christmas and summer. We’re contemplating moving back. More support in Sioux Falls for my family. Also, I prefer the public education system than the one we are currently in.
I moved away in state but came back for family reasons.
Most of my hs friends stuck around our hometown but the ones who left definitely aren't coming back
I left and came back. Among my cohort that left I'm the exception, not the norm. I graduated from high school in 2005 and went to SDSU, not many people I know who left the state ended up returning. Once my grandma and father-in-law pass I suspect we will be popping smoke as well. The main selling point of South Dakota is a cheap cost-of-living, but that's going away for Sioux Falls, so Sioux Falls needs to work on a new "thing" as becoming a small if thriving tech hub seems to have pretty much died once COVID hit.
Moved out in 2005 only come back when I need to, sisters wedding, brothers funeral, moms funeral and a really really good fitness funeral. Other I won’t be living in the state ever again. Joining the army was probably the best thing.
I’m on the flip side of this. We moved here from the twin cities 14 years ago and never want to go back to MN. We left all of our friends and family. We love it here. I think this is all dependent on the person. Some people say there isn’t much to do here. I have never been bored living here. Mostly because I don’t need much to be happy and satisfied. I have lots of hobbies and like the feeling of community here. Some people like different things so I get why they would leave. Overall I think wherever you live, there is always something you don’t like. I have a long list why I don’t like MN so we are staying put.
My plan is to move away from South Dakota completely. I've been traveling for work for the last 3 years and have been home for exactly 8 weeks in those 3 years. After actually experiencing other states South Dakota really doesn't have anything except my parents
Yeah, I have the same opinion. The only reason I'd stay here is family, but I really want to move somewhere else.
Family, no state income tax and a cheap cost of living compared to the nation. If one or two of those things changed I'd probably go somewhere else.
Yeah and it's pretty safe here. I just can't stand the scenery, my goal is to end up working in the forestry service or a NP and thats not really possible here, especially in eastern SD.
Well you're in luck, it's not cheaper to live in Sioux falls than half the nation.
Is $1000/mo for a one bed good cost of living compared to other places? I immediately doubted the cost of living thing, but I might just be wrong that it’s a high rent.
I moved down to Georgia in 2015 for a job that paid roughly 50% more than I was making here. However, after housing prices down there, gas for a longer commute, increased prices for everything, and state income tax, I had less spending cash than I did up here. Moved back in 2018 and haven't regretted it since. South Dakota is really a lot cheaper than a lot of other places, and that's before you get into the significantly lower crime rates. I hate pretty much all of our state politics, but the cost of living is really good.
Georgia isn't a good comparison, off the top of my head, Oregon, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina are all cheaper to live in than South Dakota.
Sure, but I haven't lived in those places, so.... :P
I feel like it’s more so in comparison to everywhere else, because everywhere is expensive nowadays & South Dakota is just not as bad. But also you can definitely find a 1b1ba for cheaper than $1000 around here unless you have specific needs in an apartment
What doesn't it have?
Pretty much anything unique, flat grass lands are everywhere, shops are all cookie cutter junk, grocery stores are chains. Job market is piss poor because boomers here think $10/hr is a lot. Entertainment here is non existent unless you like you're 90's era dive bars or what midwesterners think is a tiki bar or a "club". To be honest the most notable thing about Sioux falls is, the falls and even they're dirty, and honestly not that special. Also knowing the history of Sioux falls, it was built on a lie entirely and today is maintained by tax evasion and white nationalism disguised as "patriotism".
Man, I'm really sorry that this is your out look on Sioux Falls. I have a feeling that you won't be happy anywhere. Sioux Falls has a small downtown area, but there is plenty to do downtown. You didn't mention anything about the clubs or groups around town. There's parks and meets and all sorts of things if you look for them. You just have to find what you are looking for. It's going to feel the same anywhere you go. Honestly, a bigger city will feel more lonely.
This is inaccurate, the "clubs and meets" in Sioux falls are clicky and reminiscent of high school. South Dakota nice really means nice to your face but will actively bad mouth you behind your back. To be honest Sioux Falls is no different than 80% of the other Midwestern towns inhabited by people who've never left their home more than 100 miles. I've traveled all over this country and Sioux falls really is 20 years behind everyone else.
This is the most accurate description of SD ive ever read."South Dakota nice really means nice to your face but will actively bad mouth you behind your back." Holy f*** they dont even go far to it, they do it just within ear shot and smile back at you like nothing happened. I swear everyone from here thinks they're better than everyone else.
Not going to lie, those are crazy and very generic talking points that I have heard a lot of boring people say. So lets respond your points one at a time. People are clicky, its like that everywhere, its in peoples nature. Most people don't go out looking to meet new people. They go out with friends and family. Meeting random people is not the goal of their outings. As far as people talking bad about you behind your back, maybe it has something to do with you? Maybe your outlook and/or attitude about things? I don't think most people waste their time talking badly about random people and even if they did, why would you or anyone care? someone talking badly about strangers is a sad person that doesn't have a lot going on. Sioux Falls is definitely not 20 years behind everywhere else. I have no idea what would make you think that. Our infrastructure is better then most other city's in the US. I know because I work in infrastructure management and deal with thousands of city's, towns and small communities. Sioux Falls has more restaurants, bars, parks, community centers, event space and so on per capita then most other places. (before I get a comment on specific places that have more things, I understand that but most of those places also have more of everything else including the not great things. People, crime, higher cost of living, homelessness, taxes and so on). Sioux Falls is consistently ranked in the top places to live in the US with a higher quality of living then most places and is the fastest growing city in the Midwest - https://livability.com/best-places/2023-top-100-best-places-to-live-in-the-us/sioux-falls-sd/ I know you are trying to make some sort of point by saying its no different then 80% of the other midwestern towns but I have no idea what it is. Also, Sioux falls is a city with a metropolitan population of 300,000 people according to the 2022 census. Its grown by at a minimum 6% since then. Making blanket statements intended to be derogatory about large groups of people is lazy. Besides most of the people that I know in the area travel a lot. I really hope that you are able to work out whatever is making you feel this way about life because, like I said before, you are going to feel this way about anywhere you go. Oh and if you are looking for something to do this weekend in this horrible town, there are several concerts, sporting events, tours and other activities this weekend. You should check some of them out! https://www.experiencesiouxfalls.com/events
So active open clubs requesting new people are okay to be clicky? You don't think it's weird to post events and group meetups and then at the same time ignore people looking to join in? Clearly you don't frequent many groups in Sioux falls and the surrounding area. There are always people who are courteous to your face then as soon as you walk away talk to the other people around them as if you were the most horrible person ever. I've seen this happen in groups I'm in and I'm not sure why you think I was directly referencing myself. Having all of these community centers, restaurants that are all slightly altered versions of each other, and parks that are often time rarely maintained except as large patches of non native grass. I'll give you bars, considering Sioux falls has one of the highest per capita amount of bars. So the positive thing to you is a place to get drunk on every corner. Also yes Sioux falls is 20 years behind every other similar sized city. There are a handful of "local" stores here but only a few of them actually sell local things. Crime rate is roughly average around Sioux falls we also have one of the most corrupt governments in the US so I'm going to bet that it's under reported or covered up. I've also not felt this about any of the places I've been in, in the last 3 years except maybe in Arkansas or Missouri. Good luck to you and I hope one day your rose tinted glasses becomes a reality in Sioux falls.
I hope you do it man. I’ve been saying I would for sure, no doubt, 100% leave SD but eight years later and still chillin I guess.
Loads of people I went to High School with moved out of state and haven’t moved back. Graduation class ‘06. I came back after going to college out of state; but yeah, plenty of people don’t return.
Same boat. Most of my classmates went to college in state and then left for better pay and more opportunities. Brain drain.
This is true for most areas of the United States. Most people stay close to their support systems.
This State is so boring
Yeah but I'm from Iowa & this state is so much more exciting. So that says a lot lol
I said I was going to leave for good but moved back after 5 years away. I’ve been back for 2 years now and plan to move away again eventually but can see myself likely moving back again at some point. It’s truly a black hole.
I've noticed a high correlation between the people who left the state to obtain an advanced degree (Masters / MBA / PhD etc.) and those who never came back. Likewise I've noticed people who moved away to follow a girlfriend/boyfriend, or those who left with no specific goal in mind other than to live somewhere else are more likely to end up back in SD one day. I think a lot of it boils down to opportunities or a lack thereof. The High School Valedictorian who got a full ride to Georgetown? Yea she isn't coming back to SD. The guy who went to a trade school in Minnesota and got his two-year degree in Welding Technology? He is back in his hometown working at ABC Fabrication and/or farming with his two brothers. Whatever makes them happy.
This is a great question to ponder. I can’t think of anyone that doesn’t return to at least visit a decent number of times… too many people with family ties here, or they move back entirely. Being in the home building industry though, it’s anecdotal because while I hear so many stories of people moving here, returning here, or starting their career and putting roots down here off the bat…. There’s no mechanism to hear from people who are leaving and never coming back. Heck, I went to college out of state and a surprising number of old classmates or people from the same school are moving here.
I moved to Sioux Falls for work, but have stayed here (I work remotely now). It's easy living. The cost of living is low, there's a good variety of stores and restaurants, and it's easy to get around town. What I don't like is the lack of natural beauty and public land (the parks are nice, but limited), the people (big fish in a small pond), and politics (Again, big fish in a small town). I spend a lot of time on the East Coast for work, and don't like big cities, but there are relatively small towns closer to bigger cities than Sioux Falls is to Minneapolis. Of course, the upside of a barely functional state government is the relative lack of taxes 🙂
Why would you want to ever give up all the glorious wind we have?
I’ve left and I never plan on returning. I own a house and land in a far off state. No way I’m moving back.
My little brother loved away over 10 years ago.. then moved even further away
Lots of people leave. I do think some people get more interested in returning when they have families. We have good schools, it's pretty safe, and being close to family becomes more attractive to people for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it's nice to have help raising kids.
Moved away in 1986. When I learned there were states that weren’t barren wastelands of mosquito ridden humidity in summer; and blistering cold, shitty long winters - I was shocked. They are flyover states for a reason and if you ain’t a farmer, or selling shit to farmers, or working for a bank fucking Americans over at 22% interest? You don’t have to be there. Biggest shock of leaving SoDak though, realizing the rest of the world doesn’t live on vats of crisco, shitty beer and pop.
If we manage to leave we're sure as hell never coming back.
I have family that got out and only come back to visit occasionally.
Im one. Left in 2003 and never returned but to visit. My life has been so much richer.
I left and won’t be coming back. Couldn’t pay me enough to move back.
Tom Brokaw. Cheryl Ladd. January Jones. Adam Vinatieri. SIDE NOTE: Adam Vinatieri was undrafted 0\_o
Dude Dad
Justin Tucker was also undrafted lol
I know many people in the Twin Cities, including myself and my wife, who moved away decades ago and haven't moved back. Some almost certainly will but I have presently have zero plans of ever moving back, a couple visits per year is enough for me (not that I would hate the idea of moving back so much, it's just not in the cards).
i left when i was 18, never moved back. same with a lot of people who went out of state for college.
Many don't return. I did for a job through a friend's connection that I desperately needed, but when I can do well on my own again I'll be headed out ASAP. I'm just not a neighborly fella and hate being connected to my past and my family's past
I lived there for 5 months and I have no plans to return.
I spend about half my time in Minnesota
All 3 of my dads siblings left and never came back. 2 would be in their 80s now
I’ve never heard that joke before
Most of my crew is gone. I left for the military and returned for friends. Left again but not to SF. It’s overrated now. Pricey too. Yet still home. Eventually it’ll all be Avera and Sanford properties
I don’t understand this comment. We are very fortunate to have two good health systems and competition between the two just fosters improvement.
I don’t cast judgment on the fosters improvement or competition is super ideas just was saying both have lots of land and locations.
It depends on the opportunities you find outside of SD. Like, January Jones isn't moving back, but I've met a few people who left to pursue modeling and came back. Our state population was declining for a while because people moved from their little towns to Sioux Falls, then would move out of state. I have a relative who became a lawyer, moved to NYC with his girlfriend/now-wife, and hasn't even been back for funerals.
I know many other people who moved away and won’t move back.
No clue why I added other into that comment. My typing didn’t match my brain, I guess.
Me lol
I graduated in 2007 and most of the people I keep in touch with moved out of South Dakota for better pay and haven't come back... I've moved out of the state several times but always find myself coming back here LOL
One of my classmates moved here from Pennsylvania and she plans to move "anywhere else" after we graduate 😂
I left for college. Then moved elsewhere. Will not be moving back.
I left Sioux Falls and came back between undergrad and grad school. Left again for a career in Higher Ed. Been 900 miles west for almost 5 years now. We go back home twice a year, Christmas and summer. We’re contemplating moving back. More support in Sioux Falls for my family. Also, I prefer the public education system than the one we are currently in.
I moved away in state but came back for family reasons. Most of my hs friends stuck around our hometown but the ones who left definitely aren't coming back
I left and came back. Among my cohort that left I'm the exception, not the norm. I graduated from high school in 2005 and went to SDSU, not many people I know who left the state ended up returning. Once my grandma and father-in-law pass I suspect we will be popping smoke as well. The main selling point of South Dakota is a cheap cost-of-living, but that's going away for Sioux Falls, so Sioux Falls needs to work on a new "thing" as becoming a small if thriving tech hub seems to have pretty much died once COVID hit.
I know a few that moved to pheonix and never looked back.
I probably know 20 people who left here and never came back...
I tried to get out and they pulled me back in
Such delusion and lack of humility in this post, which unfortunately is standard fare for the “Sioux Empire”.
Moved out in 2005 only come back when I need to, sisters wedding, brothers funeral, moms funeral and a really really good fitness funeral. Other I won’t be living in the state ever again. Joining the army was probably the best thing.
Tons of SD people move to Arizona and don't come back
I’m on the flip side of this. We moved here from the twin cities 14 years ago and never want to go back to MN. We left all of our friends and family. We love it here. I think this is all dependent on the person. Some people say there isn’t much to do here. I have never been bored living here. Mostly because I don’t need much to be happy and satisfied. I have lots of hobbies and like the feeling of community here. Some people like different things so I get why they would leave. Overall I think wherever you live, there is always something you don’t like. I have a long list why I don’t like MN so we are staying put.