Recently, a few of my virtual pals have inquired about what it’s like to live in South Dakota, with at least a passing interest in considering a major life change. Most are clueless and have never even passed through the state and thus have no idea what it’s like to live here. To many, all they’ve heard about is Mount Rushmore, empty prairieland, the Badlands, and bitter cold winters. Little do they know!
I have compiled my thoughts below from the prospective of informing someone who may wish to move/retire here to give you just a taste of the Sunshine State.
INTRODUCTION
For people who have lived most of their lives in urban areas, South Dakota, northern Wyoming, and eastern Montana (the parts with which I’m familiar) would seem like completely foreign countries: largely flat lands and plains intersected by a few rivers and creeks and interrupted by the Black Hills which spill into all three states (localized). We live along one of the larger rivers (the Missouri) in SE SDak. You’ve probably seen a picture or two that I have sent off our deck looking over the river toward the Nebraska side.
As we periodically drive from here to the Bozeman, MT, area on I-90 to visit my in-laws, I am pretty familiar with the areas along the interstate. Definitely NOT urban except for the small stretch through Rapid City in the Black Hills. Towns are few and far between and are very small by CA/HI/NY/Blue state standards (nominally less than one thousand people, except for Mitchell and Spearfish, SD, a couple in Wyoming like Gillette and Sheridan, and Billings, MT).
I-90 has moderate through traffic, but the state roads and US highways off the interstate in all of the states have very little traffic. There’s no such thing as “traffic jams” here unless there is road construction or an accident blockage! I lived in southern California for decades and cursed my way through snarled traffic on a twice daily basis. South Dakota traffic is at the other end of the spectrum!
As an example, my small town is 30 miles from Yankton (a town of ~15,000) where we regularly go to Walmart, Menard’s (similar to Home Depot), and various restaurants. There are very few cars on the highways there and back – sometimes only a couple for miles and miles. Most roads are two lanes, with paved/”oiled” roads connecting the towns while there are many gravel roads that lead to farmhouses in the countryside. Here is some further discussion by category.
WEATHER
We get all seasons here, including some fairly brutal periods in both summer (!00 degrees with moderate humidity) and winter (below zero with snow and bitter cold wind chill). Most of the extremes are for a few weeks at a time, but July through Labor Day are generally pretty hot while mid-November through the end of March are pretty cold. There are tornados and high winds in the summer and white-out blizzards in the winter, but again these are infrequent short-term events like hurricanes and tornados are in other states, and of course the impacts are localized. For example, we’ve experienced a single bout of high summer winds (>50 knots) here in the last five years.
On the snow side, you have to have a snow blower to ensure you can reach the plowed streets although there are probably only about a half-dozen snow storms of any size (>4 inches of snowfall) during any given winter. People here get used to it, including those who’ve moved from “warm states.” It’s a fact of life. There are people who live in my town who commute the 30 miles to work in Yankton every single day except the day of or day after a given large snowstorm (the highways are kept open and cleared in real-time and are generally opened no later than the day after).
LIVING IN A SMALL TOWN
It’s like nothing you could imagine if you’ve been an urban dweller all your life! Everyone waves at each other as we pass on the city streets, whether you know the person or not. It’s just a South Dakota thing. City services are fine. Everyone knows everybody else (over time) – to the extent that a person wants to know other people in town. All our neighbors pack heat and are solid Republicans. Totally trustworthy and “good neighbors” in a pinch if assistance is needed. Except for one guy who is a part-timer and a former Daschle staffer who is persona non grata.
Crime is very low; people generally keep to themselves. There are various periodic church-related and other organization-related potlucks/dinners to attend. Fourth of July parades and festivities (lots of patriots here). Each small town generally has a summer celebration of long-standing tradition. Great hunting and fishing. Baseball in the summertime (for various age groups including adults), high school sports throughout the year (rivalries that have persisted over the decades). Generally friendly people. No one locks their vehicles on Main street.
There are less than 1 million people in South Dakota spread across 77,000 square miles, with the counties that hold Sioux Falls and Rapid City containing nearly 30% of the population. This is one of the most Caucasian states in the US, with the Indian (“native American”) population largely living in reservations that dot the state (also in Montana and Wyoming). I had never had a real conversation with a black person until I went to the US Naval Academy, for example. There has been an influx of minorities in recent years who are concentrated in Sioux Falls and some of the larger towns, but most of the smaller towns that dot the state are monolithically Caucasian. This state assimilates people quite well, as the unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the nation at 2%.
Most people grow gardens for food purposes, as do we. Fresh produce is great! A lot of people are into pressure-cooking to store their produce for years. I’ve probably canned 500 pints of tomatoes, green beans, squash, pumpkins, chicken, pork, duck, turkey, ground meat (deer, turkey, beef), chili, spaghetti sauce, etc., over the past 4 years. It’s not that hard to do, and the meals that we make from the stored food are great! My cantaloupe this year was “to die for” according to my wife. It is fun to experiment from year to year in the garden, as well as with new canning recipes.
JOBS
I am pretty clueless about the job market here, but given one’s experience, people find no difficulty in finding something appropriate in towns larger than 10,000 people. Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Sheridan (WY), Gillette (WY), and Billings (MT) would be slam-dunks, I should think. There are bedroom communities that surround those larger towns, and many people from there commute to the larger hubs for work. Due to no state income taxes (in SD and WY), the cost of living is low compared to the Blue states on the coast – VERY low. Housing prices vary but are very reasonable, especially in the smaller towns. Depends on what you want. Salaries are also lower than the national average, but everything depends on specifics. This is a big agriculture state, with ethanol production and increasingly green energy tech production (wind turbines, especially) coming into their own. People live within their means and afford what they can afford, like anywhere. However, no state income tax is a big plus, especially for retirees.
It should be noted that Ellsworth AFB will be getting one of the three B-21 squadrons over the next few years. There will be a major plus-up in logistics support and everything else associated with the new bombers. That’s in the Rapid City area (just east of there about 10 miles). The area will be booming.
ENTERTAINMENT
As touched on above, there’s plenty of hunting (deer, pheasant, duck, goose, dove, prairie dog), fishing (walleye, catfish, large and smallmouth bass, stripers, panfish, etc.), boating, water skiing, and other outdoor sports. SD is an open carry state; I keep one under the seat in my truck. Most people in small towns have 4-wheel-drive trucks in the family. Plenty of high school sports. College sports, too (I’m a season ticket holder for USD football, and we watch women’s soccer frequently when in season). There are “fine arts” in Sioux Falls (theater season, orchestra, etc.). And of course everyone streams videos at home from their smart TVs. State and county fairs in the summer time. Ethnic celebrations in the summer time (e.g., “Czech Days” in Tabor and Schmeckfest in Freeman). Pickleball, golf, etc. My town has the second-best 9-hole golf course in the state, which overlooks the Missouri River. Lots of touristy areas to visit, especially in the Black Hills (Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, etc.). Quite spectacular scenery on driving trips, too.
POLITICS
This is a deceptively Republican state. By that I mean that, while all but 7 of the 110+ state legislators identify as Republicans, a large slice of them are former Democrats who realized they would have no political careers unless they re-registered as Republicans. Accordingly, the three we send to DC (Thune, Rounds, and Johnson) are not only RINOs but also NeverTrumpers for all practical purposes (although all three tepidly endorsed Trump this year to maintain their political viability in DC). There is one black legislator (Republican and a pal), and probably 4 legislators who are at least 50 percent Indian (one is a Republican and also a pal).
The smaller towns have nonpartisan elections for mayor and city councils (I’m a councilman here). People generally get along, but some of the Democrats are as crazy here as they are in other states. But they’re easy to shut down in debates. In a small state (population-wise), you are only two degrees of separation from knowing just about everyone in the state. I knew nobody in politics five years ago, having not lived here since 1970, but now I know a TON of people (state legislators, county chairmen, etc.). The Big Four (Noem, Thune, Rounds, and Johnson) know me/of me but prefer to deal with me through their staffers. I confront them all at public functions.
As a citizen, I am free to roam around inside the state capitol when the legislature is in session (all I have to do is pass a security check). I wander between the senate and house chambers and bang on key legislators, most of whom know me at least a little (because I’ve chosen to make myself known, as anyone could do if they would take the initiative to do so). In the building, I occasionally run into the LTGov, SoS, AG, and PUC commissioners in the building and have brief conversations with them, too. In short, it’s easy to have an impact on politics in our state if you want to be engaged. We grassroots people are trying to change out those who are RINOs/former Democrats. It’s actually kind of fun.
BOTTOM LINE
My pals agree with me that SD is one of the “best-kept secrets” in America as far as overall quality of life is concerned. It is definitely quite different from all of the coastal states and urban areas. I’ve lived on both coast, and I know the difference! Open spaces, open skies, very few people. When my pal Tim and I are out on the River catfishing or walleye fishing, we are frequently the only boat on the river for miles, with open skies, birds, tall reeds, and overflights of eagles to keep us company. There’s nothing better than that! We’d like to keep it that way although the influx of people from Blue states like Minnesota is making that a challenge. I plan on croaking here (in the distant future), as the saying here goes.
And there you have one man’s view of the great state of South Dakota!
The end.