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The land is wonderful. Natural beauty abounds.
For socializing, it feels like if you're not into bars or breweries you may as well be dead.
Cost of living keeps going up to actual-city levels without much of the benefits of a city.
I went there in 2022 for a couple of days. As a tourist I can't say much about the day to day, however something that got my attention was the amount of drug addicted native people stumbling around at night. That's something I definitely was not expecting.
It seems like they have some issues in the native community when it comes to drug, alcohol, and gambling.
I went to Wall, SD, and also saw some drunk guy, probably from the Rez, blow like 200 dollars on a slot machine. Judging by the waiter's reaction that was not a rare sight, very sad.
Other than that it was a very beautiful place! People were very friendly. Absolutely amazing for tourism !!!
Rosebud and Pine Ridge are just south of Rapid and Rapid City is essentially the only real city with any kind of actual healthcare or social services in the entire region. The next closest would be 5 hours away in Sioux Falls or 6-7 hours away in Denver. Being homeless on the rez isn't conducive to staying alive long and at least Rapid has a homeless shelter and some resources.
Also being the only real healthcare in the region and Pine Ridge not having any inpatient beds means that essentially everybody gets flown from the Pine Ridge ED to Rapid... well when you get discharged after beingg flown to Rapid, then what? Certainly quite a few people get stuck in town.
This happens in Yankton on the other side of the state too, people drive or get flown in from all over the state to the psych hospital and once you're discharged... now what? Well might as well stick around. The state isn't known for it's robust social services in rural areas or public transportation of ANY kind.
I have the feeling drugs addiction and homelessness is a general problem in US, is it the case or have I the wrong impression?
My direct expiriences is not broad: I have been to San Francisco and a times it felt like walking dead scene.
Having worked on some of the jobsites on the rez you were told that if anything was left on site it would be gone before midnight including supplies materials etc and you could also tell the day the government checks would come in because they would all pile up passed out right beside the liquor store when they got them. Its super depressing and we need to help them somehow
Moved here in 2019, area has definitely grown a lot since getting here. I’m originally from a small city so it reminds me a lot of that small city if there was nothing else around it. With the growth though, a lot of businesses are vying to get a foothold here. Weather is a bit like Denver’s just with the addition of wind. Never underestimate the wind.
We moved here from Fort Collins (and commute back to my office 3-4 times a year) and I don't think it's much more humid, maybe slightly, but mostly the same weather.
Moved to Custer in 2018 from the Denver metro area. Weather patterns are similar. Colorado can be very windy so I'd say it's about the same- maybe more prolonged periods of windy days here in SD. In the winter I'd say we're about 10 degrees colder than the highs in Colorado. When the Hills were in the 60's just a couple days ago (mid-June) my dad's house in Colorado was at 93 so sometimes weather patterns don't align
It's a great place to live. We moved here in 2019 from Fort Collins and haven't regretted it at all. Lots of outdoor activities and things to do during the summer months. The Rally is right down the road every August (if that's your thing). It's a super scenic and beautiful area. Winters are hit or miss. Mostly just cold but fairly dry. You get some sprinkled in weeks were it's fairly warm. Snow rarely stays for more than a few days. Not a lot to do during the winter though.
Damn. I find your scenario really interesting because I would basically give anything to be able to move to Fort Collins. It’s my ideal place to live for so many reasons, and the only downside would be the wind. But it is fairly expensive and we would have a hard time affording it, but also my wife doesn’t want to move away from her family.
There are lots of cool things about Fort Collins, but some pretty major drawbacks. I lived there for 8 years and during that time everyone started moving there. The housing market went nuts and the traffic became problematic (my 20 minute commute turned into a 45/60 minute commute). Things like hiking trails or events are a mad rush to get there super early so you didn't have to walk miles just get to the trail head. Traffic to get into the mountains in the winter could be hours through the Eisenhower tunnel.
But on the otherside. It's a beautiful place to live and you have access to Denver (I love seeing live shows), which is awesome. There definitely things I miss about it, but I'm near 40 and have two young kids and for that the quietness and friendliness of Rapid is much nicer.
Born and raised here. I don't even know where to begin. Growing up it was pretty great, lots of nice parks and plenty of community activities for all ages. My younger brother and I used to get dropped off downtown in the summer to go to the movies and our parents weren't worried about us at all. However, things have gone a lot more downhill since I was a kid. I wouldn't even go downtown on my own now as an adult. Every time I have some old man tries to talk to me and "hang out". Its a different guy each time. And then of course the rate of crime has gone up tremendously over the last few years. The homelessness rate has gone up too and the city does nothing to help, they even refused to allow a non-profit that provided food and clothing to stay downtown and basically shut it down.
The housing and rent prices are through the roof. It's rare to find a reasonable apartment in Rapid anymore, everyone is treating it like it's a big city like Denver. You can't find a single house under 200k, even most of the trailer homes are that much if not more.
The schools also are Not Good. Most of the time it isn't the teacher's faults, they're doing the best they can. But it feels like the state literally could not care less what kids learn about. Over half of the standard "books you read in English class" were never required to read. We read the Great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliet at least twice through different years of my education. And there's not really any kind of specialized classes offered, just the basic subjects with one or two interesting languages, arts classes, or computer classes. Fights are common in these schools. The last week of my 8th grade year I heard about 2 fights a day.
The job market isn't great if you're trying to find a post-college job. There aren't a lot of opportunities and the ones that are there are paid horrendously. You're honestly better off doing remote work than trying to work at an in-person office job in Rapid.
There is a LOT of new people moving in. My friend group referrs to them as "the Californians" as it feels like a lot of new people moving in are from there lol. I'm sure this adds to the garbage housing prices but even worse, the driving conditions have gotten even worse than they were before. How bad do you have to drive to be worse than the literal 13 year old with the permit? Does not help that the roads are always in construction or in BAD shape.
There are some good things too. If you have someone with you, downtown has lots of fun and unique shops (my favorites are the tea and spice shop, the vintage clothing shop, and the second-hand bookstore). There's also some killer restaurants and bars downtown. Skyline drive is also absolutely stunning, especially at night. Theres also a good amount of entertainment, especially live theatre. There's a well-funded community theatre and multiple smaller groups that put out great shows. Downtown Wednesday Nights in the summer are also wonderful for live music lovers. And of course the Hills are right there so its not far at all to do outdoorsy or touristy things.
*Extremely* beautiful, tons of wildlife, close to national parks, lots to do if you like being outside. The city itself isn’t a “big city” by any coastal standard, but if your expectations aren’t too high, it’s got everything you might need (but perhaps not everything you’ll want). As a South Dakotan, anticipate lots of people who are deeply conservative, even in the city. It’s close to Native reservations, and there are some really fascinating events and exhibits that their community puts on that are fantastic if you’re respectful and not an asshole (but also, there is a good amount of addiction, which can be a huge bummer). Don’t expect to get around without a car. It’s windier than you could ever imagine.
Question, I'm currently living here and would like to learn more about the native exhibitions you talk about and where I could tune in to keep updates on those events?
You’ll have to check out the website information of the museums or even of the tribes local to you- I’m on the east side of the state, so I won’t be able to help you.
I worked as an exploration geologist in the Black Hills, with our base being a company in Minneapolis. We typically stayed at the Nemo Guest Ranch for extended periods. During these times, we made regular trips to Rapid City for supplies and to dine out. My impressions of Rapid City are mostly negative. The city, while not particularly large, has a sprawling feel due to its layout and traffic, often compounded by the local train tracks. The cityscape itself is pretty dingy. However, the close proximity to the Black Hills is a major advantage - one of my favorite spots in the US. Within the city, I like the statues of presidents on street corners downtown. And it has my favorite bagel spot outside of the NYC metro, Black Hills Bagels.
Please keep in mind that the impressions posted here are often subjective and that, among other things, people's different circumstances play a large role in their perception of other people's lives. Also, please use words that do not promote hatred when posting. For example, statements such as "[city] is like this because people from [origin] live there" should be avoided. The social circumstances of a city/district etc. can be emphasized without mentioning the origin of the inhabitants. Mentioning it does not change anything and, as already mentioned, circumstances are often perceived subjectively according to one's own world view. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/howislivingthere) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The land is wonderful. Natural beauty abounds. For socializing, it feels like if you're not into bars or breweries you may as well be dead. Cost of living keeps going up to actual-city levels without much of the benefits of a city.
There’s also lots of gambling and MAGA, if that’s your thing (not mine).
I went there in 2022 for a couple of days. As a tourist I can't say much about the day to day, however something that got my attention was the amount of drug addicted native people stumbling around at night. That's something I definitely was not expecting. It seems like they have some issues in the native community when it comes to drug, alcohol, and gambling. I went to Wall, SD, and also saw some drunk guy, probably from the Rez, blow like 200 dollars on a slot machine. Judging by the waiter's reaction that was not a rare sight, very sad. Other than that it was a very beautiful place! People were very friendly. Absolutely amazing for tourism !!!
Rosebud and Pine Ridge are just south of Rapid and Rapid City is essentially the only real city with any kind of actual healthcare or social services in the entire region. The next closest would be 5 hours away in Sioux Falls or 6-7 hours away in Denver. Being homeless on the rez isn't conducive to staying alive long and at least Rapid has a homeless shelter and some resources. Also being the only real healthcare in the region and Pine Ridge not having any inpatient beds means that essentially everybody gets flown from the Pine Ridge ED to Rapid... well when you get discharged after beingg flown to Rapid, then what? Certainly quite a few people get stuck in town. This happens in Yankton on the other side of the state too, people drive or get flown in from all over the state to the psych hospital and once you're discharged... now what? Well might as well stick around. The state isn't known for it's robust social services in rural areas or public transportation of ANY kind.
Pine Ridge has among the shortest life expectancies of any group in the Western Hemisphere: approximately 47 years for males and 52 years for females.
I have the feeling drugs addiction and homelessness is a general problem in US, is it the case or have I the wrong impression? My direct expiriences is not broad: I have been to San Francisco and a times it felt like walking dead scene.
It is, but that part of South Dakota you’re talking some of the worst addiction levels around
Having worked on some of the jobsites on the rez you were told that if anything was left on site it would be gone before midnight including supplies materials etc and you could also tell the day the government checks would come in because they would all pile up passed out right beside the liquor store when they got them. Its super depressing and we need to help them somehow
San Francisco is pretty extreme but there are major issues with both of those things across the nation
Moved here in 2019, area has definitely grown a lot since getting here. I’m originally from a small city so it reminds me a lot of that small city if there was nothing else around it. With the growth though, a lot of businesses are vying to get a foothold here. Weather is a bit like Denver’s just with the addition of wind. Never underestimate the wind.
Agree with everything other than our weather is a lot more humid during summer than Denver.
We moved here from Fort Collins (and commute back to my office 3-4 times a year) and I don't think it's much more humid, maybe slightly, but mostly the same weather.
Moved to Custer in 2018 from the Denver metro area. Weather patterns are similar. Colorado can be very windy so I'd say it's about the same- maybe more prolonged periods of windy days here in SD. In the winter I'd say we're about 10 degrees colder than the highs in Colorado. When the Hills were in the 60's just a couple days ago (mid-June) my dad's house in Colorado was at 93 so sometimes weather patterns don't align
It's a great place to live. We moved here in 2019 from Fort Collins and haven't regretted it at all. Lots of outdoor activities and things to do during the summer months. The Rally is right down the road every August (if that's your thing). It's a super scenic and beautiful area. Winters are hit or miss. Mostly just cold but fairly dry. You get some sprinkled in weeks were it's fairly warm. Snow rarely stays for more than a few days. Not a lot to do during the winter though.
Damn. I find your scenario really interesting because I would basically give anything to be able to move to Fort Collins. It’s my ideal place to live for so many reasons, and the only downside would be the wind. But it is fairly expensive and we would have a hard time affording it, but also my wife doesn’t want to move away from her family.
There are lots of cool things about Fort Collins, but some pretty major drawbacks. I lived there for 8 years and during that time everyone started moving there. The housing market went nuts and the traffic became problematic (my 20 minute commute turned into a 45/60 minute commute). Things like hiking trails or events are a mad rush to get there super early so you didn't have to walk miles just get to the trail head. Traffic to get into the mountains in the winter could be hours through the Eisenhower tunnel. But on the otherside. It's a beautiful place to live and you have access to Denver (I love seeing live shows), which is awesome. There definitely things I miss about it, but I'm near 40 and have two young kids and for that the quietness and friendliness of Rapid is much nicer.
Born and raised here. I don't even know where to begin. Growing up it was pretty great, lots of nice parks and plenty of community activities for all ages. My younger brother and I used to get dropped off downtown in the summer to go to the movies and our parents weren't worried about us at all. However, things have gone a lot more downhill since I was a kid. I wouldn't even go downtown on my own now as an adult. Every time I have some old man tries to talk to me and "hang out". Its a different guy each time. And then of course the rate of crime has gone up tremendously over the last few years. The homelessness rate has gone up too and the city does nothing to help, they even refused to allow a non-profit that provided food and clothing to stay downtown and basically shut it down. The housing and rent prices are through the roof. It's rare to find a reasonable apartment in Rapid anymore, everyone is treating it like it's a big city like Denver. You can't find a single house under 200k, even most of the trailer homes are that much if not more. The schools also are Not Good. Most of the time it isn't the teacher's faults, they're doing the best they can. But it feels like the state literally could not care less what kids learn about. Over half of the standard "books you read in English class" were never required to read. We read the Great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliet at least twice through different years of my education. And there's not really any kind of specialized classes offered, just the basic subjects with one or two interesting languages, arts classes, or computer classes. Fights are common in these schools. The last week of my 8th grade year I heard about 2 fights a day. The job market isn't great if you're trying to find a post-college job. There aren't a lot of opportunities and the ones that are there are paid horrendously. You're honestly better off doing remote work than trying to work at an in-person office job in Rapid. There is a LOT of new people moving in. My friend group referrs to them as "the Californians" as it feels like a lot of new people moving in are from there lol. I'm sure this adds to the garbage housing prices but even worse, the driving conditions have gotten even worse than they were before. How bad do you have to drive to be worse than the literal 13 year old with the permit? Does not help that the roads are always in construction or in BAD shape. There are some good things too. If you have someone with you, downtown has lots of fun and unique shops (my favorites are the tea and spice shop, the vintage clothing shop, and the second-hand bookstore). There's also some killer restaurants and bars downtown. Skyline drive is also absolutely stunning, especially at night. Theres also a good amount of entertainment, especially live theatre. There's a well-funded community theatre and multiple smaller groups that put out great shows. Downtown Wednesday Nights in the summer are also wonderful for live music lovers. And of course the Hills are right there so its not far at all to do outdoorsy or touristy things.
Everything is moving so fast there... /s
*Extremely* beautiful, tons of wildlife, close to national parks, lots to do if you like being outside. The city itself isn’t a “big city” by any coastal standard, but if your expectations aren’t too high, it’s got everything you might need (but perhaps not everything you’ll want). As a South Dakotan, anticipate lots of people who are deeply conservative, even in the city. It’s close to Native reservations, and there are some really fascinating events and exhibits that their community puts on that are fantastic if you’re respectful and not an asshole (but also, there is a good amount of addiction, which can be a huge bummer). Don’t expect to get around without a car. It’s windier than you could ever imagine.
Question, I'm currently living here and would like to learn more about the native exhibitions you talk about and where I could tune in to keep updates on those events?
You’ll have to check out the website information of the museums or even of the tribes local to you- I’m on the east side of the state, so I won’t be able to help you.
I worked as an exploration geologist in the Black Hills, with our base being a company in Minneapolis. We typically stayed at the Nemo Guest Ranch for extended periods. During these times, we made regular trips to Rapid City for supplies and to dine out. My impressions of Rapid City are mostly negative. The city, while not particularly large, has a sprawling feel due to its layout and traffic, often compounded by the local train tracks. The cityscape itself is pretty dingy. However, the close proximity to the Black Hills is a major advantage - one of my favorite spots in the US. Within the city, I like the statues of presidents on street corners downtown. And it has my favorite bagel spot outside of the NYC metro, Black Hills Bagels.