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Hello, I had a few questions that maybe someone can help with, I currently live in Miami and to be honest I hate it here, the traffic is horrible the people are less than friendly and the cost of living is outrageous, My question is how easy would it be to start a life in a more rural town/city? I work Home inspections and have a fair amount of knowledge in the real estate field so my job search will start with something of that nature, but mainly i would like to know if there is anything that would come as a surprise to me once i make the move up north.
You will find that there is a different mind set about nearly everything. We consider Rapid to be a city, while Hermosa is a small town. Politically, most people are more conservative than in urban areas, but most of them are live and let live on politics. People are friendly here and traffic is a lot less congested than in Miami. [I have been to Miami]. Most people are a lot less hurried. This can be a plus if you want it to be or a negative if you like to get everything done right away. The climate is dry and, of course, cooler. The winters are not so harsh that adapting to them is difficult, however climate is something that is beyond your control, so you have to adapt. Wages and salaries are less here than in most places, especially urban area's. Although Rapid has a very adequate list of services, it is not Miami. You won't find a lot of top shelf dining or shows to go to in Rapid.
Mostly, you will just find a slower pace in Rapid.
You will find that there is a different mind set about nearly everything. We consider Rapid to be a city, while Hermosa is a small town. Politically, most people are more conservative than in urban areas, but most of them are live and let live on politics. People are friendly here and traffic is a lot less congested than in Miami. [I have been to Miami]. Most people are a lot less hurried. This can be a plus if you want it to be or a negative if you like to get everything done right away. The climate is dry and, of course, cooler. The winters are not so harsh that adapting to them is difficult, however climate is something that is beyond your control, so you have to adapt. Wages and salaries are less here than in most places, especially urban area's. Although Rapid has a very adequate list of services, it is not Miami. You won't find a lot of top shelf dining or shows to go to in Rapid.
Mostly, you will just find a slower pace in Rapid.
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Thanks for the reply!
That sounds great in my opinion, I don't mind the climate as much as the next South Floridian, in fact it would be amazing to have more than 1 season year round. I was looking at Rapid City for the simple reason that its big enough for me to be able to work the real estate field and not starve, and small enough for it to still carry a small town feel. Rent and property value are ridiculously low compared to the 1,200$ we pay down here for a broom closet. Since I would still need to set up & take the South Dakota test for home inspection I was looking into maybe getting a full time meanwhile, how much lower are the wages and are there various job opportunities or is it pretty limited?
There is probably a labor shortage in Rapid, but it is because of low wages so there are plenty of jobs around. I don't know how to compare wages between Rapid and Miami, but I would expect at least a 25% cut between the two. Of course, that is a guess.
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I strongly suggest you come visit before moving. I've spent a fair amount of time in Florida and South Dakota is about as polar opposite as you can get from Florida, especially South Florida. If you truly hate Florida, the crowds, the heat and humidity, the politics, etc, then SD might be a good fit for you. But if you value the big city amenities(arts, culture, diversity, entertainment options) of Miami then you won't find them on the same scale here. South Dakota is an amazing state but it's not for everybody. I hope your move works out well.
I strongly suggest you come visit before moving. I've spent a fair amount of time in Florida and South Dakota is about as polar opposite as you can get from Florida, especially South Florida. If you truly hate Florida, the crowds, the heat and humidity, the politics, etc, then SD might be a good fit for you. But if you value the big city amenities(arts, culture, diversity, entertainment options) of Miami then you won't find them on the same scale here. South Dakota is an amazing state but it's not for everybody. I hope your move works out well.
Thanks for the advice!
I'm not one for big city amenities hell, I live 10 min from Miami Beach and I can't remember the last time I crossed over that bridge. I'm aware that SD has various town/cities that could be drastically different from the next but my question is which towns/cities are worth looking into? I've had my eyes on Rapid for quite some time now cause it seems to offer enough size for work and the cost of living is significantly lower than what I see around Florida but I would like to know what else does SD have to offer. Sioux Falls has also been a city I've been looking into but it seems to be much bigger than Rapid and I'd prefer something similar to a small town instead of large cities.
Any suggestions would be great!
Sioux Falls and Rapid City wold be the only cities large enough in SD to support your career, I would think. Sioux Falls is bigger than Rapid but still very small compared to most cities in Florida. If you're into outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, fishing, etc then Rapid City wins hands down. The weather in Rapid is also much nicer then Sioux Falls.
Sioux Falls will have a greater variety of shopping, restaurants, cultural activities, medical services, etc. Housing is also cheaper than Rapid. It's also relatively close to Minneapolis if you need a big city fix.
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