Vermillion, SD - need some info (Sioux Falls, Mitchell: real estate, to rent, crime)

[tammay]

Hi everyone,
I'm applying for PhD programs in English and I've just gotten accepted to USD. I've heard a lot of good things about the program from a collegue who did her MA at USD. However, I'd like to know a little more about the city and what I can expect.

My background - I lived in San Francisco for 9 years but the last few years I've been in Lubbock, TX (desert town about 7 hours from Dallas, pretty remote but nice, if you like desert town suburbia...) which has about 200,000. My colleague did tell me that Vermillion has a nice small-town atmosphere to it and that it's on the buffs, which I'm a little unsure of what that means, driving wise (would I have to haul my tiny Kia Rio up mountanous roads?)

I guess I'm trying to get a feel for the general stuff - cost of living, weather, safety (I'm in my 30's, single, so I'll be living alone), etc. I'm not looking for nightlife but it would be nice to have some cultural stuff around (museums, parks, etc.) On the map I've been looking at it seems there's a river close by (a relief after the desert!) so how woudl humidity/precipitation be?

Anything anyone can tell me about living in Vermillion would really help me decide. I've applied to other schools in the Midwest but so far have only hear back from USD and where I'm at (TTU).

Thanks,
Tam

[ahul]

i moved to SD from the bay area in 1988. complete culture shock. i went to USD when i was a freshman. i'm not going to give you any opinions on the school, because i was far too stupid at 18, and didn't deserve an opinion until i hit 25.
i really like it here. there are a lot of cutural activities. you might have to travel to get to them, but hey...the only traffic jams around here are caused by slow moving farm equipment, funerals and football games getting over.
but you might have to chage your idea of what culture is...
there are museums but many are dedicated to life on the plains, native americans, lewis and clark and agriculture. but if your not the "turned up nose" snobby type, you'll quickly realize that, all those things are just as important, maybe even more so, then latest art exhibit in San Fran.
There is a ton of history in this state! You just have to keep an open mind.
the hardest thing, is to not get sedintary. when you get here, go to any gas station on I-29 or I-90. and pick up a free SD tourism book. then every weekend try to hit someplace out of the book. And get on the washington pavilions website and see what plays and musicals are coming, and what's at the art gallery.
not sure if your a cyclist or not. but tour-de-kota is really cool. it's a take off on tour-de-france. that's in june and would be a really cool way for you to tour part of the state.

[tammay]

ahul, thanks so much for the feedback. I was beginning to lose hope that anyone would respond at all, since I posted this a while ago.

I'm actually in the last stages of decision-making in terms of schools (down to Texas Tech, where I am right now, and USD) and from all the research that I've done it's looking as if USD is going to be more to my liking. I know it sounds weird, since everyone thinks that Lubbock is a dead town (200,000 people!) but I actually like the idea of a very small and friendly town and I'm such a homebody it wouldn't bother me anyway.

And the museums and stuff sounds way cool - I'm totally not a "snob" about culture and I'm very unfamiiliar with the plains and Native American culture so I'd be anxious to find out more about it.

If anyone else wants to post about their experience with USD and/or Vermillion, I would be happy to read it (especially now!)

Tam

[starling]

Vermillion is a great small college town. They just lost a battle to keep Walmart out, but the heart is in the people. They have lots of small houses to rent at a very reasonable rate. There is very little culture, so can be rather boring...but the small town is definitely there.

[Jammie]

Welcome to South Dakota. I hope you like it here. I haven't been to Vermillion often, but it's a nice town. The people are friendly and it has a small town atmosphere. You won't have to drive up mountainous roads to get there. SD is divided into two parts, East River and West River. The Missouri River separates the state. The east side is pretty flat. The western part of the state is hilly and has the Badlands, Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, etc. I actually prefer it to the eastern part. SD is a friendly, beautiful state with a lot to offer if you're a down to earth person and it sounds like you are. Just be forewarned that the winters are not pleasant here.

[clarevoyant]

I grew up in Vermillion. I moved to Minnesota a few years ago, but I think I can still viably answer most of your questions, as I still go home at least twice a year to visit friends and relatives.

Vermillion is a good town. It is one of the larger towns in SD, having a population of roughly 9,000 during the school year and 3,000 during the summer (when all the students are gone). There are two main roads in Vermillion. On both you will find a fairly large variety of stores to shop in. There are two movie theaters, the Coyote Twin and the Vermillion Theater (equalling 3 screens in all). Most of Main Street is lined with bars. This is typical for a small SD college town. Things can get a bit rowdy over Dakota Days (the college homecoming event), but otherwise, the bar scene is fairly tame compared to larger cities (although I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone dance in any of the bars....)

As for safety, the most common crime committed in Vermillion is people breaking into cars. Otherwise, it's mainly smaller offenses. In all my years living in Vermillion, I did not hear once about someone even getting mugged. This is not to say that you could be completely laxidaisical about your personal safety, but it's not a major concern as it is in a bigger city. Most people I know even leave their cars unlocked when parked "downtown" Vermillion.

The bluff that you referred to is like a small cliff/hill. Most of the town is on top of the bluff because that's where most people rebuilt after the big flood (way back--1890s??). The best real estate is on the bluff, as the view from the edge is very pretty (all green farmland for miles and miles). The bluff follows the river. It's kind of muddy, but then again, most rivers are.

If you're into cultural events, check out the VAAC (Vermillion Area Arts Council), the USD theater and the museum formerly known as "The Shrine to Music Museum" - the only museum of its kind in the world. A short 50 mile drive (all on the interstate) to SD's largest "city" Sioux Falls (pop 150,000) also has a variety of cultural entertainment to offer. It has a zoo and some museums. Getting a tourism guide to SD is really a good idea, as even I haven't been to some of the most interesting parts of the state.

There is other entertainment and shopping available in nearby cities such as Sioux City, IA (45 minute drive) and Omaha, NE (about 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive).

As for the winters (which being from warmer climates, you'll probably be worried about), make sure that as soon as November hits that you purchase a shovel and some de-icer (glorified rock salt) for your car. You will need both in your trunk for winter driving. It's also not a bad idea to have a blanket and some granola bars in your trunk as well - just in case. Vermillion is prone to ice storms, more than anything, so you can count on waking up some days to everything covered in ice. Be aware that you might actually be required to still go into work. The first few weeks of winter take some getting used to, but overall, the winters haven't been very bad for the past 5 years. It was rare this past winter for SD or MN to even get below zero temps.

You'll do fine - and Vermillionites (especially the students and staff at the college) are friendly and helpful. Being a PhD student, you'll probably take a class on research from my mother (she's a librarian at USD's library). She's really nice as well (but then again, I could be biased because she's my mom). Good luck and have fun! Feel free to email me with specific questions if you'd like.

[mystic1]

Tammay,
I graduated from USD in 1995. I read the answers to your question about Vermillion and you have a very good idea from those posts about the culture, town, etc. The school itself is trying to improve vastly. A lot of colleges and university's have grad students teahing courses. Here they [last I knew] were trying to get away from that. Classes are small, professors easy to get a hold of. If you choose to come here - or already have, then I welcome you. You will find that to be the attitude of the town also.
Hope this post was of benefit to you.....

mystic1

[theplowking]

I'm British - still living in the UK right now, and having married a South Dakotan (who studied at USD before moving to England), we've just bought a place in Vermillion and are planning to move there next month.

We both like Vermillion a lot (although we're probably biased by a decent social circle), and although it's pretty quiet, there are plenty of places to chill out (bars, coffee shops, etc.) and the natives are friendly!

There are good country / nature walks also to be had in the surrounding area, including the Missouri and Ponca park.

It's also a reasonable driving distance from either Minneapolis to the east or Rapid city to the west, depending on whether you want to experience cosmopolitan or classic midwest lifestyles in the wider surrounding areas.

Hey - it was nice enough for us to buy a house there (and we don't even have jobs in the area yet)!

The only big criticism that I have is that we're having a hard time finding any real choices of cellular network coverage - looks like Verizon is almost the only one.

[1CityGirl]

I moved to Vermillion in 1992. I hated it for the first 6 months. There were no decent jobs except at the USD and then only if you were teaching in the Business School, Law School or Medical School. It is still that way. There is inequity between the various departments. Secretaries, interns, janitors are not paid very well at all compared to thier work load. However, we have a low cost of living. Gas this week is around $3.00. I bet you haven't seen gas below $3.50 in California in years. No income tax. You can actually buy a fixer-upper house for around $60,000. We have the lowest paid teachers in the nation, but our high school student rank in the top 6% in ACT scores. We are doing something right and I believe it comes down to the people. They care about their neighbors and their neighbor's children. If your car breaks down on the road and you do not want any help or a ride, you will have to be firm in saying you don't need help because every other car will stop and try to help you. I was born and raised in So. Cal. It is a nice place to visit, but who would ever want to live there if they could live in South Dakota!

[Jammie]

Hey City Girl, that was a great post. I found it touching that since you were born and raised in a nice warm place like Cal, you'd rather live here.

I know that gas fluctuates tremendously even throughout the state, but is it really 3 a gallon there? It's 2.25 in Mitchell right now. We did get below 2, but that was short lived.