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Living in Sioux Falls, SD

Name: Sioux Falls, SD
Rating: 2.4

Ranks better than 70% of areas Follow

Population

167,884

Median Age

34.3 Years

What's it like living in Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls has a Livability Score of 70_/100, which is considered excellent
Sioux Falls crime rates are 40% higher than the South Dakota average
Cost of living in Sioux Falls is 1% higher than the South Dakota average

What do the locals think about Sioux Falls?

68%

Family friendly

26%

Public transit is accessible

42%

Walkable to grocery stores

58%

Yards are well-kept

74%

Lots of parks

26%

Walkable to restaurants

Friendly neighbors

Safe at night

Pet friendly

Streets have sidewalks

58%

A quiet area

65%

Sense of community

Based on 31 votes from AreaVibes users. Take the poll

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Absolutely Nothing to Do 0.5 rating By Anonymous ( Jan 22, 2022) Coming from a small town, I would have expected Sioux Falls to have a ton more opportunities for entertainment and activities. During the winter, there is absolutely nothing to do other than freeze your a** off at Great Bear or stay at home and be bored. It’s a complete bore to ...Read More live here, there’s no incentive to be here. For people who are looking. For a sense of community, there is none, there’s no feeling of belonging here. It’s simply a deadbeat city with increasing crime rates, increasing housing expenses, and nothing to do. Read Less

Spare Yourselves/Not Worth it! 0.5 rating By Anonymous ( Sep 18, 2018) I moved to Sioux Falls because of it's famous job market, and although I did find ONE good job that abruptly ended after only a year and half due cutbacks. I would not recommend anyone to move to Sioux Falls especially if your a woman. I've lived in NYC! for most of my life an ...Read More d have NEVER met the most hooker crazy men in all my life like I did Sioux Falls. If you are not a hooker you will be treated like s**t, you will not be able to walk anywhere or take buses without being stalked by hooker crazed johns. Fat chance trying to file a complaint with the police department, they are also in on it, and only care about what will make the stupid local news. The men here are as****es end of story. Sioux Falls has absolutely no personality you would expect from a Mid Western town unless you're into fast food then you're in heaven. About 2-3 times a week, a horrible stench is emitted into the air that can last for several hours and it is sickening. The locals have this weird and fierce loyalty to the comapany (Morrels Pork Plant) to say anything about or even mention the stench when it happens. I noticed that everytime the air would start to stink, soon after my skin would get discolorated and my hair would turn dry as straw, leading me to believe the stench is also toxic. The only people who will be kind to you are the Natives and other out-of-towners. I think the 'successful' job market is just a scam to lure people into staying in a mean and a Boko Haram controlled town. The only good thing about the town, is that you can carry a firearm with only a certificate, which is good because if you're a woman, you will need it. Read Less

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Not a great place 0.5 rating By Anonymous ( Jul 04, 2018) I moved to SF from Colorado... hard to believe huh? I was lured in by one of the big companies in town and regretted it from the day I arrived. Sioux Falls is a blue collar town, which is fine if you're blue collar. It's not a place for professionals or anyone who doesn't want ...Read More to work in a factory or call center their entire life. The people seem very angry and always in a hurry; I guess that's what happens when everyone is working 3 jobs that pay peanuts. If you think $15/hour is "good money" you'll fit right in. There isn't much to do except shop and eat, which is probably why so many people are obese. Employers, even the "good" ones, treat employees like crap because they know they can get away with it. The city government is corrupt and does it's best to keep new companies out and keep wages low. Crime has exploded over the past few years, which the local news-rag tries to keep under wraps. Meth-head losers seems homeless everywhere, the roads and sidewalks are falling apart, the transit system is a joke and the locals hate outsiders... sounds like a great place huh? My advice, save yourself the hassle and go somewhere else. As soon as my one year commitment was up I ran, not walked, out of town! Read Less

Never consider Sioux Falls worthy of anything 0.5 rating By RoadrunnerOut ( Jun 24, 2017) I've been here in Sioux Falls for almost a decade and now know better. I'm getting out of this hole of a state due to the absolutely worst environment for anyone to be a good honest productive person. They consider anyone from out of town to be the most likely cause of all their ...Read More problems ... They might make it look like a great place to visit and go swimming until you learn about the local culture,... And raw sewage dumped into the Big Sioux river,... And the politics leaving you with absolutely nothing if they can,... Police corruption,... Wealth distribution (from you),... Just don't believe anything all the "good cops" tell you and stay away from the BS.. Better opportunities exist everywhere else. Your college degree is obsolete here. Hurry and get that NCR certificate. Read Less

sioux Falls is a bad place 1 rating By travelinfool ( May 08, 2017) We found this city, especially the local police department to be very very racist. Woman called the N word. And a business said the N word. That was too much. don't waste your money coming to that racist community. You will regret it the way people treat you there. ...Read More Read Less

Coming Here would be a Mistake 0.5 rating By BBB ( Apr 03, 2017) This is a review of Sioux Falls, SD from someone who moved here from Broomfield, Colorado. I have been living here for almost two years. Like most people I tried to researched places that may be a better place to live. I picked Sioux Falls.That was a Mistake.My review will be a ...Read More ttacked by someone pretending to be a resident of the city. Ask yourself when you read it, what person spends its time perusing the review boards? So they can refute, attack someone who does a review they don’t like ? Who would do that ? Don’t they have life.It is important to note that states as well as cities spend money to market their state or city, trying to entice people to come there because it adds to their tax base. Some reviews passing themselves off as residents, are in fact, marketing, city state proxies paid by the very location to sell the location. People put more stock in an individual review from the locale than an outright advertisement from the state or city. This is very big for cities, states livilhood. They spend a lot of money promoting their city or state especially in these times.When I started meeting people after coming here and striking up conversations with them in various activities, soon they would look at me with bewilderment, shock and ask me; “Why the #$@!& would you come to Sioux Falls ?”South Dakota is the EIGHTH WORSE STATE IN WHICH TO MAKE A LIVING according to USA Today and Money Rates for 2015, In 2016 they rocketed up to ELEVENTH WORSE STATE IN WHICH TO MAKE A LIVING…..South Dakota didn’t improve with higher wages, its’ just that other states got worse. Even with no income tax, supposedly low unemployment, and safe work environment, it is horrible for making a living. There is a lot of Poverty in Sioux Falls and it is obvious. Much of the city has high poverty with nasty areas, and rundown buildings. The city also has terrible roads with crumbling sidewalks and weeds. The freeways are outstanding though.The low unemployment number advertised for South Dakota and Sioux Falls is a lie. People are leaving the state, city or they are not being counted. All of the states around South Dakota have a far better rating for making a living yet they have state income taxes and a lot of regulations adverse to businesses. Looking at job boards in states surrounding Sioux Falls, such as Craigslist, Indeed, and Keloland Employment. You will see a stark contrast in the number of openings and the wages they offer. There is something seriously “off” in South Dakota. There is a lot of homelessness, drug problems and a suicide problem in this city. It has one of the worse ratings in the country for crimes of all types. FBI has violent crime surging 45%(Assault), and property crimes not far behind. FBI’s Most dangerous places in South Dakota. The following is the list from the top ten most dangerous: 1. Chamberlain, 2. Rapid City, 3. Sioux Falls. The crime situation in Sioux Falls has violent crime going up by a massive 45% and property crime by 5%.This is a Liberal Left Democrat town in a Republican state. It has a propaganda arm called called the “Argus Leader”, a monopoly, tiny tabloid pretending to be a newspaper who is owned by Gannet. Gannet is the organization that believes in open borders, illegal immigration(socialism) who published the names, addresses of people who have Concealed Weapon Permits in New York. Gannet has a lot of controversy, deception, deceit in its media organization. The town also has a large college presence, for profit and public which explains the liberal bias. These colleges are much larger than necessary to service the population around the city and surrounding areasThere are quite a few businesses that have closed their doors in Sioux Falls. Some major, quite big. The city entices seniors to come here and that has resulted in a large medical industry around the area servicing them. . In talking to seniors, many comment they wished they had rented for a year or so before buying. Be careful of people when they are driving around. The city also has a lot of refugees and they are in the very poor neighborhoods. There is also a VA hospital. What this means is that Sioux Falls is Heavily dependent on Federal and outside monies to exist. Welfare, Food Stamps, student loans, medicaid, medicare, Social Security and outside money for their colleges. The very existence of the City depends on this. If those monies in part or all dried up, the city would collapse because it has virtually no other industry. I have been told repeatedly there is a “good old boy” club that keeps business, manufacturing, high paying industries out of this city. The same people mentioned that their classmates have almost all left South Dakota and live in Minnesota or Colorado because they can’t find a good job in Sioux Falls, or South Dakota. That “good old boy club” is undoubtedly the Agriculture, farming community. They have a lot of power. They make sure companies don’t come in and raise the wages, which they see as raising their costs. I have been told they will force businesses out if their wages are out of line. This is the skilled, semi-skilled workers manufacturing would want and that is why the vast majority of openings, jobs in Sioux Falls are in the $12/hr to $16/hr range. There are a lot of jobs below this wage scale too, and very, very few above the $16/hr range. Seeing $20/hr and above in Sioux Falls is very, very rare. This excludes the medical industry who don’t advertise much, and the next biggest employer, the trucking industry. While most residents of the city struggle to find a good full time job, the city is running large deficits, yet when looking at the salaries on the city government site, you’ll see librarians making 85k, 100k, and 115k per year! That is almost 4 times the medium wage of $30,700/yr of average South Dakotan's. MoneyRates.com, also wonders why low unemployment is not translating into higher wages. Low labor supply and high demand ought to translate into higher wages, right? Apparently something is broken in the feedback loop: in South Dakota, lower wages appear to be creating low labor supply. The cost of living for Sioux Falls is at 101.3/102.5, for the neighborhood Sioux Falls is in, but fairly average compared to the rest of the U.S. Weather is Terrible most of the year. Very cold, snow, rain, wind, and humidity in the summer. The area will not get to 70 F degrees until the end of May ! Even then, it will rain, blow, wind, and even then temperatures will sink every couple of days. It is bad all the time and rarely clears or is warm. Plan on being inside ~ 8 months out of the year. This is not good for health or fitness. Sioux Falls ranks 50th(out of 100) in list of Best and Worse cities for Men who want to be fit and happy according to Men's Health Magazine. Weather is key here. No sun, patsy complexion, atrophy, obesity and poor moods are all apparent here. Compounding that, it is also hard to make a living. However, there is a lot less dirt, dust in the air here than in Colorado. A major concern is Water Quality in Sioux Falls. It is some of the worse in the nation. Like all cities they are required to make their water quality numbers available to the public. The EPA audited their water quality some time ago, and their reported numbers were even worse. TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) from my calibrated meter is 388-398 ppm. 500 ppm is Maximum EPA allowable. That doesn’t count all the chemicals in the water! I use an RO. Attributed to the “Good Old Boy Club”, farmers is the descimation of Wildlife on the East side of South Dakota. All farmers use pesticides, they think more is better, but they go a lot further from what I have been told. They kill all the wildlife. There is no prairie dogs, raccoons, coyotes, and hardly ever will you see birds or anything else. It was immediately obvious to me when I came here from Broomfield, Colorado, a city that I would drive around during the day and see wildlife everywhere. Internet and Cable is a monopoly. Midco Communications has it. Internet costs me almost as much as my gas and electric bill combined for probably half the year. The city is pretty compact, so getting somewhere is really quick. Only a few miles to get to the store, or where ever. However, that means your vehicle will hardly ever get warmed up, which is not good for your vehicle. The city has a Costco, which is great. Read Less

Scenic Sioux Falls, South Dakota 4.5 rating By Anonymous ( May 20, 2010) On a recent trip to visit the northwest, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. One of the big reasons I decided to stop there was the beautiful scenery and attractions. I found out during my stay that Sioux Falls has many things to offer to ...Read More tourists.

Sioux Falls is city on the banks of the Big Sioux River and many of its attractions are centered on the water. While I was there I had the opportunity to take in a stage show with a water ski performance at Catfish Bay and took a relaxing pontoon boat ride along the marvelous river bluffs.

If staying in Sioux Falls on a Sunday, I would highly recommend trying the breakfast buffet at the Falls Overlook Cafe restaurant. They serve a wonderful breakfast and the view overlooking the river is breathtaking. Their prices are very reasonable, too.

Sioux Falls is a well-kept city and I never felt unsafe while visiting there. There seems to be community pride in keeping the city very clean. Anyone looking for a nice place to visit with a laid back atmosphere would enjoy their stay. Read Less

Sioux Falls Awards

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Sioux Falls, SD

If you are looking to be close to some of the most beautiful sights in nature, Sioux Falls might be the perfect place for you to call home. Located at the foot of the Black Hills and only an hour or so from scenic Mount Rushmore, Sioux Falls is home to over 175,000 who are proud to be South Dakotans. At just over 75 square miles, it is a medium-sized city that offers all of the amenities and conveniences of modern life without feeling like you are living on top of your neighbors.

Sioux Falls offers its residents a good quality of life with affordable housing, low crime, and a good public education system. The majority of residents rely on cars and trucks to get from point a to point b, although there is a growing number of residents who are starting to commute by bike and other rideshare programs. Some of the top employers in the area include: Sanford Health, Avera Health, Smithfield Foods, and the Hy-Vee Food Stores.

People who are looking to move to the area will have established and well-known areas of the city where they can chose to live. Beadie Greenway, Whittier, North End East, and Downtown are just some of the areas that are popular with homebuyers who are new to the area and looking to plant their roots.

One of the most surprising things for newcomers to the city is Sioux Falls' thriving culinary scene. While most people probably believe that it is only offering traditional Midwestern cuisine, the city has great delis, Japanese restaurants, and pasta joints that rival cities that are much larger in size. The Shoto-Teien Japanese Gardens are one of the most beautiful sights in the city, and the park makes a great place to take a stroll when cherry blossoms are blooming in the spring.

Sioux Falls hosts one of the largest music festivals in America, and it is one of the events that locals look forward to the most during the year. The LifeLight Festival features acts that may not be as mainstream as those you would find at music festivals in New York or California, but it is a great way to see up-and-coming artists who are on the verge of striking it big.

If you are looking to live in a city that offers a high quality of life at a budget that is affordable for you and the family, Sioux Falls is a great place to call home. Whether you are a hunter, a fisherman, or a city lover, there is something that will make you fall in love with this leading South Dakota city.