Discussions

I was thinking about moving to rapid city. I love the small town but I want to still work in Brandon. Anyone have any experience doing this. Is the amount you spend on gas worth the lower housing costs? Would you recommend or not recommend commuting. I do have kids that would attend the BSD. Thanks for any feedback

Good luck keeping your kids in BSD if you move out there. If they move outside of the division, they would have to do school of choice, and because most schools in the BSD are near or at capacity odds are they would be denied.  
 
There is a decent school in Rapid City, but if you or your kids have your heart set on going to school in Brandon, it's very probably it won't happen.

out here for almost 30 years.  
it's a short drive really and the time is just right to get ready for the day and wind down on the way home.  
love it here

Would be fine because I have joint custody and their other parent lives in Brandon

I don't live in rapid city but I do commute to Brandon from a different town . I'm about 35-40 minutes away and it was great to start but I find myself missing the convince of quickly running to town . It's really nice having lower taxes and housing but I'm tired of the drive after a few years. Just my experience !

I live in the country and commute to Brandon for work - I love the peacefulness and can't leave Brandon fast enough sometime (lol) - been living out here for years - yet like the idea that I have decent access to either Brandon, Neepawa or Minnedosa.

We have a family member that lives in Rapid City and we visit frequently. We LOVE it in the summer.. It is so peaceful and quiet. Perfect for fires and BBQ. I don't know what we would do it in the winter, but in the summer I would definitely live out there lol. We absolutely love it there... Not ready to leave the city behind though good luck! I recommend it!

Before we bought our house in Brandon we looked outside the city. We priced out gas and lost wages from road conditions and such just not worth it. Also you mentioned kids. Try being a kid in a little town with nothing to do. It will suck for them when they have their school friends and everyone in the city. Sure the comments are "Oh I love the peace and quiet", well with kids they are not about sipping their coffee watching the sun go up or down. Maybe after kids have spread their wings it would be better for the quiet life. Just remember a jug of milk is no longer a 5 minute drive to the store either.

Fishin Guy said "Before we bought our house in Brandon we looked outside the city. We priced out gas and lost wages from road conditions and such just not worth it. Also you mentioned kids. Try being a kid in a little town with nothing to do. It will suck for them when they have their school friends and everyone in the city. Sure the comments are "Oh I love the peace and quiet", well with kids they are not about sipping their coffee watching the sun go up or down. Maybe after kids have spread their wings it would be better for the quiet life. Just remember a jug of milk is no longer a 5 minute drive to the store either. "

A jug of milk is only a 5 minute drive...or less. There is a co op gas bar and convenience store with many things a person may need or want.

If you are single, retired, or have no children you might enjoy the lifestyle. If you have children you have to keep in mind that most of their activities will involve you driving back and forth to Brandon, on top of the daily commute for work. Your vehicle expenses will be hundreds each month. There are also limited activities for adults that want a social life.. unless you are into hunting, ice fishing, drinking beer or snowmobiling you might feel lonely.  
 
Edited by Rona, 2017-03-12 21:08:46

Wanting a small community for my children so they can fish and ride their bikes and feel safe. The cost of the commute does concern me. I appreciate all the feedback I've received!

do you drive? I commute 25 km each way 5 days a week. With a gas hog truck the drive was costing me as much as $11/day in gas. The car I drive now costs me less than $4/day in gas even in winter. I shop after work or on lunch break so that I do.not have to make extra trips into town.

Living in a small town doesn't mean there is nothing to do for children or adults.  
 
I grew up in a very small town and I didn't just sit around all day or only do nature stuff. Played sports a bit, volunteered with the local drama and the rink, hung out with friends. I think it's always so funny when people say there is nothing for kids to do in Brandon and yet in most small towns kids always find things to do and there is not nearly the amount of activities you can find in Brandon.  
 
I live in a small town with my kids and there are plenty of activities to enroll them in, not just sports. Plus very quickly can go fishing, hiking, swimming in the summer, mini golfing etc oh and a jug of milk isn't a 5 minute drive, it's less than a two minute drive. I find it easier to go grab something quick from the store in a small town than in the city.  
 
I love the small town life and it's the life we want for our kids to grow up in.

I can never figure out why the people from Brandon think there is nothing to do outside the city and that you will always be driving into Brandon for your kids and for supplies. I live on a farm and the nearest village is about 5 miles away where I can get milk etc, need the bigger things I drive for another 10 minutes to the next biggest town. It takes longer driving around Brandon for you to get what you need than it does for me to drive into town! There's tons of stuff for kids to do in small towns, especially Rapid City. There are rinks and playgrounds and lots of other things to do there. The best thing about a small town is when you want to do something, like snowmobiling, you just walk out your door and jump on and go, you don't have to load things up and drive out of town. The support and friendships you get from a small town are incredible. Everyone looks out for everyone. The cost of living will be less in a small town which will outweigh the cost of commuting. Personally you couldn't pay me enough to live in Brandon. Rapid City is a nice little town.

I didn't see anyone from Brandon saying there was nothing to do in a small town. My personal experience was that having kids involved in dance and gymnastics made it crazy for us. There was no point living in a small town when I had to immediately turn around and drive the kids back to Brandon for their activities. There was also added stress in the winter when I was scared of potentially being stranded in Brandon after work with the kids half an hour away.