Sioux Falls SD Moving Companies

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The Sioux Falls area is well-known for its generosity and culture of giving. As the largest city in South Dakota, Sioux Falls offers everything you would expect from an ideal U.S. city. Those moving to Sioux Falls will discover a welcoming atmosphere, unmatched convenience, big city entertainment and small-town community.

History:
Two separate groups, the Dakota Land Company of St. Paul and the Western Town Company of Dubuque, Iowa organized in 1856 to claim the land around the falls, considering a promising townsite for its beauty and waterpower. The Western Town Company arrived first, and was soon followed by the St. Paul-based company in 1857. The following year the city’s population grew to near 40 residents. Fort Dakota, a military reservation established in present day downtown, was established in May of 1865. Many former settlers gradually returned and a new wave of settlers arrived in the following years. The population grew to 593 by 1873, and a building boom was underway in that year. The Village of Sioux Falls, consisting of 1,200 acres, was incorporated in 1876. The arrival of the railroads ushered in the great Dakota Boom decade of the 1880s. The population of Sioux Falls mushroomed from 2,164 in 1880 to 10,167 at the close of the decade. The growth transformed the city. A severe plague of grasshoppers and a national depression halted the boom by the early 1890s. The city grew by only 89 people from 1890 to 1900. However, prosperity eventually returned. Key milestones include the opening of the John Morrell meat packing plant in 1909, the establishment of an airbase and a military radio and communications training school in 1942, and the completion of the interstate highways in the early 1960s. Sioux Falls has been marked by impressive growth throughout the 20th century, and development continues at a strong pace today.

Economy:
Sioux Falls has become one of the largest centers for healthcare in the region. Healthcare-related employment doubled in Minnehaha County from 1980 to 1993, and three of Sioux Falls ten largest employers are in the healthcare field today. The area's top employer, Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health System, provides jobs for more than 5,600 people. Financial services also play a vital role in Sioux Falls' economy. Sioux Falls' favorable tax structure, low operating costs and relatively low cost of living have attracted numerous new businesses of all types to the city in recent years. The Sioux Falls economy is comprised of a diversity of sectors, including finance, health care, retailing, agriculture, tourism and distribution and trade. Set in a fertile agricultural region and the site of one of the world's largest stockyards, Sioux Falls has traditionally been a center for the agricultural industry. John Morrell and Company, a meat packer, is the city's third largest employer. Sioux Falls is the largest retail center between Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul. As such, it attracts more than 14 million shoppers annually from throughout the state as well as from Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Other economic sectors important to the city are tourism, which is South Dakota's second largest industry, and distribution and trade, which take advantage of the interstate highway network and the Sioux Falls Regional Airport.

Tourism:
Start by heading over to Falls Park. Falls Park offers light shows and waterfalls where the river flows over many tiers of Sioux quartzite. Falls Park in Sioux Falls is located on the Big Sioux River. There are miles of trails for walking, running and biking. Next, USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial is dedicated to the most decorated battleship of World War II. This memorial is a full-size outline of the ship with artifacts from the ship positioned in it. The Old Courthouse Museum is a beautifully restored 1800s quartzite building has three floors of regional history exhibits. For family fun, the Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History are the places to go. The Great Plains Zoo offers visitors an up-close look at more than 1,000 animals, including tigers, snow leopards, giraffes, rhinoceros, flamingoes and a variety of primates. The Zoo also includes the Delbridge Museum of Natural History, a local treasure that houses a rare collection of 150 mounted animals, including 36 “vanishing species.”

Colleges and Universities:

• University of Sioux Falls
• Augustana College
• Kilian Community College
• Sioux Falls Seminary

Interesting Facts:

• In May 2005, for the third consecutive year, Forbes magazine named Sioux Falls the best small city for business and careers.
• Sioux Falls is consistently listed among the top metropolitan areas for economic strength and an expanding business community.