Full disclosure: Although I am a big fan of Orlando and living in a downtown urban environment, I spend summers back at my folks’ ranch in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I know — I’m one of those Floridians who is basically a snowbird — but really it’s all about getting out of the heat and humidity of the Florida summer. Can you blame me?
But while we’re back home in the beautiful Black Hills (home to SIX national parks!), it doesn’t take long before we start missing big-city life. Conventional wisdom says that people want to get away from the crowds of a big city and enjoy the peace and quiet of the simple life out in the countryside. That can be really nice for a vacation.
But try living in it.
The first thing we notice is our lack of restaurant choices. While we have some great grass-fed beef, you can only eat so many steak tips in my hometown of Sturgis (yes, THAT Sturgis!). We are fortunate in Orlando to have such an amazing choice of restaurants and cuisines, from Michelin-rated fine dining and James Beard finalists to entire ethnic districts such as Mills 50’s Vietnamese community.
Then there’s shopping. I can get basic (expensive) groceries, but even for a Walmart, I have to drive 30 – 40 minutes to the three in western South Dakota — or the one Target in Rapid City. Visitors during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally often think they can pick up what they need at Costco — sorry, the nearest one is six hours away in Denver.
And you’ll probably have to go to Denver if you want an oil change on your BMW, Lexus, Mercedes or any other high-end car.
While we love our Sturgis community theater and watching my niece or nephew play high school sports (go Scoopers!), there is nothing like the shows, concerts and sporting events we have at our tourist-funded venues of the Dr. Phillips Center, Kia Center or Camping World Stadium.
Hopping a direct flight nearly anywhere in the world (seasonal to Rapid City) is another advantage of living in a big city like Orlando.
I often get in trouble at home when wanting to go to every single festival and event in downtown Orlando. Back in Sturgis, if you don’t go and support the event, who will? Use it or lose it!
While people in the Black Hills are friendly to tourists (think Mt. Rushmore), we have poor diversity and acceptance of different cultures and different ways of living. Orlando, on the other hand, is one of the most accepting and progressive places I have ever lived.
And then there are basic services city dwellers take for granted — home mail delivery, cable TV, recycling pick-up, street sweepers, centralized water and sewer, high-speed internet. We don’t have any of those things on the ranch.
Like Florida, the Black Hills has had many people move in from other places. They love the peace and quiet for a while, until they realize how difficult it can be to find certain products, foods and services.
“I have to plow my own road in the winter?” they ask. “There’s not a good sushi place here? Gas costs how much!?”
Welcome to rural living. Maybe that’s why I’m so enthralled with cities.
Within a short walk, Orlando offers so many services and restaurants that we don’t have in my hometown in South Dakota. (LOGAN LAMPHERE)