A visitor's impression of Hot Springs
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10/16/2010
This is a small town, suitable for those who like the Black Hills and want someplace quieter than Rapid City (and a little warmer -- it's located in a kind of climatic anomaly, because the Hills to the north block and divert the colder air from the north, and the geothermal heat from the springs also helps to elevate average temps year round). Pretty, some interesting shops downtown, and affordable housing and rentals. Some of the negatives you may have read in the Rapid City page might apply here, so if you insist on being surrounded by liberals and intellectuals, this might not work for you. However, I have to say that generally westerners, of the type you find in all of western SD, are a tolerant and free-thinking people who tend to look past ideological differences. It's a bit paradoxical, because at the same time, they often follow the lead of some very rigid and right-wing leaders and media figures in our country. But really, if you are even contemplating living in a place like this, then your priorities lie in other places than politics and ideology. The real reason anyone would come here is for the Hills and the spiritual renewal they can offer. The Lakota are right -- this place is holy.
Paul | Wichita, KS