Please welcome Brittany from Simply Adapting to the blog today! This girl is amazing and knows exactly what I am going through with the move. Your going to love her!
Hello everyone! I’m so excited to guest post here at the Momma Bear Diaries! When Tiffany asked me if
I would help her in posting while she was moving I thought to myself “What a great idea!” If you aren’t
familiar with my blog {Simply Adapting – Making HOME where ever life takes you} I basically blog about
moving across the country which in the case Momma Bear is doing right now! How exciting!
Today I am going to share my experience of living is a new state! I am originally from Wilmington,
Delaware a city located 35 minutes south of Philadelphia with a population of 70,000 not including all of
the sprawling suburbs that grow by the thousands each year.
{ Delaware Raised – what do Delawareans do? }
People often make jokes about Delaware – Dela-Where? Since we are such a small state. Literally, you
can drive from north DE to south DE in 2.5 hours… and east to south {depending on the northern or
lower part of the state) within 40 minutes. So yes, we are a tiny state but we love it so!
Benefits to Delaware – We are tiny but we are surrounded by culture! You can drive to Philly night life
for a girl’s night out in just 35 minutes, if you want a day of Broadway and shopping you can jump a train
to New York City and be there in 2.5-3hours. Need some history and a patriotic day, drive south for 2
hours (without traffic) and roam the mall at our Nation’s Capital in Washington D.C. And between there
stop at Baltimore’s inner harbor to get a quick bite and watch the boats come in.
Forget all of that though! A Delawareans favorite part of this tiny state is the BEACH LIFE! Yes, Delaware
has amazing beaches (NOT SHORES) that we grow up going to. If you have a family you go to Rehoboth
Beach, DE to spend the days in the sand with your kids and walk the boardwalk and ride the rides at
night. If you are in your 20+ Dewey Beach is where you “summer” or “weekend” at which really is just
on the south side of Rehoboth Beach. It has a strip of bars that line the main boulevard that you can
wake up to have a morning bloody-mary to cure your hangover from the night before or hit at night for
a fun evening of open deck bars and live cover bands. I can’t even give it justice so if you live close to
Delaware and want a fun get away retreat I highly recommend Dewey!
We area also a state that is very agriculture dominated… What Delaware has Agriculture? Our state
produces the most yield of Lima Beans in the country and we are a top producer of poultry. 2/3 of the
state is made of up agriculture and nature preserves. So we may be little but don’t count us out!
{ South Dakota }
Well, now that I am depressed from rehashing my life in Delaware I can tell you a little about my new
state of South Dakota.
This was a complete culture shock for me! South Dakota is made up of 824,000 people. It takes 5.5 – 6
hours to get from the east part of the state to the west and 4.5 hours to get from the North to South
borders. That means if you think of population verses state size… THERE’S NO ONE HERE! The town I live
in now is a population of 15,000. When you get on the interstate you see nothing but farm land, when
you see an exit for a town most likely all you can see is a water tower in the distance where a town of
possibly 500 resides. (TRUE STORY!)
Gas Stations? You better fill up before you leave your town because there are none and when you see
one that are very far and few.
{ East vs West River }
If you are from South Dakota then you refer to east and West River quite often. Basically the state is cut
down the middle with the Missouri River as the cut off. There is a HUGE difference from east to west.
East River is as flat as a sheet of paper on a desk and filled with more small towns but larger population
towns. Whereas West River is empty as far as the eye can see, once you hit the Bad Lands it’s like you
have transported to another planet. Then once you hit the Black hills (Mt. Rushmore) with its beautiful
mountains with green pines and wonderful culture and tourism. Also, on the East you have Farmers
where in the West you have Ranchers – REAL COWBOYS.
{Schools}
I have never seen a school that houses Kindergarten through 12th grade in one building. In some of the
smaller towns this is so and they may only have 1 subject area teacher for the entire middle school/ high
school! Where I went to school we had at least 8 teachers in the department alone for Math! This was
def. a wild idea for me to comprehend. Can you imagine going to school with the same kids from the
time you are 5 until you are 18!
{ What I love here }
Although I miss Delaware and the Ocean immensely during the summer times South Dakota has much
to offer. Small town living is one thing. If you want to raise your kids with moral values and family
interaction the mid-west is the place. When I taught high school if was very hard to get the parents
involved in their children let alone get them to come to sporting events their kids were in. Out here
people BREATHE life for their kids, going to all the sporting events, plays, concerts, PTA meetings, etc.
It’s all about family.
Traffic is not a problem at all! I love that I can go 75-80 on the highway and not have to take cruise
control off. I often forget where I am and see that I reach 78 MPH and check to see if a cop picked me
up… ha not the case here.
People are nice! Would you believe that when you are walking on the sidewalk on Main Street that
people actually look you in the eye and say hi? Back home if you walk towards someone they usually
look away or keep their eyes on the ground. People hold the doors open for you and if you break down
they stop to help.
I am a huge fan of landscaped that have trees and rolling hills… SD does not have trees. Over time they
have brought in and planted trees along their yard for “Wind Breaks” but there are very few naturally
grown trees in the state… except in the black hills where Mt. Rushmore resides. I miss trees very much.
{Wrap up}
Overall I have enjoyed my time living here in South Dakota but my heart belongs to Delaware. I am glad
that I was able to have this experience and really get a feel for living in the Dakotas, however, I don’t
think I will miss it too much.
Our next move is to Iowa this May! I can’t wait to be able to compare it to South Dakota. They are both
Mid –West states but have VERY different cultures and landscapes.
Please follow me on journey @ Simply Adapting !
See! Isn't she pretty awesome! Make sure you hop on over to her blog and show her some love! Also don't forget about the Flaunt a Friend link up running tomorrow. It will still run just like normal! This is a week to find lots of new bloggers to follow!
Hello everyone! I’m so excited to guest post here at the Momma Bear Diaries! When Tiffany asked me if
I would help her in posting while she was moving I thought to myself “What a great idea!” If you aren’t
familiar with my blog {Simply Adapting – Making HOME where ever life takes you} I basically blog about
moving across the country which in the case Momma Bear is doing right now! How exciting!
Delaware a city located 35 minutes south of Philadelphia with a population of 70,000 not including all of
the sprawling suburbs that grow by the thousands each year.
{ Delaware Raised – what do Delawareans do? }
People often make jokes about Delaware – Dela-Where? Since we are such a small state. Literally, you
can drive from north DE to south DE in 2.5 hours… and east to south {depending on the northern or
lower part of the state) within 40 minutes. So yes, we are a tiny state but we love it so!
Benefits to Delaware – We are tiny but we are surrounded by culture! You can drive to Philly night life
for a girl’s night out in just 35 minutes, if you want a day of Broadway and shopping you can jump a train
to New York City and be there in 2.5-3hours. Need some history and a patriotic day, drive south for 2
hours (without traffic) and roam the mall at our Nation’s Capital in Washington D.C. And between there
stop at Baltimore’s inner harbor to get a quick bite and watch the boats come in.
Forget all of that though! A Delawareans favorite part of this tiny state is the BEACH LIFE! Yes, Delaware
has amazing beaches (NOT SHORES) that we grow up going to. If you have a family you go to Rehoboth
Beach, DE to spend the days in the sand with your kids and walk the boardwalk and ride the rides at
night. If you are in your 20+ Dewey Beach is where you “summer” or “weekend” at which really is just
on the south side of Rehoboth Beach. It has a strip of bars that line the main boulevard that you can
wake up to have a morning bloody-mary to cure your hangover from the night before or hit at night for
a fun evening of open deck bars and live cover bands. I can’t even give it justice so if you live close to
Delaware and want a fun get away retreat I highly recommend Dewey!
We area also a state that is very agriculture dominated… What Delaware has Agriculture? Our state
produces the most yield of Lima Beans in the country and we are a top producer of poultry. 2/3 of the
state is made of up agriculture and nature preserves. So we may be little but don’t count us out!
{ South Dakota }
state of South Dakota.
This was a complete culture shock for me! South Dakota is made up of 824,000 people. It takes 5.5 – 6
hours to get from the east part of the state to the west and 4.5 hours to get from the North to South
borders. That means if you think of population verses state size… THERE’S NO ONE HERE! The town I live
in now is a population of 15,000. When you get on the interstate you see nothing but farm land, when
you see an exit for a town most likely all you can see is a water tower in the distance where a town of
possibly 500 resides. (TRUE STORY!)
Gas Stations? You better fill up before you leave your town because there are none and when you see
one that are very far and few.
{ East vs West River }
down the middle with the Missouri River as the cut off. There is a HUGE difference from east to west.
East River is as flat as a sheet of paper on a desk and filled with more small towns but larger population
towns. Whereas West River is empty as far as the eye can see, once you hit the Bad Lands it’s like you
have transported to another planet. Then once you hit the Black hills (Mt. Rushmore) with its beautiful
mountains with green pines and wonderful culture and tourism. Also, on the East you have Farmers
where in the West you have Ranchers – REAL COWBOYS.
{Schools}
I have never seen a school that houses Kindergarten through 12th grade in one building. In some of the
smaller towns this is so and they may only have 1 subject area teacher for the entire middle school/ high
school! Where I went to school we had at least 8 teachers in the department alone for Math! This was
def. a wild idea for me to comprehend. Can you imagine going to school with the same kids from the
time you are 5 until you are 18!
{ What I love here }
Although I miss Delaware and the Ocean immensely during the summer times South Dakota has much
to offer. Small town living is one thing. If you want to raise your kids with moral values and family
interaction the mid-west is the place. When I taught high school if was very hard to get the parents
involved in their children let alone get them to come to sporting events their kids were in. Out here
people BREATHE life for their kids, going to all the sporting events, plays, concerts, PTA meetings, etc.
It’s all about family.
Traffic is not a problem at all! I love that I can go 75-80 on the highway and not have to take cruise
control off. I often forget where I am and see that I reach 78 MPH and check to see if a cop picked me
up… ha not the case here.
People are nice! Would you believe that when you are walking on the sidewalk on Main Street that
people actually look you in the eye and say hi? Back home if you walk towards someone they usually
look away or keep their eyes on the ground. People hold the doors open for you and if you break down
they stop to help.
I am a huge fan of landscaped that have trees and rolling hills… SD does not have trees. Over time they
have brought in and planted trees along their yard for “Wind Breaks” but there are very few naturally
grown trees in the state… except in the black hills where Mt. Rushmore resides. I miss trees very much.
{Wrap up}
Overall I have enjoyed my time living here in South Dakota but my heart belongs to Delaware. I am glad
that I was able to have this experience and really get a feel for living in the Dakotas, however, I don’t
think I will miss it too much.
Our next move is to Iowa this May! I can’t wait to be able to compare it to South Dakota. They are both
Mid –West states but have VERY different cultures and landscapes.
Please follow me on journey @ Simply Adapting !
See! Isn't she pretty awesome! Make sure you hop on over to her blog and show her some love! Also don't forget about the Flaunt a Friend link up running tomorrow. It will still run just like normal! This is a week to find lots of new bloggers to follow!
Great experiences on the different town. Lucky girl!
ReplyDeleteThis was such a cool post! Thanks for sharing! I had no idea there were no natural tress in SD! How interesting! :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a great post! Love your personal comments on both places. I doubt that we'll ever live in either of them, but it's interesting to see people's perspectives!
ReplyDelete