On Wednesday, December 22, 2004, at 08:17 AM, Victoria Heller wrote:
.....'You wouldn't have to be writin' that check if you lived in [income-tax-free] Sioux Falls.'
And in "Right to Work" (for less) states like South Dakota you probably couldn't earn near as much money. Of course, for those with lots of income they in no way earned South Dakota may be a good tax haven, assuming you actually want to live there.
South Dakota, the Census Bureau will announce today, has replaced Minnesota
as the fastest-growing state in the Upper Midwest."
I spent a few days in the growth area around Sioux Falls this summer and noted a huge influx of immigrants to formerly lilly white South Dakota. Most of these immigrants are there due to the abundance of affordable housing in our metro area rather than low taxes. In fact, wages are so low in South Dakota that they wouldn't be paying much in income taxes in Minnesota anyway. Note also that much of the growth of Sioux Falls and Fargo to the north is due to migration from the smaller towns in the Dakotas. Iowa is also starting to gain population, despite having a state income tax like Minnesota.
Vicky, I suspect the real reason working class folks are going to these surrounding states is the way housing prices have escalated far beyond wage growth in this metro area. If you're an immigrant earning minimum wage or not much more your housing dollar will simply go a lot further in outstate Minnesota, Iowa, or the Dakotas. The real cost of a modest 3 bedroom home or a 2 bedroom handicap accessable townhome with garage is about $100,000 whether you plop it down in the country, a small town, or a Minneapolis lot. When Minneapolis and other metro area communities stabilize the housing market by providing such affordable housing we'll start seeing population growth again.
hanging on in Hawthorne (but I couldn't afford to buy here now),
Dyna Sluyter
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