So many stereotypes about South Dakotans are laughable. No, not all of us are farmers or ranchers. Yes, we have cell phones and the Internet. And while we love our Wild West heritage, South Dakota isn’t really a wild frontier place anymore. However, some stereotypes about South Dakotans are spot-on, and we should just accept them as fact.
1. We’ll never be big-city people.
With a population well under one million people, South Dakota is not a state of big cities. Sioux Falls, our largest city, has just 175,000 people. Our cities will never be all glittery and highfalutin, but we like it that way.
2. We’re pretty self-sufficient.
South Dakotans know how to grow our own food and raise our own cattle. We know how to plant a garden, shoot a pheasant and fill the freezer with elk and venison. Oh, and we help feed the rest of the country too.
3. We take care of our own.
Sure, we’re self-sufficient, but we’re also the first to help out when our neighbors need a hand or our community needs volunteers.
4. Sometimes we drive very slowly.
Sometimes we’re the ones driving the tractor, and sometimes we’re the ones stuck behind the guy who is. Either way, if you’re in a hurry while driving down a back road in South Dakota, you could be in for a longer drive than you anticipated.
5. We don’t have the healthiest diet, and we’re not apologizing.
South Dakotans love comfort food, and when a freezing wind is blowing all winter, why shouldn’t we be devouring chicken fried steaks and hotdish?
6. South Dakotans are tough as nails.
Speaking of that freezing wind...we’re some of the toughest folks in the country when it comes to weather.
7. We’re hard workers, and we’re not afraid to get our hands dirty.
All that growing and shooting and planting is hard work, and we’re not fazed by any of it. Whether we work on a ranch or in an office, we spend the day earning our keep.
8. We’re trusting to a fault.
We leave our cars unlocked at night, and during the day we sometimes leave them running while we pop into the convenience store. You'll often find our front doors unlocked, and if we lock the front door, we usually leave the back door wide open.
9. We’re proud to be South Dakotans.
Not everyone is cut out to be a South Dakotan, but most of us can’t imagine living anywhere else.
What other stereotypes do you think are true about South Dakotans? Tell us in the comments!
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