This paid article is sponsored by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
After two years living in Manhattan and one year living just 45 minutes north, Torres-Moseley was ready to move on from the New York City area to a completely different part of the city.
“I was hoping to be a digital nomad for the next year or so and had heard some good things about getting a residency in South Dakota so I looked into it,” said Moseley, a Colorado native who has worked as a software engineer for the past few years.
A “digital nomad” is a remote worker who travels from place to place, choosing to work from different locations along the way. One day you might find them in a coffee shop, but the next day they might be in a coworking space in another state.
“I was looking into where digital nomads are operating,” Moseley explains, “and I learned that in South Dakota, if you’re here for just one night, you can get residency after just one night, as long as you set up a mailing address here and intend to stay. It’s unique and uncomplicated.”
Intrigued by the idea, he began researching South Dakota more and watched YouTube videos that gave him a closer look at Sioux Falls.
“It felt like a nice place to be so I decided to spend a week there, get residency and come back one day as a digital nomad,” Moseley said.
It was early June, and instead of moving on to the next town and settling somewhere new, Moseley decided he liked Sioux Falls better than he expected.
“I thought, ‘This place is nice enough, I might as well give it a go,'” he says.
“It’s amazing. Being from Colorado, a lot of people are impressed with the mountains, and I love Colorado, but (Sioux Falls) has that feel that you find in towns and cities on the Colorado Front Range. What I love as a backdrop is the Big Sioux River running through it, and the great trails. That’s what I’m looking at.”
He’s now living in temporary housing a few blocks from downtown, at least until the end of the summer.
“I’m really grateful to be in a place that has the trail system, the parks and the amenities of a city, but without the traffic congestion and stress of a big metropolitan area,” Moseley said.
“I think downtown has pretty much everything you need and want. It’s very walkable, and it’s very friendly and accessible, and the trails go right to Falls Park. Those two things combined — great infrastructure and nature — are what I love about the city.”
He’s been job hunting primarily for freelance roles and has interviewed with several companies that will allow him to continue working remotely.
He discovered Startup Sioux Falls downtown while searching for a coffee shop, “and I started walking around and striking up conversations with people in their backyards, and then I used a day pass to work there while I was giving a presentation at a company, and I chatted with people there and we just hit it off.”
Dennis Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development at the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, predicts Moseley will continue to have these experiences as he deepens his connection to Sioux Falls.
“We see this all the time — people discover something that draws them to Sioux Falls and they quickly start building a community,” she said.
“Our favorable tax and cost of living policies make our city a great place for remote workers, but someone like John with a software engineering background will find plenty of ways to apply his skills in Sioux Falls if he chooses. Our city has a variety of exciting and growing companies that want to connect with John, and we’re here to help facilitate those connections.”
For now, Moseley is thrilled to know that “there are eight or 10 coffee shops within a 10-minute drive of my apartment where I can sit back and work, the coffee is good, and it’s a comfortable place to hang out with my laptop for a couple of hours. The library downtown is also a good place to go.”
He added that the general friendliness of Sioux Falls stands out.
“What I really appreciate about Sioux Falls is that when I go outside, the people I encounter every day are so kind, so polite, they smile and say hello on the sidewalk. That means a lot to me,” he said.
“The politeness and friendliness of the people here is unmatched. It’s a very comfortable place to be if you want to base yourself here and live the digital nomad lifestyle. Overall I thought it was a great place, so I came at the right time and I don’t have to worry about being a nomad anywhere else.”
If you would like to learn more about building a career in Sioux Falls, contact us at deniseg@siouxfalls.com.
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