Rapid City, which is in the Black Hills Region of South Dakota is #10 lowest unemployment in the Nation. It's also the nastiest part of the state with gangs, crime, etc. I'm making no judgments, etc, just giving you some info.
However, It is IMHO no worse than the outskirts of Philadelphia which I visited for the first time as a high schooler. I won an essay contest and was sent to Valley Forge. I couldn't believe what a sh*thole Philadelphia was and the surrounding area. People sleeping on the streets inside the city. People sitting on rocking chairs on the porch of old ramshackle cabins outside the city.
Again, what do you make of that? People are the same all over. I'm really tired of this "people who live in X are Y" crap. Whether it's America vs China vs Europe or Red State vs Blue State. It's mostly bunk generated by our own biases.
As a Rapid City native, I am surprised to hear this. I have not lived there in about 5 years, but I grew up there and my parents and brother still live there.
Sure, there are people on "tough times" but I can't believe that it's the "nastiest part of the state."
Of course, these are just my personal observations. I lived on the "good side" of town and my father (who owns a construction company) did fairly well.
I can vouch for Philadelphia. I live right across the river from it. The city itself is really is a hole. There is rampant crime and the infrastructure is literally crumbling. North Philadelphia, is essentially a war-zone, and across the river in New Jersey, you have the urban decay of Camden and Trenton. And to think, all of this is in the most heavily populated region in the country, the Northeast megalopolis (Northeast megalopolis). Of course, there used to a great deal more manufacturing in those places as well--for instance the shipyard in Philadelphia.
However, It is IMHO no worse than the outskirts of Philadelphia which I visited for the first time as a high schooler. I won an essay contest and was sent to Valley Forge. I couldn't believe what a sh*thole Philadelphia was and the surrounding area. People sleeping on the streets inside the city. People sitting on rocking chairs on the porch of old ramshackle cabins outside the city.
Again, what do you make of that? People are the same all over. I'm really tired of this "people who live in X are Y" crap. Whether it's America vs China vs Europe or Red State vs Blue State. It's mostly bunk generated by our own biases.