Dakota Dunes turns 20, and getting younger all the time
By Molly Montag Journal staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Jerry Peterson feeds ice cream to his daghter Hollie, 1 1/2, during an ice cream social at the Dakota Dunes Country Club Monday, August 4, 2008. (Jim Lee/Sioux CIty Journal)
DAKOTA DUNES -- Dakota Dunes Community Improvement District celebrated its 20th birthday on Monday, but longtime residents say the southeastern South Dakota community seems to get younger with age.
Many children joined their parents and grandparents for an ice cream social at the celebration Monday night at the Dakota Dunes Country Club.
Created in 1988 by Midwest Energy Company to stimulate the economy in its service territory, the area that was once farmland and sand dunes in southeastern Union County, S.D., is now a community with 2,682 residents living in 796 homes.
Longtime resident Barb Hofdahl said she's been surprised both by the community's growth and how its demographics have changed.
When Hofdahl and her husband, Gary, moved into Dakota Dunes 17 years ago, it was mostly inhabited by retired couples or older couples whose children were away at college.
The families became younger as the community continued to grow, Hofdahl said.
"It seemed to originally draw more people of retirement type," Barb Hofdahl said. "I don't know why that happened, but it is nice to see and hear children."
The family atmosphere was one of the reasons Katie Boyle and her husband, Sioux City West High School basketball coach Kelly Boyle, moved to Dakota Dunes in October with their now 21-month-old daughter, Lauryn.
"Everybody is really friendly," Katie Boyle said.
In addition to single-family homes, the site offers 346 apartments in three buildings, a golf course designed by Arnold Palmer, commerical development and two industrial parks.
Dennis Melstad, Dakota Dunes project manager, said the community continues to grow despite the sluggish national economy.
He credited the community's recent growth to more medical businesses taking residence in the industrial parks, South Dakota's business and tax climate and supply and demand.
Dakota Dunes residents do not pay personal state income tax, personal property tax, corporate income tax, business inventory tax, inheritance tax or local sales tax.
"The last three years have been the best three years in the life of the Dunes," Melstad said.
The community looks much different than it did nearly 20 years ago when Stan and Judy Boyle visited their prospective home -- by boat.
The Boyles, no relation to Kelly and Katie Boyle, have lived the longest at Dakota Dunes, having moved into the development in February 1991. For years, there seemed to be more bald eagles and coyotes roaming Dakota Dunes than there were people, they said.
Now, Judy Boyle said the development's grown bigger -- and more family friendly -- than she ever expected.
"I would like to see it keep building and getting bigger and bigger," she said.
Many children joined their parents and grandparents for an ice cream social at the celebration Monday night at the Dakota Dunes Country Club.
Created in 1988 by Midwest Energy Company to stimulate the economy in its service territory, the area that was once farmland and sand dunes in southeastern Union County, S.D., is now a community with 2,682 residents living in 796 homes.
Longtime resident Barb Hofdahl said she's been surprised both by the community's growth and how its demographics have changed.
When Hofdahl and her husband, Gary, moved into Dakota Dunes 17 years ago, it was mostly inhabited by retired couples or older couples whose children were away at college.
The families became younger as the community continued to grow, Hofdahl said.
"It seemed to originally draw more people of retirement type," Barb Hofdahl said. "I don't know why that happened, but it is nice to see and hear children."
The family atmosphere was one of the reasons Katie Boyle and her husband, Sioux City West High School basketball coach Kelly Boyle, moved to Dakota Dunes in October with their now 21-month-old daughter, Lauryn.
"Everybody is really friendly," Katie Boyle said.
In addition to single-family homes, the site offers 346 apartments in three buildings, a golf course designed by Arnold Palmer, commerical development and two industrial parks.
Dennis Melstad, Dakota Dunes project manager, said the community continues to grow despite the sluggish national economy.
He credited the community's recent growth to more medical businesses taking residence in the industrial parks, South Dakota's business and tax climate and supply and demand.
Dakota Dunes residents do not pay personal state income tax, personal property tax, corporate income tax, business inventory tax, inheritance tax or local sales tax.
"The last three years have been the best three years in the life of the Dunes," Melstad said.
The community looks much different than it did nearly 20 years ago when Stan and Judy Boyle visited their prospective home -- by boat.
The Boyles, no relation to Kelly and Katie Boyle, have lived the longest at Dakota Dunes, having moved into the development in February 1991. For years, there seemed to be more bald eagles and coyotes roaming Dakota Dunes than there were people, they said.
Now, Judy Boyle said the development's grown bigger -- and more family friendly -- than she ever expected.
"I would like to see it keep building and getting bigger and bigger," she said.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 1 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
So over the Dunes experience wrote on Aug 5, 2008 3:40 PM: