Leanns grew up on a ranch before moving to South Dakota in 2009. The young country music fan tried to make friends in her new home but found herself consistently sitting alone waiting for someone to call and invite her out. She loved to go dancing and wanted to meet people who shared that interests, so she told her story on a local forum, asking, “Anyone have any suggestions?”
One Sioux Falls resident described a large social group that was “all super friendly” and encouraged Leanns not to let a lack of friends keep her at home. “Most people think it’s pretty ballsy and cool to go places by yourself,” Sheiladekam wrote in a comment, “and will open up to you just for putting yourself out there.”
With a population of over 190,000 people, Sioux Falls is currently the largest city in South Dakota. From the French fur trappers of the 1800s to lonely Leanns in 2009, people have been exploring and settling in this area for centuries. If you aren’t making friends or dates in Sioux Falls, our list of ways to meet single South Dakotans can help you pioneer new relationships.
Sioux Falls Dating Sites
In the early days of dating sites, people dismissed the platforms as tools for the desperate, but today the stigma is gone and the floodgates are open. Now online dating is by far the best way to meet singles. Younger generations have especially embraced the internet’s ability to hook them up on hot dates. If you don’t know which dating sites are best to join, you’re in luck because we’ve tried the most popular platforms out there and can attest to the quality and success of the following high-performing dating sites.
Best Singles Site
Much like the Corn Palace of South Dakota, Match.com is a one-of-a-kind destination that draws attention and awe from all corners of the world. Since 1995, Match has dominated the dating industry and connected people on more dates and facilitated more relationships than any other dating site in the world. Talk about a claim to fame! When you sign up to Match.com, you’ll be in good hands.
- Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships
- Match System: Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
- Our Experts Say: Match has facilitated the most dates and relationships of any dating site, and its large audience and high success rate make it our top review. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
Over 50 & Senior Site
Once you reach a certain age, it becomes easier to get people to show you pictures of their kids or grandkids but much harder to get them to go on a date. Many senior daters want a date who understands their life experiences, but they struggle to find singles their own age. OurTime makes the search a lot easier by fostering a mature dating site for singles over 50 years old. Here, South Dakotans navigate a user-friendly dating space where people are seasoned in the ways of the world.
- Relationships: Dates and Relationships
- Match System: Search by profiles by zip and more
- Our Experts Say: OurTime is well-known in the over-50 dating crowd, particularly because it has a ton of helpful search features and an easy layout. Our Review »
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For Black Men & Women Only
Sioux Falls is the biggest city in South Dakota, so it has a much larger Black community than most of the surrounding area, but African-American residents still only make up 4.2% of the total population, according to the census. That’s not an encouraging statistic for daters attracted to Black and biracial daters. Fortunately, BlackPeopleMeet offers a central hub for Black daters looking to meet one another. The Black dating site has location-based tools to help locals find one another and make a date.
- Relationships: Deep Relationships or Just Casual Dates
- Match System: Search by location, age, more
- Our Experts Say: BlackPeopleMeet.com is the one of the largest and most popular dating sites for black and biracial singles, and the site is used by more than 5 million people a month. Our Review »
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Hookup & Sex Site
Adult Friend Finder isn’t designed to find you deep compatibility, long-term love, or platonic friendships — it’s designed to get you laid. This active online community encourages singles to let go of their inhibitions and seek a satisfying sex life. The real-time chat features have led to over 6 million connections between singles and swingers eager to skip right to the good stuff.
- Relationships: Hookups Only
- Match System: Search by location, interest, more
- Our Experts Say: Make no mistake: this site isn't about making friends, it's about finding hookups and casual encounters. No adult site has a larger or more active user base of those seeking discreet fun. Our Review »
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Popular Dating Apps
Thanks to the invention of railroads, the Sioux Falls population increased five-fold in the 1880s. New technology and innovations often bring people together and change how they interact. Today, most dating sites are rushing to create an app — or at least make their sites mobile-friendly — because mobile dating has pushed the frontiers of flirtation. Singles just find it more convenient. You always have the chance to chat with date prospects when you carry your dating profile around in your pocket. By using location-based matching, dating apps have become highly effective ways to find a date and meet up with someone in your area. If you’re always on the go in Sioux Falls, following dating apps will serve you well.
Match.com
- Relationships: Fun Dates, Serious Relationships
- Match System: Browse by location, age, interest, and more
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About the App:
Available via the App Store and Google Play, Match is a fantastic app for dates and relationships. With a user base of 30 million singles, Match is where you’ll have a high chance of success. It’s free to download, create a profile, search for date prospects, and receive compatible matches based on personalized preferences. Free members can also chat with select members and send unlimited likes.
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eharmony
- Relationships: Long-Term Relationships, Marriages
- Match System: Get daily match suggestions
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About the App:
Responsible for 4% of marriages in the U.S., eharmony is among our top picks for relationship-minded heterosexual singles. To become a member, add the app to your phone (iOS or Android) and then take its 29 Dimensions® of Compatibility Matching Quiz. It’s absolutely free to do both these things — as well as receive matches and communicate during other special events.
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
OurTime.com
- Relationships: Dating and Relationships
- Match System: Search by age as well as zip, gender, more
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About the App:
Made just for single seniors, OurTime is one of the most well-known niche dating apps. It’s a fun and straightforward app with simple swiping features. Once two people swipe right on each other, they can communicate. For more match options, visit the ConnectMe and I’m Interested pages.
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Sioux Falls Singles Bars
In 1856, American frontiersmen went far outside their comfort zones to establish Sioux Falls. They left everything they knew to come out west in hopes of a better life. In comparison, going around the corner to a local bar isn’t such an arduous trek for singles hoping to meet somebody. Over the last century, traditional saloons have been replaced by gastropubs, speakeasies, gay bars, and an array of fun watering holes around town. Read on for our reviews of the most exciting and popular drinking establishments in Sioux Falls.
Wiley's Tavern
Wiley's Tavern promises to satisfy customers with a varied menu, quality drinks, and engaging special events. Known for its flatbread pizza and live music performances, the bar is a cool place to mingle with date-worthy folks. Its central location along North Main makes it ideal for singles who like mingling in a diverse crowd. You can check out the calendar of events or daily drink specials at Wiley's Tavern to pick the best time to stop by and share a pint (or two) with someone special.
Red Eye Bar & Casino
The quirky and excitable team at the Red Eye Bar fancy themselves experts at having a good time. At the very least, they know how to mix a good drink and tell a good joke. This dive bar is unlike any other. Whether you enjoy playing pool or watching midget wrestling, the bar takes fun to a new level. Rowdy people pack into the bar to watch professional burlesque shows, sports games, and oil wrestling. From beer pong to male strippers, the Red Eye Bar certainly gives daters a reason to come out to the bar and have a one-of-a-kind experience.
Crawford's Bar & Grill
At Crawford's Bar & Grill, you can while away your evenings eating hearty meals, drinking innovative cocktails, and flirting with fun-loving individuals. The funky bar boasts of its energetic atmosphere and flavorful dishes. Named after Crawford's Men's Wear, a clothing and shoe store from the 1930s, Crawford's Bar takes pride in the rich history of Sioux Falls and upholds the establishment's long tradition of providing tailored service to loyal customers. From the impressive Sioux quartzite bar top to the hand-painted and jeweled wallpaper, Crawford's Bar put effort into the details to transport visitors to the Wild West for an evening.
Garage Bar
The Garage Bar is a beloved neighborhood haunt known for pouring quality cold ones. You won't find any fancy liquors here; just good old-fashioned beers and wines. A friendly staff welcomes visitors and encourages regulars to kick back and stay awhile. To spice up weekday evenings, the Garage Bar hosts fun dart board and cornhole tournaments, which allow singles to team up and compete for local glory. The Garage Bar is a simple and classic place to meet Sioux Falls locals. As the Facebook page says, "Cold beer, good friends, great atmosphere... what's not to like?"
Monks House Of Ale Repute
Monks House of Ale Repute is crazy about craft beer. Seriously, they can't get enough of it. Sure, the pizza and sandwiches are great, and the atmosphere is casual and low-key, but what the bar really focuses on is maintaining the best brewery in South Dakota. The Gandy Dancer Brew Works uses a small-batch method (called nano-brewing) to create original and memorable flavors of beer. Monks has 39 taps and feature eight special-made Gandy Dancer brews for daters to savor.
Sioux Falls Speed Dating
No one enjoys wasting precious weekend nights on bad dates, and it’s especially frustrating to continue the same pattern of failed first dates when you’re also balancing a full-time career or an active social life. If you want to speed up the dating process and increase your odds of falling for someone in Sioux Falls, we recommend looking into speed dating events. These lively events allow participants to skip through dozens of first meetings in one night, building on the instant chemistry of mutual matches and dispensing with the undesirables. Singles can sign up through Pre-Dating, a national dating agency, to hear about opportunities to speed date in and around Sioux Falls.
Sioux Falls Singles Events
When you take the time to go out and meet people, it’s nice to know that you’ll find desirable and available date prospects (rather than a roomful of married couples). Singles events give you that security and confidence. Everyone who comes to singles-only parties, meetups, and social gatherings is unattached and interested in meeting date-worthy folks. You don’t have to go through the “So, are you seeing anyone?” song-and-dance at singles events. Sioux Falls Social Singles offer local opportunities to network with adult singles (over 40) in your neighborhood. By hosting frequent dinners, festivals, dances, brunches, and gatherings, this group helps daters fill their social calendars with fun activities throughout the year.
Sioux Falls Singles Clubs
The dance floor is pure dating magic for singles who can bust a move. A night club provides the right atmosphere for make a date with someone. It’s casual. It’s fun. It’s undeniably physical. Young people in skin-tight clothes pack themselves together to revel together at the club. If you enjoy roaming from club to club, you can plan your next night out by scrolling through the Real Yellow Pages to find the hottest clubs in Sioux Falls.
Sioux Falls Chat Rooms
The internet has evolved a lot since the dial-up days, but chat rooms haven’t really changed. Chat rooms have remained by-and-large the same because these portals provide a straightforward and enjoyable way for online users to get to know one another. While going up to someone in person can be intimidating, sending a chat is relatively painless and requires a lot less effort. All it takes is a short exchange to see if you have chemistry with someone and start working toward an IRL love connection. Chat rooms are a tried-and-true place to flirt with people you don’t know and practice your wooing on an even (and virtual) playing field.
Sioux Falls Personals
Dating sites have gotten increasingly fancy and high-tech these days with matching games, personality questionnaires, and all sorts of features that can distract people from what they’re there to do: get a date. Instead of playing swiping games, online dating personals cut right to the chase. These sites don’t need a bunch of bells and whistles to bring singles together. All you have to do is set up a profile, state what you’re looking for, and conduct a simple search by age, gender, or location. Dating personals sites don’t overcomplicate the dating process, so finding desirable singles becomes a much simpler process.
Go Explore the Great Outdoors to Fall For Someone
South Dakota attracts outdoorsy folks who love a good adventure. Often getting to know people around town is easier when you go outside to spend time in a community-driven environment.
From the 130+ species of animals at the Great Plains Zoo to the 800 living butterflies at the Butterfly House and Marine Cove, Sioux Falls has a lot of attractions for local animal lovers and sightseers. Falls Park is a favorite destination with over 123 acres to explore and dozens of gorgeous falls to admire.
The serene gardens of Terrace Park create a romantic backdrop for meeting people.
Additionally, Terrace Park has beautiful gardens and pagodas to delight the senses on a Saturday afternoon. Whether you enjoy picnicking, swimming, or listening to local bands, the park has a lot of entertaining options. At Terrace Park, the famed Japanese Gardens are a short walk away from the Aquatic Center, so you can easily make a day of it and enjoy the park’s friendly atmosphere.
In an article about dating in Sioux Falls, Lauren Forch said, “More than likely… you’re going to meet them out doing something. You’re not going to meet them at home. So, put yourself in a place where you would want to meet that person.”
Whether that’s a dog park or a soccer field, going out there and making yourself available for potential meet cuties is what’s important. That compatible person is out there somewhere, so go get ’em!
Find Your Way to Love in the Gateway to the Plains
Sioux Falls can seem like a lonely place when you don’t know where to go to meet people. Even friendly and outgoing people, like Leanns, can slip through the cracks sometimes, but spending a Saturday night on your own isn’t the end of the world. You can always make friends and find new dating opportunities around town if you commit to putting yourself out there.
Hopefully, our top nine ways to meet singles in Sioux Falls has given you some pointers about where you can go to sweep a new person off their feet and make a genuine connection. Good luck!
