South Dakota isn’t really known for being an exciting place to live. It doesn’t have a major city such as Chicago, New York City, or Dallas. But just because it doesn’t have a giant metro area doesn’t mean it’s not a great place to call home. South Dakota features some amazing natural sights, quiet towns, and much more. Even better, South Dakota is surprisingly open to those in the LGBTQ community. You won’t find yourself feeling like an outcast here. If you’re making the move to South Dakota but aren’t sure where you want to live, here are some of the most welcoming cities in the state.

Rapid City

You may want to begin your search for a new home in Rapid City. It’s surrounded by the gorgeous Black Hills and is quite close to Custer State Park, the Badlands, and Mount Rushmore. This means Rapid City does see a good amount of tourists every year. The city has its own pride festival that brings in over a thousand people each year. There are a number of gay and lesbian real estate agents on hand in Rapid City to help you find an amazing home. The prices are definitely right—you’ll be amazed at the size of the home you can for a very reasonable price.

Brookings

Brookings, the fourth largest city in the state, often tops the list of “safest places to live in South Dakota.” Crime here is very low, making it the ideal place to raise a family. With only around 22,000 people living here, Brookings does have a small town feel to it in places. Still, it’s large enough to offer a number of restaurants and a shopping mall. The population is a bit smaller in the summer when the students from South Dakota State University aren’t in class.

Marty

Marty is usually considered South Dakota’s most liberal city. It is very small, though—the city has fewer than 500 residents. That might be too small for some, especially since these smaller towns don’t have a lot of amenities. If you’re looking for a place to settle down where you’ll know all of your neighbors (and pretty much everyone else in town), then Marty might be right for you.

There are a number of other great places to live in South Dakota. Sioux Falls, Vermillion, and Pierre are all great options. If you want a quiet place to settle down and raise a family, South Dakota is a great option.

Have you considered moving to North Dakota? While it’s true this state has one of the lowest LGBTQ populations in the country, that doesn’t mean you won’t be welcomed here. In fact, some of these cities are quite diverse. You may even be surprised to find that some of the places with the most LGBTQ households are actually the smaller towns in North Dakota. Many even have their own gay or lesbian real estate professionals to help you find homes!

Speaking of, the housing market in North Dakota may seem incredible to those moving from larger cities or from either coast. It’s very reasonable, with even the larger homes going for a fraction of what they would cost in New York, LA, or any other major metro area. With that said, here are some of the places you might consider for your home in North Dakota.

Valley City

The population of Valley City is only a little over 3,000 so you might be surprised to find that it has one of the highest number of LGBTQ households in the state. This little town might not have its own pride festival or even much of a gay bar, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a welcoming community. Valley City is the perfect little town if you want peace and quiet. You’ll know your neighbors (and basically everyone) by name here, and they’ll all be there for you if you need help with anything.

Fargo

On the other hand, if you want a larger city, there’s Fargo. It’s North Dakota’s most populous city, but it only has about 120,000 residents. That’s small compared to some other major metro areas. The city is one of the main parts of the Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN metro area. It’s also growing pretty quickly and has been listed as one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Part of the reason why Fargo is more diverse than other cities is that it’s home to North Dakota State University.

Devil’s Lake

There are many jokes you could make about gays and Devil’s Lake. Maybe that’s why this city is home to a number of gay and lesbian families. With about 7,000 people, Devil’s Lake is a nice mid-sized city. The city was founded in 1882 and has grown fairly nicely. In addition to its population growing, the city is also known for its rainfall. In the 1990s, there was so much rain here that the lake quadrupled in size and damaged more than 400 houses! Fortunately, that hasn’t happened since.

These are just a few interesting places to live in North Dakota. Do any of them sound perfect for you?

As one of the southern states, Mississippi does sometimes seem like it’s very anti-LGBTQ. But while certain areas or people may occasionally make the news, you do have to remember that they don’t represent everyone in Mississippi. In fact, there are some great places to live here that are very welcoming and diverse. If you need to move to this state for work or for any other reason, here are some cities to investigate. You might even find a gay or lesbian real estate agent to help you out.

Jackson

It shouldn’t be any surprise that Jackson is a diverse city. It’s the state capital and also the largest city in Mississippi. There are a dozen universities and colleges here, which means many young people live in Jackson for at least nine months out of the year. These campuses feature LGBTQ organizations that are involved in making the schools, the city, and the state more aware of LGBTQ issues and discrimination. Their work led to a city resolution protecting the rights of those in Jackson.

Greenville

Greenville has also passed a resolution protecting the LGBTQ community. This resolution protects LGBTQ families who are raising children. Mississippi has a large number of LGBTQ couples who adopt children, but they are missing many of the legal protections required. These city resolutions provide those protections. If you’ve adopted children, this may be incredibly important for your family.

Waveland

Waveland is another welcoming city in Mississippi that features a number of protections. The mayor of the city championed an anti-discrimination ordinance and made certain that everyone knows that LGBTQ individuals and families are welcome here. The HRC has named Waveland as a state hospitality city. Waveland isn’t a huge city—in fact, there are only about 6,500 people who live here. It sits near the Gulf of Mexico, so it’s an amazing place to live.

Magnolia

Magnolia is another very small city with less than 2,500 people. It’s an amazing little town that welcomes everyone, no matter of their orientation. Magnolia has embraced diversity in a number of different ways, and it’s even leading the charge to transform the state.

Oxford

Oxford is home to the University of Mississippi, which means that many young college students live here. The Ole Miss Gay-Straight Student Alliance promotes equality and awareness in the city, working with the Oxford City Council to pass legislation and various resolutions.

Ready to move to Mississippi? These are a few great cities you can move to.