A big move started when everything essentially stopped in the New York City area.
“During COVID, they basically sent everyone home, and there wasn’t much going on in Manhattan,” said Jessica Lattuga, a native of Staten Island, New York, who had spent her entire life there up until that point.
“Everybody stopped building.”
So with a career in the construction industry, Lattuga’s brother-in-law needed another option. With 19 years of union tenure, he wasn’t about to leave it.
“Tennessee and South Dakota were on the table, and South Dakota called first,” Lattuga said. “My sister said, ‘Hey, me and the kids are moving, and this is where we’re going.’”
Her parents, now retired, looked at her. She looked at them.
“And I said: ‘You know what? Let’s go,’” Lattuga said. “New York was getting quite hectic, it was getting ridiculous, and I said: ‘Let’s see. It can’t hurt.’”
That was in 2022. By the end of the year, the entire family had relocated west — and Lattuga moved to Sioux Falls without even visiting.
“I just wanted to jump in with both feet,” she said.
From her first landing at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport, it was clear she’d left New York far behind.
“It honestly was just different. Staten Island is small — it’s like suburbia — so I’m OK with a small-town feel, but at the same time, I worked in Manhattan and New Jersey, which are huge, and that in itself was a very big adjustment,” she said.
“But the people are incredibly nice. No matter where I’ve gone — a store, a doctor’s office, a hospital — everyone is incredibly helpful. In New York, that had changed over time as people had stopped interacting as much. Here, it’s a completely different feel and very nice.”
She has found a new role in Sioux Falls as a people generalist at Medvantx.
“I love it. I have great co-workers and am happy to come in every day,” she said. “I like the balance of working from home once a week, more if I need to, but I choose not to because I enjoy being in an office and always have.”
Her new neighborhood in south Sioux Falls “actually kind of reminds me of a few spots in north Jersey,” she said. “I very much like the neighborhood and just enjoying the downtime after things had gotten so hectic in New York.”
Her twin niece and nephew are thriving in the Sioux Falls School District, she said.
“They’re doing incredibly well,” Lattuga said. “My nephew is autistic but very high-functioning, and they mainstreamed him here, which they weren’t able to do in New York. Both kids are in the same class, and they’ve made friends and are both doing excellent.”
Her parents “are adjusting very well,” she said. “I think the slower pace of life is a good thing. The lack of traffic is something we’re all enjoying. I’ve sat in traffic three or more hours on a city bus. I’ve been in my car four hours on a workday. My parents are in their 60s, and the health care is amazing. There’s a huge difference here.”
The family’s experience shows the multifaceted advantages that life in Sioux Falls offers, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“It doesn’t matter what your life stage — from your early education to your midcareer growth to your retirement years — there are so many benefits to making a move here,” she said. “We’ve especially enjoyed getting to connect with Jessica in her HR role at Medvantx and look forward to helping her and her team grow their talent pool here by further engaging them in the main programs we offer to support their talent pipeline.”
Looking back on the move, “I have no regrets on the decision I made,” Lattuga said. “It’s not the easiest thing in a way, but my everyday has become significantly better. There’s a far better quality of life, and I would say the same for my sister and her family and my parents. When I look at the bigger picture, it was a good thing not just for myself but everybody involved.”
Would you like to learn more about how Sioux Falls can become your new place to grow a family and career? Email deniseg@siouxfalls.com to get connected with opportunities ideal for you.