This neighborhood went from farmland to completely full – here’s why

It wasn’t all that long ago when the Cinnamon Ridge neighborhood was just an expanse of prairie on the outskirts of town.

Today, there’s not a single empty lot, and any homes that do come on the market are likely to sell fast – sometimes the same day they’re listed.

But what is it about the far south Sioux Falls development that’s so attractive?

To some, it’s the kids riding bikes around the neighborhood.

To others, it’s the balance of a quiet area still a quick drive from city amenities.

And to most everyone, it’s the feeling of knowing your neighbors, trusting where you live and being in close proximity to desirable schools.

“I think the combination of all that just makes for almost like a little community,” said Trisha Dohn, whose family built a house in Cinnamon Ridge eight years ago.

The residential development east of Louise Avenue near 90th Street was started by Van Buskirk Cos. in 2005. It quickly became a popular spot, helped in part by a 2006 “street of dreams” tour event benefiting the foundation for the Home Builders Association of the Sioux Empire.

“That neighborhood sold extremely fast the first three years,” said developer Steve Van Buskirk.

Luckily, most of the homes had already sold before the Great Recession hit. Today, there are 262 homes in the neighborhood.

The families who live in Cinnamon Ridge have easy access to main thoroughfares, and in recent years more businesses have come into the area, including restaurants like Cody’s Steakhouse and Krav’n, as well as retail like Lewis Drug and the Walmart on 85th Street and Minnesota Avenue.

Kylie Knudson said Cinnamon Ridge was the best of both worlds for her family. It’s “country” enough that her kids can ride bikes down the street safely, but it’s also “city” enough that amenities like child care, gyms, restaurants and grocery stores are easy to access.

“You have everything that you need as a small family really close, yet you’re not in the hustle and bustle of right in Sioux Falls,” she said. “But we’re still in Sioux Falls.”

Knudson, a teacher at Endeavor Elementary, moved to Cinnamon Ridge four years ago to ensure her youngest child could attend school where she worked. As a teacher, she often hears about how people move to the area so their kids can attend the fast-growing Harrisburg School District, and she thinks that’s part of the reason her neighborhood filled as quickly as it did.

For Dohn, schools were absolutely part of the decision-making process when she and her husband decided to build in the new development.

“At that time we were looking, it was much more desirable to be in (Cinnamon Ridge) than to just go right into Harrisburg,” said Dohn, who also wanted to be in the school district because her husband teaches at the high school.

Courtney Davidson and her family moved to Cinnamon Ridge in the fall of 2014 after building what she called their “forever home.”

Endeavor Elementary had just been built, and Davidson’s oldest son was ready to start kindergarten.

“I remember telling my oldest when the sidewalk is finished, you can ride your bike to school,” Davidson said.

She had to go back on that promise a few years later. She hadn’t expected the sidewalk would be completed before he’d finished third grade.

Over the years, Cinnamon Ridge also has developed neighborhood traditions. Each year, kids ride their bikes in a Fourth of July parade. Neighbors go all out for Halloween, and usually when back-to-school time hits, the neighborhood schools have a block party with food trucks and bouncy houses.

Residents also have started an annual rummage sale, which has grown into essentially a smaller version of the popular Kingswood Rummage Sale on the west side of town, Dohn said.

The neighborhood even has its own private Facebook group, where neighbors can offer up unused furniture or household items, trade moving boxes, set up social gatherings or coordinate play dates.

“We’re very tight-knit,” Knudson said. “Everybody watches out for everybody, and everybody’s friendly.”