How hedonistic Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is convincing visitors to live in usually sleepy city that hosts it and turn it into year-round hotspot
If the residents of Sturgis are hoping to wave goodbye to a half-million motorcycle-mad visitors in the next few days, they may have to think again.
Realtors in the usually sleepy South Dakota home of the world's biggest motorcycle rally have warned that many who come for the bikes will stay for the hikes.
Rental prices in the town of 7,000 people skyrocket during the ten-day festival in early August, with some bikers hunting for rooms within a 200-mile radius, the Wall Street Journal reported.
But a growing number want to stick around when the party's over, attracted by the spectacular unspoiled beauty of the Black Hills.
'People really do get a taste for the area during the rally, and many decide they want to move here,' said Jennifer Landguth, a real estate agent in Rapid City, South Dakota. 'Everything really, really changes.'
Up to 700,000 bikers roll into Sturgis each year for the world's biggest motorcycle rally
The sleepy South Dakota town see is its population increase up to 100-fold as its streets are taken over by a week of wild parties
Kid Rock and Jelly Roll are among the performers at the rally this year, with top attractions that include a tattoo contest, the 'Mayor's pub crawl,' and a beard and mustache contest.
It has become a magnet for celebrities, including UFC star Conor McGregor, who found himself the target of a twerker at one of the town's heaving bars.
But the average age of the partygoers is now over 50, and some are spotting the quieter attractions hiding behind the hedonism.
'Sturgis offers a very peaceful lifestyle, but there's always something going on,' Dixie Olson, the owner of a real estate firm in Sturgis, told the WSJ.
'There are library programs and book club meetings. Small town type of stuff.'
Ann Marie Brown, 49, fell in love with the area on her first visit in 1999 and moved permanently from her native Illinois in 2021, renting a house in nearby Spearfish.
'I was in awe of the Black Hills and its beauty,' she told the outlet.
'I have always had an interest in motorcycles, and coming to the Black Hills - it just felt like home.'
The rally has been a roaring success since it was first staged in 1938, but it is not the only thing that brings bikers to the area.
Some are attracted by entertainment, which this year includes Kid Rock and Jelly Roll
The average age of partygoers is over 50
UFC star Conor McGregor, 36, found himself the target of a twerker while partying in one of the town's bars
The 600-acre Buffalo Chip is the town's biggest campsite, where than 200,000 visitors to the rally stay
An 80 mph speed limit and the freedom to ride without a helmet are draws of their own, along with some of the most exciting and picturesque roads in the country.
Tourist spending in the state reached $5 billion for the first time in 2023, a five percent jump from the previous year, with nearly 15 million visitors.
Real estate agent Jennifer Lage Landguth says a growing number of festival fans have decided they want to move to the town
And the state tourist agency is increasingly pushing its winter attractions, such as skiing and snowboarding, in a bid to draw more visitors year-round.
The rally alone generated more than $780 million for the state's economy last year and $45 million in state and local taxes.
That's good news for existing homeowners in Sturgis, where the average sale price of a home is $343,000.
But not everyone is pleased at the prospect of bikers becoming a year-round phenomenon.
There were 407 arrests and four fatal accidents reported in the town during the festival last year, and two fatal motorcycle crashes were reported within 90 minutes of each other on Monday.
'They are mad about it,' said Olson. 'Whether you love it or hate it just depends on who you are.
'It's a big adult party. A lot of them are professionals. They come to the rally, and they've been letting their beards and ponytails grow, and they really let their hair down.'
Some of the newcomers are attracted by the state's conservative politics during a year in which the festival has been rocked by a boycott of Harley-Davidson after its CEO was accused of 'going woke.'
Jochen Zeitz has voiced support for hardline policies on trans care for kids, critical race theory, climate change, and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, sparking a backlash from some of the brand's biggest fans.
'Harley-Davidson seems to have forgotten who their core customers are,' said conservative influencer Robby Starbuck.
'I don't think the values at corporate reflect the values of nearly any Harley-Davidson bikers.'
'Sturgis offers a very peaceful lifestyle, but there's always something going on,' said Dixie Olson, the owner of a real estate firm in Sturgis
Home prices average $343,000 in the usually sleepy town of 7,000
An 80 mph speed limit and the freedom to ride without a helmet are draws of their own, along with some of the most exciting and picturesque roads in the country
More than a third of rally visitors camped in and around the town in 2022, as the sheer number of rallygoers leaves temporary accommodation difficult to find.
Many of them pitched tents at the Buffalo Chip, a 600-acre campsite three miles outside the town that only opens for the rally.
'It is the best party anywhere for the nicest people on the planet,' said owner Daymon Woodruff, 51.
'Once people see and experience the area, the call of the Black Hills brings them back.'
