Bob CollinsSince Washington Post reporter Chris Ingraham moved with his family to Red Lake County after calling it “the absolute worst place in America” in an article, we haven’t heard that much from the other family members.
But his spouse, Briana, spoke last week at an event for Northern Exposure to Lifelong Learning in Bagley, Minn., the Bemidji Pioneer says.
Let’s get to the good stuff first: the part about why we’re better than the rest of the nation.
Exhibit A: When they looked at houses, they didn’t bring their checkbook for a deposit. So someone in town loaned them the money.
“You would not find that in Maryland; that is Minnesota nice,” Briana said. “I have come to know and love the people of this rural part of America’s heartland. I’ve seen more acts of kindness, generosity, and caring than in the seven or eight other states that I’ve lived in.”
But they may not stay, she revealed.
However, she’ll admit she’s unsure if her family is here to stay. Christopher has a book coming out in the fall, but his job could require him to move back to the East Coast. Plus, she’s still not a fan of the cold.
But, she also said they plan to live where it’s most beneficial for their three children, one of whom was diagnosed with autism.
Regardless of whether they plan to stay long term, though, she’s come to love the opportunities and people she found in the small corner of the world that her husband once called “the absolute worst place to live in America.”
“If people could see, feel and experience just what a Minnesota community has to offer, I really believe you’d have more families living through Minnesota winters to be a part of it,” Briana said.
Chris Ingraham’s book, due out in September, is about moving a family from the East Coast to Red Lake Falls.
