Reporter called an area the ‘worst place’ to live in the US—6 months later, he was happily calling it home
First impressions might not be absolutely right at all times. A reporter from the Washington Post experienced the prime example of that when he called Red Lake County, Minnesota, the "worst place" to live in the US. The news of the reporter, Chris Ingraham's, comment was widely discussed around the area, and the residents were not happy about it. But then a local campground owner, Jason Braun, asked Chris to visit them and experience the place for himself. That changed everything, per Kare 11 News.
Chris used to live in Washington, DC, 1400 miles away from Red Lake Falls when he released his report. The reporter had come across data put out by the government. It was a measure of scenery and climate, with states marked blue considered "good" while states marked brown were considered "bad." So after studying the data, Chris wrote, "The absolute worst place to live in America is (drumroll please...) Red Lake County, Minnesota. Red Lake's claim to fame, it is the only county in the United States surrounded by two neighboring counties." That was all the man wrote, but it was enough for people to start shaming him on the internet. "There were people up in arms in the town," Jason recounted.
The reactions were quick and people around the town had started talking about it. "The word was this guy was an idiot," Jason continued. Hashtags were made and the residents of the town felt that they had to do something about it. Jason wrote an email to Chris and said, "Why don't you come out and see it for yourself. We'd love to have you." The reporter's wife, Brianna, felt that it was a trap. "Realistically, I was concerned for his safety." The man still went up to the courthouse of the town and was introduced to the best places of the area and people were really warm with him. However, no one had expected the man's next decision. A few weeks later, Chris announced that he was moving to Red Lake County with his family.
When Chris visited the town, his family was already looking for a change from their house on the East Coast. The couple and their twin boys needed more space and Brianna really wanted to leave her government job, so she could be at home with her kids. Chris's mom suggested that the couple might want to move to the "nice town" that he visited. Although Brianna needed some convincing, the family eventually moved. Their house at Red Lake was twice the size of their house on the East Coast and half the price. The man continued his work as a data reporter for the Washington Post from a basement office at his new house. He got to see his kids, Jack and Charlie, much more often.
The family no longer needed a nanny and because of the lower costs of living in the area, Brianna could be at home with the kids. People gave the family a very warm welcome and would often drop by to say hello, something that wasn't usual for the couple before. "People really just wanted to say, welcome and we are glad to have you," Brianna went on. The couple missed the restaurants back home, but found a lot of impressive things to do in the area. "Since they moved in, they already feel like a part of the community," a resident commented. "You don't realize the hidden beauty that's really everywhere," Chris remarked.
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