The hilarious, charming, and candid story of writer Christopher Ingrahamâs decision to uproot his life and move his family to Red Lake Falls, Minnesota, population 1,400âthe community he made famous as âthe worst place to live in Americaâ in a story he wrote for the Washington Post.
Like so many young American couples, Chris Ingraham and his wife Briana were having a difficult time making ends meet as they tried to raise their twin boys in the East Coast suburbs. One day, Chrisâin his role as a âdata guyâ reporter at the Washington Postâstumbled on a study that would change his life. It was a ranking of Americaâs 3,000+ counties from ugliest to most scenic. He quickly scrolled to the bottom of the list and gleefully wrote the words âThe absolute worst place to live in America is (drumroll please) ⌠Red Lake County, Minn.â The story went viral, to put it mildly.
Among the reactions were many from residents of Red Lake County. While they were unflappably politeâitâs not called âMinnesota Niceâ for nothingâthey challenged him to look beyond the spreadsheet and actually visit their community. Ingraham, with slight trepidation, accepted. Impressed by the localsâ warmth, humor and hospitality âand ever more aware of his financial situation and torturous commuteâChris and Briana eventually decided to relocate to the town heâd just dragged through the dirt on the Internet.
If You Lived Here Youâd Be Home by Now is the story of making a decision that turns all your preconceptionsâgood and badâon their heads. In Red Lake County, Ingraham experiences the intensity and power of small-town gossip, struggles to find a decent cup of coffee, suffers through winters with temperatures dropping to forty below zero, and unearths some truths about small-town life that the coastal media usually miss. Itâs a wry and charming taleâwith data!âof what happened to one family brave enough to move waaaay beyond its comfort zone.