Why Did You Move to Minnesota?
It’s the most common question I’m asked when locals find out we’re from California, “Why would you leave CA for here?”. The short answer is to be near family, an answer many accept as a good reason. Younger people give me the “are you crazy?” look, like they believe the hype that CA is a great place to be. I just smile because the CA we grew up in is not the CA that exists now. Environmentalists have ruined the once beautiful state. We have many family and friends that lost everything, some including their lives, to the devastating fires that burn so hot they incinerate all, due to 30 years of forest mismanagement by people who don’t live in, or near, forest.
Additionally, CA hates guns of all types. There are such restrictive laws that the gunsmith could no longer make money working within them, which is the only way he will work. Eventually, even my steadfast gunsmith had had enough, and we moved. Relocating to the place where his 4 oldest children (and to my delight, grandchildren) reside. The kids had told us demand would be high, because knowledgeable gunsmiths are literally a dying breed. They were right! We’ve kept pretty busy since we set up shop and business is growing. Covid isolation has helped, as folks are cleaning out closets and deciding to get old guns operational again.
How do we like the weather? It’s has some amazing aspects. Living this far north, the spring/summer/fall days are so much longer than we have ever experienced. It’s still light at 10 pm here for a good part of the year. Outdoor activities are year around, as are bonfires and outdoor gatherings. There are challenges, of course. January and February are rather brutal for arthritic joints. Mosquitos can be relentless, and there are bugs that look somewhat like lady bugs, but they bite, or, more correctly, scrape. There are tons of them and they even torment the dogs. When you live in a state with over 11,000 lakes, insects will rule a portion of the year, it’s just a fact that must be accepted. Overall, the friendliness of the people and laws are light years better here.