Tuesday, October 09, 2007
My hometown is Park Rapids, MN. I'm proud of where I grew up. Park Rapids is a small town, about 3000 residents, in north-central MN. There are no malls in Park Rapids, and when I was growing up, very few franchises. McDonalds came into town after I graduated from high school, as did Burger King. We had a Hardee's in town when I was a youngster, but no Best Buy, Red Lobster, Walmart, Sears, Pizza Hut, etc.
The town is a hub for the farms and resorts that surround it. The primary industry is tourism, and then farming. Park Rapids sits smack dab in the middle of lake country. There are gently rolling hills, tall pine trees, and hundreds of lakes and rivers, and because of the pristine scenery, lots of outdoor activities, ones for each season and to suit many different lifestyles.
I miss my hometown.
As I said, Park Rapids' main industry is tourism, so the summers are busy, the town packed with people who drive the 4 hours from Minneapolis/St. Paul to enjoy the scenery and outdoors. When I was growing up, we had one stoplight in town, at the junction of highways 71 and 34, and during the summer season, traffic was backed up for blocks at this one light. In the winter, after the tourists had left, the town felt like a ghost town.
All for now.
The town is a hub for the farms and resorts that surround it. The primary industry is tourism, and then farming. Park Rapids sits smack dab in the middle of lake country. There are gently rolling hills, tall pine trees, and hundreds of lakes and rivers, and because of the pristine scenery, lots of outdoor activities, ones for each season and to suit many different lifestyles.
I miss my hometown.
As I said, Park Rapids' main industry is tourism, so the summers are busy, the town packed with people who drive the 4 hours from Minneapolis/St. Paul to enjoy the scenery and outdoors. When I was growing up, we had one stoplight in town, at the junction of highways 71 and 34, and during the summer season, traffic was backed up for blocks at this one light. In the winter, after the tourists had left, the town felt like a ghost town.
All for now.
Labels: Hometown
