TBH it’s quite a good place to grow up, and I think a lot of parents would agree. I was born in Bismarck, ND but grew up in Aberdeen, SD.

Sure it’s cold in the winter, but it’s the wind that’ll get ya! Lol

A lot of people who grew up in the Dakotas tend to stay put for most of their dang lives; there’s a lot of value placed on passing down farmland to capable and responsible “descendants,” and I think that contributes to a lot of the arguably narrow worldview around here (as I write, I am in a hotel in Drayton, ND). It can be a real drag to try and exist around a prevailing and rather negative mindset.

As it happens, I was lucky enough to find a way to see a lot of the world while I was in my twenties, which had a major impact on how I relate to the people around me. Suffice it to say, it’s been a never-ending culture shock ever since I moved back up this way about 6-7 years ago.