Living in a vacation location

The summer folks returned in flocks a couple weeks ago when the weather got nice.  With the 4th of July tomorrow, the area has tripled in population.  Most small towns would freak out about this...imagine the Super Bowl in a large town.  However, we here in the Central Lakes Area are used to it.  As much as we prepare for it however, we never stop complaining about the traffic, the number of people in the grocery store, or the people who think they're "from here" because they own a lake home.  Even with all of that, we are proud of where we live and (even if we hate to admit it) we are proud that people want to spend time here.  In fact, Alexandria (the closest "big" town to us) was just voted one of the Top 10 Best Small Towns by Livability.  Now we have something to back us up when we say we live in one of the best places on earth.

Now, if you've never been to the Centrals Lakes Area or Minnesota for that matter, we invite you to check out this list of 22 Reasons Minnesotans Are Having a Better Summer Than You.  We especially like numbers  8, 21, and 22.

While we're on the topic, if you are visiting the Central Lakes Area this summer, here are some kind suggestions from the locals:

1.  We live here all year long which means we love it here too!

2.  The lakes can be enjoyed by all if we simply use manners, be respectful of each other, and clean up after ourselves.  This includes cleaning your boats to prevent nasty lake pests from traveling to the next lake.

3.  Your frustration of "too many people" is felt by us ten fold.

4.  Even the crankiest of us do love that you're here because you help support our local economy, but please remember we have other industries that support our community and it's growth as well.

5.  Throughout the summer (specifically at the beginning of the summer) means field equipment, road construction vehicles, and other heavy machinery are sharing the road with you.  Please be patient, the lake isn't going anywhere and we'd like you to arrive safely.

6.  We all try to live by the rules of "Minnesota Nice", we hope that you get a feel for it and learn to live it yourself.

Happy Summer and Happy 4th of July.  We will share our 4th of July with you in a few days.

~Katie~