Christopher Jones, Minot

I’m writing to say a big “thank you” to Minot.

I recently moved here from Seattle after many years before that in Atlanta, and as you can imagine it has been a big adjustment getting used to life in a smaller town.

Based on what I used to read in newspapers and online, I thought I would be met with hostility or at least be treated as an outsider from the Left Coast. In fact, the opposite is true. I have been welcomed everywhere I go, and when people find out I’m from a big city they go out of their way to tell me their favorite things about Minot and the surrounding area.

I have visited several churches, and while all of them were nice I felt a special sense of community at Bethany Lutheran. Pastor Mathistad’s sermons are always thought-provoking and inspiring, which is not easy to do.

I have only visited two parks so far, Roosevelt and Oak. So many hardwood trees. Both parks are beautiful and great for hiking and getting some fresh air.

I like your newspaper, too. It is small, just like the town, but everything in it actually matters to ordinary people. Unlike the Seattle paper, it doesn’t have to hide “community” news off in some afterthought section by ZIP code–almost the whole paper is community news.

Also, and I know this is a matter of taste, but do you know that every place in Seattle that offers chicken and waffles treats it like a gourmet food, priced accordingly?

I won’t name names, but I can get it here at a chain restaurant for half as much as the gourmet spots in the big city and it tastes just as good if not better.

I suppose the newness of this place will wear off eventually, but I think I’m going to like it here.