Florida family gives up on small-town North Dakota

[TheQueen]

By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated Press Writer James Macpherson, Associated Press Writer – Mon Feb 15, 7:55 pm ET

HAZELTON, N.D. – A tiny North Dakota town's promise of cash and free land lured only one family from out of state. Now, Michael and Jeanette Tristani and their 12-year-old twins are trying to move from the town without a traffic light back to Miami.

Tired of crime, traffic, hurricanes and the high cost of living in Florida, the Tristanis moved four years ago to Hazelton, a dwindling town of about 240 that has attempted to attract young families to stay on the map.

Michael Tristani, 42, said at the time the 1,800-mile move was "an answer to our prayers."

"We don't have to look over our shoulder to see who's going to rob us, or jump out of the bushes to attack us," Tristani said. "Taxes are low, the cost of living is low and the kids enjoy school."

But the family also found a cliquey community that treated them like outsiders. "For my wife, it's been a culture shock," he said.

Rural communities across the Great Plains, fighting a decades-long population decline, are trying a variety of ways to attract outsiders. But the Tristanis show how the efforts can fail even at a time when many people are desperate.

"It's been quite an experience, 50-50 at best," Tristani said. "It hasn't been easy. No one really wants new people here."

CONTINUE READING: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100216/ap_on_re_us/us_saving_hazelton

[LinHoov]

people stink

[Doug11]

News flash: People in small towns where few people move in or out tend to be clannish. That isn't limited to North BFE, either. :lol

[figmentmom]

News flash: People in small towns where few people move in or out tend to be clannish. That isn't limited to North BFE, either. :lol

And I think those tiny little towns in more isolated (dare I say desolate?) outposts are even more so. It's definitely a factor up here. Drive an hour north of us, and you'll find some hamlets the size of a phone booth that are extremely suspicious of anyone whose great-grandfather didn't grow up there.

[LinHoov]

I want so much to find a place that has an amazing view. To retire. To live.

Suggestions?

[figmentmom]

I want so much to find a place that has an amazing view. To retire. To live.

Suggestions?

What do you want to be viewing?

[Oscar Brito]

I don't think I could ever do small town living. Maybe for vacations....As much as I complain about traffic, I love city life. I wish I could afford to live downtown...get rid of the car, and walk everywhere.


I want so much to find a place that has an amazing view. To retire. To live.

Suggestions?

Miami? :lookaroun

[figmentmom]

Miami? :lookaroun

My brother and his family LOVE it there. :flower

[Oscar Brito]

My brother and his family LOVE it there. :flower

I never look over my shoulder...don't know what those people are talking about. :lol

Considering they're moving back...how bad could it be? :)

[Christy]

If I were single, or at least childless, I could see the appeal of living in a big city... for a while :lol But I just had a friend move back here from Chicago, wanting her child to have a yard where she could play :lol Plus how to afford living in any of those places anymore! :faint

[Katie4075]

I don't think I could ever do small town living. Maybe for vacations....As much as I complain about traffic, I love city life. I wish I could afford to live downtown...get rid of the car, and walk everywhere.


I used to love walking everywhere, when I first moved here. I can't walk to anything back home, so to be able to walk to the bank, stores, bars, hockey games, whatever else, was really cool. Things have gotten so bad here lately though, so no one really walks anymore.

[LinHoov]

I grew up in a small town on the Allegheny River north of Pittsburgh. It had its Pros and Cons. We never had to lock our doors or lock our car. Everyone knew everyone. Families know families, sometimes for many generations. That can either be a Pro or a Con. You never cut anyone off or throw the finger while driving because you all know each other but the flip side of that is that everyone gossips. But... if someone is in need, they all help out. When my father died, my mother didn't have a car and couldn't drive. Still doesn't and still can't. She works at the local library, and people in the community all help her out. They helped out when my grandmother was sick. The woman in charge of the funeral home when my dad died was a girl that I used to babysit when I was in high school.

The community there is very quaint. It looks to be straight out of a Hallmark card. It has red brick all along the front street. I'll have to see if I can find some pictures. The local garden club created walking paths all along the old railroad track at the bottom of the hill. The town is built on a hill. There are yellow brick streets that go up the hill in some locations. The community put gas-style lights all along the front street.

The down side is that the high school was so small they had to combine it with the one in the town next to us, and, with that, we had only about 114 in my graduating class. We had no auditorium, no pool, and none of the great courses you see in bigger schools. Education is very limited. If you are labeled an outcast in 9th grade, that hangs with you. There is no room to grow. It was very white / Catholic. My family was protestant. My mother was told by her parents not to mix with Catholics. Isn't that interesting? She was born in 1940 and that was the way it was. I think we had maybe 1 Jewish family and maybe 1 black family.


The front street has all the stores: grocery, flower, shoe, cafe, hardware, gifts, etc. And there are a few doctors (general, dentist, optom., etc). All are within walking distance so you don't need a car if you work in the area or can reach your work via public transportation. We had zero signal lights back then. There was a big outcry from the community when someone wanted to build a McDonalds because it was felt that it would bring in the "wrong element".

Being outside of Pittsburgh, it has numerous overcast days and gets a lot of snow. You had better be prepared to dig out there. The houses are all so old, I don't think very many, if any, have attached garages.

So, yes...it is kind of nice if you like that type of small town community. But I think it was better for our son, growing up in NJ, where there is a lot of diversity, the schools are excellent and offer a great variety of courses that I never had, and they are large enough that you can reinvent yourself as you grow as a person, if you want. But, no, people don't know each other like they do in a small town. We've lived in this house for 9 years and don't know the people on our street. People cut you off when driving and they even yell swear words at the kids when they are riding their bikes! Can you imagine!!! WHO swears at kids innocently riding their bikes? Everything here is so far away that you either have to drive somewhere or ride your bike. It doesn't give the kids any options. The public transportation is just not in place here. It should be. I think that is a shame in general in our country. But that is another subject!

I would LOVE to have a place with some great scenery....ocean front maybe with some palm trees! I know, that would cost way too much money. The cost of living in NJ after we retire is just too much. Even if we own our house and have no car payments, we would still have to pay very high property taxes. No wonder the elderly move!

[Garyhoov]

What do you want to be viewing?

I've been looking at and showing Linda some condos with ocean views . . . and those look really cool . . . but I wonder if that would get boring after a while with just the stark ocean. I'm thinking something on a river or lake might be a little more interesting over the long term.

Here's a cool one that's on the ocean but still has some "texture":

http://www.lakehomesusa.com/waterfront/albemarle-sound-columbia-plymouth-mann-s-harbor_north-carolina_10797.html

http://www.lakehomesusa.com/_site_components/images/listings/betty/10797/0-1.jpg

http://www.lakehomesusa.com/_site_components/images/listings/betty/10797/2-3.jpg

http://www.lakehomesusa.com/_site_components/images/listings/betty/10797/7-8.jpg

http://www.lakehomesusa.com/_site_components/images/listings/betty/10797/11-12.jpg

I think if we were ready to retire I'd definiteley want to take a look at this one. What do you think, Linda?

[Christy]

Lake houses are awesome! :thumbs

I know of one for sale right now :lookaroun Nothing like that though :lol

[figmentmom]

My mother grew up in a house directly on the St. Lawrence River, in a microscopically small town in upstate New York. My brother and I spent our summers there visiting our grandparents, and the river was spectacularly beautiful. The small town, not so much...since we lived on Long Island, the village kids called us "city slickers" (yes, really! :rotfl), and didn't have much to do with us. By that time, my grandparents were living there only in the summers themselves, so none of us were residents. My mother said many of the same things about small-town life as you did, Linda - lots of pros and cons. She didn't want to raise a family there, though, so she left when she met and married my father.

But, it's funny - the whole family seems drawn to living near water. My father's parents lived in Niagara Falls, my mother's parents spent most of the year there, we moved to Long Island within blocks of the Sound, my brother lives blocks from the ocean...I live near the absolute LEAST scenic body of water, the Hudson River.

I would LOVE to retire near a lake. I hear Minnesota has 10,000 of them. :flower