Meet The Locals: Betsy & Nick Roder

Quality of life means different things to different people. The closeness of family and friends, connections for work, smaller schools, lower crime rates, and their familiarity with the region can be factors in people’s decision to move back home. Our interview with Nick & Betsy Roder is a good example of a young family that returned to Otter Tail Lakes Country based on what they thought was best for their children.

[This interview can be found on page 7 of our 2017 Otter Tail Lakes Country Relocation Guide]

What community do you live in?

Betsy: We live in New York Mills with our four kids: Finn (9), Bergen (7), Trygg (5) and Kaia (2).

Where are you guys from?

Betsy: I grew up in New York Mills and Nick is originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

What are your occupations?

N: I am the Vice President of F & M State Bank and Betsy is the Executive Director of the Cultural Center in NYM.

What are your educational backgrounds?

B: We both went to college at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana.  I studied Finance and Nick studied History and Geography. We actually met while we were both studying abroad in two different countries in Europe – Reutlingen, Germany and Cambridge, England (we met in Cambridge).

What did you pursue after graduating from Valpo?

N: We got married in New York Mills and moved to Minneapolis. I worked a few different sales positions before working at two different banks in the cities and Betsy worked for Target’s corporate office. We lived there for about 10 years and started our family, but after we had our first two children, we moved to New York Mills.

How often did you visit Otter Tail County while you were living in the Twin Cities area?

B: All the time. My family is still in the area and we have some lake property, so we would make the trip from the cities for holidays and practically every weekend in the summer. We used to get home from work on Fridays and scramble to get the kids ready so we could beat the traffic, get to the lake, have a wonderful weekend, then Sunday would roll around and we would all just drag our feet thinking about the commute back to the cities.

Why did you choose to live in New York Mills?

B: Well, we actually made the decisions after a visit to NYM for a birthday party in the summer of 2010. It was one of those days where everything seemed to go wrong and at the end of the day when I was about at my wits end, my dad came in the room while I was changing our youngest at the time and said “I think it’s time you guys consider moving to New York Mills.” There was a job opening at Farmers and Merchants State Bank and after discussing it, we decided the time was right to make the move.

What do you love about living in Otter Tail County?

N: You know how they say “it takes a village to raise a child,” well, we appreciate that we know the people of our community and they’re all watching out for our kids so we feel safer and the kids get more freedom.  There are also many options for people to get connected and involved in the community.

B: Life has slowed down in a good way. We felt like we were constantly rushing from one place to the other when we lived in the Twin Cities and now we’re able to be present and take advantage of the things around us. We feel like we live a more peaceful life and have the time to enjoy the natural resources around us.

What advice do you have for other families like yours considering moving to Otter Tail County?

B: I would say go with your heart. This is an area where your kids are going to thrive and you’re going to enjoy the time spent with them instead of commuting to daycare to pick them up and then putting them straight to bed when you finally get home. I’m always hearing about job opportunities in the area and there are so many ways to get involved, so the transition to small town life is easier than you think.