Meet The Locals: Jesse Thorstad

A Great Place to Enjoy an Active Life

Some people spend their lives moving from place to place, yet never truly find a home. Others are born and raised in a place that suits them perfectly. In either case, what really matters is what a person does with their life and that what they do makes life better for others.

Our interview is with Jesse Thorstad, who grew up and went to school here, went away to college, and then moved back to Otter Tail County determined to make a positive impact in other peoples lives– in the workplace, in his own home, and in the community at large.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Jesse Thorstad and I am a Technology Specialist for Fergus Falls public schools. I’ve worked for the school district since 1991. I started as a first-grade teacher and then taught first grade for five years and fourth grade for a few years. I then left teaching for a couple years to work in a private business, an internet startup in Fargo. I then came back to the school district and have been in the Tech Department for about 15 years.

Q: Where are you from originally?
I grew up in the ‘big city’ of Underwood, Minnesota, ten miles from here so now I’m living the ‘big city’ life here in Fergus Falls. I came here to attend the community college then finished my teaching degree in Moorhead.

Q: What do you do in your free time?
I have lots of interests. I fly drones. I play guitar and drums. I started a volunteer group this summer, the Fergus Falls Mowing Club. We get together two or three times a week and mow yards for people who need it, so that’s been very enjoyable. I’m also a Special Olympics volunteer coach. I also love disc golf, so every chance I get I sneak away to the disc golf course and throw some plastic around.

Q: Are you married and do you have a family? My wife Jill and I have been married for 30 years this year. We have two biological children, both of them have graduated from college and are living in Fargo. We also have three adopted kids, two of whom are still at home.

Q: What is your perspective on the area schools? When you think about reasons to live in west-central Minnesota, schools are a big draw. We are very blessed with the quality of our schools. I’ve talked to people who have moved here from other states and what I hear about their schools makes me very thankful for what we have. Our schools have people who care, are small enough where everyone knows each other but large enough to offer a wide variety of things to kids.

Q: How do you like living in Fergus Falls?
The advantages of living in Fergus Falls are the natural beauty that surrounds it, the nice people that live within it, and the slower pace of life. The big traffic jam in Fergus Falls is the goose crossing! I love the way folks in the community care for each other. The generosity of the people here astounds me. If I had to stamp something on our community it would be that. I love the hidden beauty in the community, such as the River Walk and Lake Alice. It’s a relatively safe place to live and it’s quiet. Some people might see that as boring. I see it as a great place to raise kids.

Q: What would you say to someone who was thinking about moving to Otter Tail County?
If they weren’t from Minnesota, I would let them know how wonderful it is to enjoy the changing of the seasons and the opportunities that abound in those seasons. There’s lake sports, terrific trails, beautiful golf courses, snowmobiling, and hunting, you name it.

Q: How is the economy here?
I do know that Fergus Falls is growing. We are hiring new people all the time at the school because people are moving to Fergus Falls. It indicates that our community is healthy. There has also been a push for folks to be able to work remotely so you can still have a big city job and live in a quiet peaceful atmosphere like here in Fergus Falls. There have also been quite a few new businesses start up in the last five years. This is a great place for entrepreneurs to try something new and we’ve seen that with lots of new creative restaurants that have opened.

Q: How welcoming is the area to diversity?
I have some experience with that, having three
African-American children in my family. It’s a bit of a frustration that we don’t have a more diverse professional community of teachers, doctors and lawyers in town. I would hope in the future that more diverse types of people would understand what this community has to offer them and to apply for jobs here. I feel that Fergus Falls would be very welcoming to diversity.