Meet the Locals: Andrea Hovland

High Quality Rural Schools Attracting Families

We live in a time where families often move around looking for opportunities leaving family members scattered all over the country. Our interview is with Andrea Hovland, who moved here as a teen, graduated from a local high school, studied, worked and lived in another state, and then returned to Otter Tail County. The many good reasons why she and her husband and children moved back to the area serve as a laundry list for why Otter Tail Lakes Country is such a great place to live and raise a family.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Andrea Hovland and I am a Consumer Accounting Specialist at Lake Region Electric Cooperative. I work mainly with billing for electric and gas. I’m from Oakes, North Dakota originally, and we moved to Pelican Rapids when I was in eighth grade. My first impression was that it was fun; with the lakes there was so much activity around here it was a fun place to grow up.

Q: Where did you go to school?
I graduated from Pelican Rapids High School then went to Moorhead State doing generals, then I went to the technical school and got an Associates Degree in Dental Assisting. I worked in the dental field for about 16 years, living in both Fargo and Moorhead. We then moved back to Pelican Rapids where I commuted to a dental office in Dilworth for two years. Then the job with Lake Region opened up, and I’ve been here for two years.

Q: Why did you move back to the area?
My husband’s family was here and we had two kids at that time so it was nice having the extra help with the kids. One of the main reasons for moving back was having the kids attend a smaller school system. I wanted a smaller school so that the kids would be able to know other kids and teachers a little bit better. I love the schools here, the classes are small, the programs are good, there are so many extracurricular activities, the majority of the teachers are from this area. The kids play all the sports. Some of the teachers that my kids had were my husband’s teachers when he was in elementary school. I’m very, very happy with the school system here. I feel it was a good move for us. I don’t regret my decision at all. Not a bit.

Q: How would you describe your neighborhood? We live on the north side of Lake Lida. It’s on a nice quiet road and the kids ride their bikes all over, and we have neighbors with similarly aged children. My kids love where we live; there are kids over playing all the time. Some of the neighbors are people that I went to high school with. Several years ago my sister and her husband moved back and they live just six houses down from us. My husband’s parents live about a mile and a half from us as well. My husband’s aunts and uncles live on the lake too so we are running into family and friends all the time.

Q: What’s it like to live on a lake?
It’s very fun; even in the winter months we ice fish. My father-in-law takes the boys out a lot. When spring comes there’s more fishing, but no swimming until the water warms up of course. It keeps the kids busy and we enjoy it too.

Q: What is the working environment at
Lake Region Electric like?
Working in your department is like a family. I started in Customer Service and from there I went to the Billing Department when they started with natural gas because they needed more help back there. I really like working here. I’ve met a lot of really nice people and it’s a fun, relaxed environment.

Q: What does your husband do?
He’s an occupational therapist. When we moved back he was working in Detroit Lakes so it was a little bit of a commute. Just recently he got a job in Wahpeton, North Dakota and mainly does home health, so he travels around a lot anyway.

Q: What would you tell a person that is considering moving to the area?
I know families that have moved back to Pelican Rapids and other communities in the area. We’ve spread the word and have friends that have moved here from Fargo. They all say the same thing, that it is nice to have the smaller, tight-knit community, and none that I know have regretted moving here. There’s a lot of support from friends and family; the smaller class sizes are wonderful for the kids, and all of the activities that you can do around here. Even if you don’t live on a lake there is so much that you can do. I would recommend it for anyone considering moving back around here.