Meet The Locals: Kate & Rudy

Kate and Rudy Martinez, who both love sports, first met while playing on the same soccer team in Pelican Rapids. Rudy had emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico with his parents in 1997 when he was eight years old. After graduating, Kate and Rudy both went away to school and then lived in the city. They both admit that they loved the amenities of living in the city. However, when they decided that it was time to start a family, it seemed obvious to come back to the area in order to be around their extended families.

They liked the fact that Pelican Rapids had a homey, small-town feeling, great for raising children. The town also had the diversity they wanted their child to be raised in, for bilingual and biracial reasons. They also both loved the beauty of the region’s landscape. Rudy says it was not until he started riding a motorcycle with Kate that he “really started to see the beauty that surrounds us.”

After 12 years of being away, they came back, both got good jobs,
and started looking for a place to settle down. Kate is an elementary art teacher in Pelican Rapids and Rudy is a finance specialist for the Pelican Rapids Public Schools.

The Martinez family now enjoys their active lifestyle right from their doorstep. Kate noted “we are really excited now that we built on the river, right in town, and can kayak and tube from our front door.”