In August 2015, Washington Post data reporter Christopher Ingraham was looking for story ideas when he stumbled upon a gold mine: a U.S. Department of Agriculture study, the Natural Amenities Index, a list of America's more than 3,000 counties classified from ugliest to most scenic. In covering the rankings, he wrote a sentence that would change his life: "The absolute worst place to live in America is (drumroll please), Red Lake County, Minn." The story immediately went viral. Ingraham's piece received hundreds of responses from angry but polite Red Lake Falls residents, including a local businessman who invited Ingraham to visit. Curious, Ingraham accepted the offer, and was pleasantly surprised and charmed by the warmth, humor, and hospitality these ordinary Midwest folks extended to a big city East Coast journalist who had insulted their home to millions of readers.