>> Cathy: IT IS NOT EVERY DAY THAT TWO CORNELL EDUCATED 30-SOMETHINGS ITH NO TIES TO THE STATE DECIDED TO EMBRACE SMALL TOWN LIFE IN NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT FORMER WASHINGTON REPORTER CHRIS IMAGE GRAHAM AND WIFE BRIANNA DID.

KAOMI LEE REVISITS THE STORY AND FINDS OUT HOW THEY'RE DOING.

>> CHRIS AND BRIANNA NGRAM AND THEIR THREE SONS CHARLIE, JACK AND WILLIAM ENJOY SMALL TOWN LIFE IN MINNESOTA.

EIGHT YEARS AGO CHRIS INGRAM DISSED THE COUNTY FROM A THOUSAND MILES AWAY.

>> I WAS LOOKING FOR THINGS TO WRITE ABOUT, IT WAS KIND OF A SLOW TIME IN THE NEWS ROOM AND I STUMBLED ACROSS THIS DATA FROM THE USDA CALLED NATURAL AMENITIES INDEX.

WHAT IT DID IS BASICALLY RANKED EVERY COUNTY IN THE UNITED STATES ACCORDING TO THEIR NATURAL AMENITIES.

>> PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS LIKE MOUNTAINS, OCEANS AND LAKES.

THE GOVERNMENT WAS ATTEMPTING TO QUANTIFY BEAUTY.

COUNTIES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TOPPED THE LIST.

>> THE PLACE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST ENDED UP BEING RED LAKE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

IT'S FLAT AND DESPITE THE NAME THERE ARE NO LAKES HERE, NO CREDIT FOR WATER IN RED LAKE COUNTY.

>> THIS EAUTIFUL SCENERY BEHIND ME IS THE CLEARWATER RIVER IN RED LAKE FALLS, MINNESOTA IT'S ARD TO BELIEVE THAT CHRIS INGRAM CALLED RED LAKE COUNTY THE WORST PLACE TO LIVE IN AMERICA.

>> THEN I GOT A LOT OF VERY POLITELY WORDED ANGRY LETTERS FROM FOLKS IN MINNESOTA.

IT WAS FROM FOLKS UP HERE IN RED LAKE COUNTY WHO WERE OBVIOUSLY KIND OF OFF-PUT BY IT BUT ALSO FOLKS FROM ALL AROUND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA WHO WERE JUST KIND OF UPSET THAT ANYWHERE IN MINNESOTA WOULD RANK POORLY.

>> I READ IT ND I JUST THOUGHT THIS GUY, YOU KNOW, HE'S READING IT OFF STATISTICS THAT REALLY MAKE NO SENSE UNLESS YOU ACTUALLY COME TO THE COMMUNITY AND SEE THE COMMUNITY.

>> RED LAKE FALLS, POPULATION 1400 IS, SITUATED AT THE CONVERGENCE OF TWO RIVERS.

THE CLEARWATER AND RED RIVER MEET.

THERE ARE BLUFFS AND HILLS, PLENTIFUL JOBS, AND A THRIVING DOWNTOWN.

AND THERE ARE THINGS THE DATA DOESN'T SEE.

>> PEOPLE WAVE TO STRANGERS HERE.

>> OH, YEAH, THAT'S NATURAL, YOU WAVE TO EVERYBODY.

>> JASON ROMO IS THE OWNER OF A LOCAL CAMPGROUND AND RIVER TUBING ATTRACTION.

HE THOUGHT THE STORY AND BACKLASH WAS FUNNY AT FIRST.

>> D.C. ELITIST, HE DOESN'T KNOW, LIKE LOTS OF EXPLETIVES.

AND SOME PEOPLE WERE GENUINELY HURT BY IT.

>> GENERALLY SPEAKING, NO, I THINK I WAS WRONG, I WAS A LITTLE FLIPPANT IN WRITING OFF RED LAKE COUNTY, MINNESOTA.

BECAUSE I FIGURED, YOU KNOW, RED LAKE COUNTY, 4,000 PEOPLE HERE, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO READ THE WASHINGTON POST, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO CARE WHAT I SAID ABOUT THEM.

>> BROMO CHALLENGED CHRIS TO VISIT.

TO THE TOWN'S SURPRISE, CHRIS ACCEPTED.

>> THEY'RE LIKE GONNA KILL YOU, THEY'RE GOING TO TAR AND FEATHER YOU.

>> I DID WANT HIM TO GO, I WAS AFRAID FOR HIM.

I WAS LIKE YOU NEED TO TEXT ME, MAKE SURE YOU'RE OKAY.

>> I GO TO THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE AND AS SOON AS I GET OUT OF MY CAR THERE'S LIKE A DOZEN CAMERAS IN MY FACE.

THEY GOT ALL THESE LOCAL TV CREWS TO COME AND FILM THE EVENT.

THEY HAD THE MARCHING BAND FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL PLAY, STRIKE UP A TUNE ON THE STEPS AND THERE WAS PROBABLY AT LEAST 100 PEOPLE MILLING AROUND THERE, THEY HAD THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

>> JUST AS CHRIS MISJUDGED SO TOO HAD THE TOWN.

SURE, CHRIS AND BRIANNA LIVED OUTSIDE BALTIMORE, UT BOTH WERE FROM SMALL TOWNS IN UPSTATE NEW YORK.

CHRIS IMMEDIATELY SAW THE VITALITY, GOOD SCHOOLS AND NATURAL BEAUTY.

>> THEY REALLY PUT RED LAKE FALLS ON THE MAP.

AND I THINK THE ONE THING THAT HAS CAME OUT OF IT THAT IS QUITE INTERESTING IS I THINK A LOT OF EOPLE IN TOWN SAW A LOT OF BEAUTY IN THE COMMUNITY THAT NECESSARY NEVER SAW BEFORE.

>> RED LAKE FALLS LEFT AN IMPRESSION TOO.

THE IMAGE GRAHAMS HAD TWO-YEAR-OLD TWINS AND WERE OUTGROWING THEIR CRAMPED ONE AND A HALF BEDROOM HOME.

>> YOU START THINKING ABOUT A NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL WHERE YOUR KIDS CAN EASILY WALK OR BIKE TO SCHOOL.

WHEN I WAS HERE I SAW THE COMMUNITY COHESION WHERE EVERYONE WAS LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER.

>> SO THEY MOVED TO RED LAKE FALLS, BRIANNA ECAME A TEACHER AND ACTIVE ON THE CITY COUNCIL.

THEIR FAMILY GREW, THEY ADAPTED TO THE LONG WINTERS.

>> CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING AND SNOWSHOEING, WE STARTED MAKING IGLOOS IN OUR YARD.

>> THEN LAST FALL THE FAMILY GOT SOME BAD NEWS.

>> BASICALLY A HUGE TUMOR IN MY LIVER.

DOCTORS THOUGHT INITIALLY IT WAS BILE DUCT CANCER WHICH IS ONE OF THE REALLY BAD CANCERS.

>> YOU'RE THINKING THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO THINK, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO, I HAVE THREE BOYS.

>> THE COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO RAISE MONEY FOR THEM, AND THAT'S WHEN THE INGRAHAMS SAW THE TOWN'S TRUE BEAUTY.

>> THE ITEMS THEY HAD FOR AUCTION, PEOPLE OFFERED UP LIKE A ICE FISHING TRIP, THERE WAS A KAYAK, DONATED AND JUST -- >> YEAH, BUSINESSES AND PEOPLE JUST DONATING BIG THINGS.

>> JUST DONATING THESE ITEMS TO HELP AND, YEAH.

IT'S JUST IS STILL VERY EMOTIONAL.

>> THE CANCER TURNED OUT TO BE LESS AGGRESSIVE.

TODAY, CHRIS HAS UCCESSFULLY BEAT IT.

AS FOR THAT INFAMOUS STORY EIGHT YEARS AGO, HE SAYS HE'S LEARNED A LOT ABOUT READING DATA.

>> THEY CAN BE ACCURATE BUT STILL NOT TRUE.

YOU KNOW, THEY CAN BE LIKE THIS IS A CORRECT U