I grew up in Montana from the age of 16 after being born and raised in Northern California. I made the trip to Northern California to visit family once a year, either by plane, train or automobile.
On one trip back in 2008, while heading west by myself and getting closer to a town, I happened to see an advertisement for Starbucks on Interstate 80 east of Fernley. I thought, I could use a latte, and this is a town I have never driven through. So I pulled off the interstate at Exit 48.
“Oh my goodness, there’s a Walmart.”
I pulled into Starbucks and bought my latte. I continued driving through a roundabout.
“Oh my goodness, there’s a roundabout.”
I ended up on Main Street, driving through this cute little town, and came upon a bowling alley.
“Oh my goodness, this little town has a bowling alley.”
I was a bowler for many years in Montana. I had fallen in love with Fernley.
I continued on my westward journey to visit my family. One day I mentioned to my sister about this little town close to Reno that I was interested in moving to so I could be closer to my California family. She happened to know a real estate agent in Reno, so I contacted him. We met in Reno, drove to Fernley and checked out houses for sale in this cute little town named Fernley.
As it turned out, it didn’t work out for me at that time to move from Montana.
In December 2014, I was finally able to move to California to live close to my family. It was a huge move for me from my life in Montana. I bought a house and settled in. I enjoyed living close to and spending special moments with my aging parents and my granddaughters.
After about a year, I decided to do some searching on FarmersOnly.com. Within a month, I met a man from, guess where, Fernley.
Our first meeting was for lunch, a five-hour lunch.
We continued our courtship until getting married in Las Vegas in 2022.
I became a full-time Fernley resident in 2024. I miss my California and Montana families, but I am now “Finally Fernley Family.”
Anetta Baldwin
If you’d like to share your “Finally Fernley” story, send it to [email protected].
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