I just figured that since the place is a small town (and small towns lean Republican), a Democratic-leaning state would be a good bet to even things out (lest questions are raised on how someone like Cass would even want to stay there). Plus, well, Lakeside, Minn. being the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes. ;)
An option for "further west" might be Colorado (a purple state, to be sure, but Lakeside could be one of those small towns that are close to an urban area like, say, near Denver).
To be honest, and (though you can easily glean my views) this really isn't a political argument, I can't really picture Lakeside being in too red a state, and it being in Texas or Utah sounds just weird...
Anyways, I'm putting WAY too much thought into this. I'll stop now before I accidentally trigger an argument or something.
