No one likes to think about death. Not just how each of us will someday go -- but what happens to us after we're gone.

Traditional burials are not cheap.

The embalming. The caskets. The cemetery plots. All can be very costly.

Cremation has become a very popular -- and more economical -- option for many Minnesotans. In fact, the cremation rate in Minnesota is high -- reportedly 72.7% in 2018.

But what do you do with the ashes of a loved one?

Sometimes, they're put on a fireplace mantel or in a closet.

Sometimes they're scattered to the wind in a place the dearly departed dearly loved.

 

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Did you know Minnesota has a final resting place that may be very appropriate for both the deceased AND their loved ones?

A company by the name of Better Place Forests created a protected forest in the St. Croix River Valley near Scandia in southeastern Minnesota. It acts as a conservation memorial forest where your cremated remains are scattered at a forest site where loved ones can visit and remember.

Instead of a tombstone, your loved one can be remembered with a Memorial Tree and a marker. Their ashes spread in the forest at the base of a designated tree. A quiet place to reflect and remember.

In addition to the St. Croix River Valley of Minnesota, the company also has Memorial Forests in California, Arizona, Illinois, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Becoming one with the forest isn't for everyone. But for some, it may be a great option.

LOOK: Here are the best lake towns to live in

Many of the included towns jump out at the casual observer as popular summer-rental spots--the Ozarks' Branson, Missouri, or Arizona's Lake Havasu--it might surprise you to dive deeper into some quality-of-life offerings beyond the beach and vacation homes. You'll likely pick up some knowledge from a wide range of Americana: one of the last remaining 1950s-style drive-ins in the Midwest; a Florida town that started as a Civil War veteran retirement area; an island boasting some of the country's top public schools and wealth-earners right in the middle of a lake between Seattle and Bellevue; and even a California town containing much more than Johnny Cash's prison blues.

Gallery Credit: Peter Richman

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