The Office's Rainn Wilson pays tribute to his humble childhood home

Rainn Wilson, forever etched in our hearts as the beet-farming, karate-kicking Dwight Schrute from The Office, recently paid homage to his own rustic and quirky beginnings.

In a heartfelt nod to his childhood, Wilson revisited the modest house in Lake Forest Park, Washington — a suburban area right outside of Seattle — where he spent his early years, capturing the moment in a candid social media post.

Accompanied by a photo of himself standing in the driveway of his former home, Wilson shared a caption that could easily double as a Dwight Schrute monologue:

“This is the house I grew up in from 1974-1981 in Lake Forest Park Washington, north of Seattle. (I snuck into their driveway to take this photo.) 2 Bedrooms. About 1100 square feet. Too small to host our regular D&D games. Very mossy. I had to mow that lawn and wash my dad’s Ford Pinto every weekend. I used to burn leaves with a magnifying glass on that front walkway. And we once trained a squirrel to run up our pantlegs and get a peanut from our pockets in the driveway. We were poor, but boy were we unhappy! #ChildhoodHome”

Much like Dwight’s prized Schrute Farms, Wilson’s childhood home holds stories of simplicity, doing work around the house, and training squirrels.

The actor’s fans connected deeply with the post.

Comments flowed in, ranging from nostalgic sympathies to observations on the changing face of Lake Forest Park, with many noting that a similar home would be completely out of reach for the average person today.

“Today no one who is anywhere near poor could afford to live in Lake Forest Park. Certainly not in that house or any house. I used to live in that neighborhood about 10 years ago. It’s beautiful. I loved it there!”
one fan noted

“To be poor in the Washington woods doesn’t sound TOO bad to me ☺️ it’s so beautiful there!”
another chimed in

“Grew up in LFP, graduated in 76 from Shorecrest, I wish I recognized that house. Not too long ago, I had a flash of nostalgic inspiration to move back there. Then I saw how crazy expensive houses are there now,” said another commentator, further highlighting the prohibitive prices the Seattle suburb sports nowadays.
another former Lake Forest Park resident said

Indeed, the area Rainn Wilson once called home has transformed drastically over the years.

According to Realtor.com, Lake Forest Park’s housing market is fiercely competitive, with homes receiving multiple offers and the median sale price soaring to $1.2M last month (January 2024), a staggering 53.1% increase from the previous year.

The median sale price per square foot now stands at $477, up 13.8% since last year. However, homes do take a little longer to sell. This January, homes sold after spending an average of 76 days on the market, significantly longer than the 28 days of the previous year.

So while Rainn Wilson himself could easily afford to buy in the area, the Seattle-adjacent location is now out of reach for most.

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