North Dakota struggles to cope with its oil-boom prosperity
Twelve years ago, Williston's population stood at a little more than 12,500 people. Now, officials there estimate the town services 38,000 on a daily basis, based partly on water and sewer use. They expect it could hit 50,000 by 2017.
North Dakota's population grew 2.2 percent to 699,628 in the year ending July 1, according to the Census Bureau. Many newcomers are from Minnesota. For years, more people moved from North Dakota to Minnesota than vice versa. That trend has changed in recent years, with North Dakota gaining approximately 4,500 to 6,500 Minnesotans each year between 2009 and 2011.
Housing is the region's biggest problem. Most apartments and extended-stay hotels command rents that only those with lucrative oil field jobs can afford -- not government or retail jobs.
On a large flashing sign next to the highway, the Value Place hotel advertised rates of $699.99 a week, well above...
Jim Lincoln wrote: Wow! our hearts bleed for those poor North Dakotans who don't know what unemployment is! How can they stand it! They'd better cap all those oil wells! :-7 I bet California wished they had their problems, well actually California does, except it doesn't have the money to fix those problems
One would think that with the high unemployment we have faced under the present administration they would look at this and reverse their practice on not allowing drilling. T'aint gonna happen.
amazing how using the land makes for profit while printing money (otherwise known as baiting the Chinese to switch to a gold based currency), and putting 47 million on food stamps creates enslavement.
Wow! our hearts bleed for those poor North Dakotans who don't know what unemployment is! How can they stand it! They'd better cap all those oil wells! :-7
I bet California wished they had their problems, well actually California does, except it doesn't have the money to fix those problems
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Dr. Alan Cairns | 3/9/2009
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john uk from wales: "quiz: why is the paternoster used so often by sea anglers?"
