Comments on: Go West, Young Man (To North Dakota)

By: todd

todd — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 03:10:11 +0000

well, I live on the south end of the oil boom in Dickinson, ND. My family and I have moved here from minneapolis, MN. It is a great area for kids….. You Can buy a house, build a house, Buy a manufactured house, or whatever you want really. THE FACT of the matter is that you need to plan on doing some of the leg work yourself. Don’t expect to find something for sale cheap in the first place you look. I paid cash for a 50’s era house and completely remodeled it with the wages I made in the first few months of working here. (I am an electrician) The coolest part is that I save most of my income. It does not cost that much to live here! I go 100 miles to sams club once a month and get a pickup load of food. Thats because the local prices are high. For fun my family goes boating, fishing, camping, hunting, hiking, and ocasionally we go to minneapolis to get away (its an 8 hour drive). So I have to say to those people that think north dakota is not an option: Are you LAZY? If so, then just sit where you are and rot. IF not, come to North dakota so that my boss can hire me a damn helper…. we are short handed because theres nobody to hire.

By: bakkendispatch

bakkendispatch — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:56:22 +0000

Part of the main impact of the boom on small communities comes from the fact that the oil jobs are driving up expected wages. Local towns need cops and teachers, but it’s hard to pay those people some comparable to the oil field wages.

By: john boy

john boy — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 20:03:48 +0000

Good article, and even better discussion in the comments. It’s a tough issue, and there are many pros and cons to the oil boom in North Dakota. Good to see the locals weigh in with some first hand experience. And yes, those jobs are very hard in addition to be high paying. Much harder.

By: Mommyof2

Mommyof2 — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:28:56 +0000

Im so glad I read this, my family and I were looking to move up here, the man is sick of getting paid the bare minimum and hes been an electrician for over 10 years, you had me at strip clubs.. glad I read this..

By: Dukie

Dukie — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:19:28 +0000

I suggest we sell North Dakota to Canada, throw in Minnesota as well in return for a few cheap beads and loose change

By: Hmmmmm

Hmmmmm — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:44:08 +0000

I see these comments were at end of 2011 and beginning of 2012. When you need a job, anything with a good wage looks attractive. When you need a place for your family to live, desperation overrides good sense. When you begin to breathe again, gratitude sometimes gets lost in expectations and pride.

I have lived in many states and with many communities. There are several rules or guidelines I have developed.

Rule 1. Never move into a community and tell them there is a better way. If they decide what they are doing is not working and ask you for your opinion, then it is okay to share it. If you do not like the way they do something, just don’t participate in that one particular aspect of it. Offer to help in some other way, even if it is picking up trash near the public buildings.

Rule 2. A kind and humble attitude will make your transition easier. if you don’t know what it is to be humble, study people who are humble. Don’t expect something back for everything you do.

Rule 3. There is no one — absolutely no one that can make you happy or unhappy. Do not allow another person to determine how you feel. Do not give control of your emotions or thoughts to another soul.

About the time I think someone or some place makes me happy, I am proven wrong. I have found God to be my only constant source of joy and I have found myself to be content in every place I have lived.

Finally and surely you know by now that this country will not be saved or redeemed by a political party or a group of people.

Seek and you will find.

By: NDNative

NDNative — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:49:26 +0000

Yeah, you’re intelligent… You tell people how to avoid paying taxes and then you tell them it is better to let it go to collections? Just another reason why our economy is in the mess it’s in. You disgust me.

By: NDNative

NDNative — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:43:52 +0000

Very well said! And you are not even a ND native, but I’m glad to hear that you love ND! Newcomers need to see the beautiful green rolling hills in the summer and see the Medora Musical!

By: NDNative

NDNative — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:33:44 +0000

I have read a lot of the comments and have to say that any of you bad-mouthing the people and state that you moved to in order to provide for your family, you turn my stomach. Why dont you get down on your knees and thank the Good Lord that you have work and had the means to even come out here? Quit complaining about people being rude to you! If that’s all you have to deal with, then you are blessed!
Here’s what I’ve heard from others around here… Man camps, 9 guys to a trailer. 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. This doesn’t mean every job but from guys I have talked to. Strip club and bars in Williston. Ruining marraiges, tearing apart families. Like someone had commented, this is a job for a single guy, not for families. I have heard that some people near Williston are getting nasty tasty, smelling drinking water. Out-of-towners don’t realize that it is hard enough getting shipments to Walmarts, other grocery stores out here… Now with all these people coming in, the shelves are frequently bare! Just yesterday, all the fresh meats at Walmart were gone. Bread shelves are empty. What happens when gas prices go higher? It means less truck routes, less food. Do you really want to come out here? Yeah you might make some good money for a few months, but is it really worth all the extra trouble? and God forbid, having to deal with “rude” locals? Right Nancy? lol
Get your priorities right brothers and sisters! God should always be priority number One. And in these troubled times, you need to put your trust in Jesus, not on uncertain means of money. Praying that you follow the right path. God Bless

By: NDNative

NDNative — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:00:29 +0000

We are God-fearing, hard working people! Many of these oil workers live in our parking lots, leaving their pissed-filled jugs on the ground, garbage everywhere. Our crime rate has gone up 600%. Matter of fact in the last 3 months we have had 5 murders that have been proven to be because of the oil boom (one young lady we knew personally). So you can step down from your pedestal and try walking in our shoes! Even with all this happening around us, we are friendly people so I don’t appreciate you bad-mouthing us! You obviously had a bad interaction with someone and who’s to say it was a local, Huh? How do you know you weren’t dealing with someone that moved out here the same as you? We are not going to be rude just because you are from out of state. If you really have a problem here, it is probably because you are dealing with people who are not originally from here.