When we last checked in on the oil and gas boom, we noticed it was attracting high school grads who skipped college for it. And just like any scene that blows up, high rents are following in the wake of those coming there to scope out the scene make a quick buck. How high? Try $2100 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. That’s right, now you can pay New York prices to live in a town that you might not even be able to find on a map, in Williston, North Dakota.
NPR reports that the North Dakota city with a population of only 30,000 has unemployment below one percent. And although the prospects for work seem pretty solid, if you want to get in on the action, you won’t be saving any money on rent. Still, landlords may be getting ahead of themselves, because despite all the work available, no one wants to live there. Why? Simply because there’s nothing to do.
Sounds like there may be opportunity out there for all you starving artists to provide that entertainment and culture. You’re already shelling out ridiculous amounts of money to live here, and there’s so much damn competition. Why open up a coffee shop in an over-saturated market like Brooklyn when you can do it in cafe-starved Williston? And those oil workers are gonna need caffeine injections to keep them up for their long shifts. Or relocate your struggling indie band there and you can be the only game in town, music-wise. Sure you’ll probably just have to do a lot of country covers, but if it worked for the Blues Brothers, it can work for you.
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Think of all the artisanal oil and natural gas to be guzzled.