It’s not everyday you see the mayor of Williston ND interviewed on CNBC. In fact, I’m sure it’s never happened before but times are changing. Williston has gone through boom periods before like in the late 70’s when we had the first run up in oil prices. For most of the 80s and 90s the boom was just a fading memory. Williston, Dickinson and other towns that were overbuilt during the 70s oil boom looked like ghost towns. Now that Oil is sustaining above $75 and horizontal drilling has made the Bakken Wells highly productive, this boom may last!

The big problem they were pointing out on CNBC is the lack of housing in the area. At a time when there is a housing glut in most of the country, there is a critical shortage in western North Dakota. Jobs are so plentiful that most people find a job within hours of arriving, but there is no place to live. This past summer there were tent cities all over out there, but now with temperatures in the single digits at night that’s not a very feasible option.

Banks and builders have been reluctant to build too much housing because of memories of the past busts in oil country. It’s a shame there are jobs going unfilled because there is no place to live.

Here is the video: