Oil Booms in North Dakota

[Nodak78]

 

 

[Nodak78]

 

 

[Nodak78]

 

 

[ericpnelson]

praise the patch

[nd1sufan]

 

 

Williston will never pass Fargo in population. From 2010 to 2012, Fargo by all accounts grew by 8,000 to 9,000 while WIlliston added about 6,000. West Fargo is growing by just about the same numbers as WIlliston. WIth the new hospital being built with 200 new doctors and over 1,000 support staff, along with all of the jobs those extra workers require, Fargo will be the largest city in North Dakota for the lifespan of anyone on this blog today. The gap between #1 (Fargo) and #2 (Bismarck) is 50,000 now, and will only get larger.  

[darell1976]

Williston will never pass Fargo in population. From 2010 to 2012, Fargo by all accounts grew by 8,000 to 9,000 while WIlliston added about 6,000. West Fargo is growing by just about the same numbers as WIlliston. WIth the new hospital being built with 200 new doctors and over 1,000 support staff, along with all of the jobs those extra workers require, Fargo will be the largest city in North Dakota for the lifespan of anyone on this blog today. The gap between #1 (Fargo) and #2 (Bismarck) is 50,000 now, and will only get larger.  

Don't forget all the former residents of western ND who wanted a quiet life not the hustle and bustle of trucks moving out of the oil patch and rent around 2000 bucks a month, moving to the east. No way Williston passes Fargo. If anything I see Fargo surpassing the Dakota leader, Sioux Falls.

[darell1976]

From 2010-2013  http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/38/3825700.html

 

Fargo up 7.7%

Bismarck up 9.4%

Grand Forks up 3.9%

West Fargo up 15.7%

Williston up 41%

Dickinson 16.6%

Mandan 7.9%

Minot 13.1%

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watford_City,_North_Dakota

 

Watford City up 88.3%

 

North Dakota up 7.6%

 

Population will only get bigger when there is housing available. So its hard to believe Williston will outdraw Fargo, unless they make houses and apartments up the #$$.

[The Sicatoka]

The metro with a shot at surpassing Fargo is Bismarck-Mandan

[Nodak78]

Bismarck-Mandan will also pass Fargo.  15 years Williston will pass or will be pushing Fargo for biggest city.  Housing will expand much over the next few years.  Retail will explode in the few years.  Then more manufacturing. Maybe a pipe dream but I think not.

[Nodak78]

Bismarck-Mandan will also pass Fargo.  15 years Williston will pass or will be pushing Fargo for biggest city.  Housing will expand much over the next few years.  Retail will explode in the next few years.  Then more manufacturing. Maybe a pipe dream but I think not.

[darell1976]

The metro with a shot at surpassing Fargo is Bismarck-Mandan

 

I this is more realistic than Williston since Bismarck isn't too far away.

[SiouxVolley]

 

Fargo can't keep up with the wealth of Williston though.

[ScottM]

Once you factor in the transient population who will leave because other fields beckon, they've made enough money, their long-distance spouse has threatened to divorce them or the winter finally drives them out, I don't think Williston or Minot will pass Fargo anytime soon.  Bismarck, maybe.  Then again, single industry towns have a way of collapsing under their own weight.  See, Watford City and Williston in the 1980s.

[dmksioux]

I also don't believe Williston will pass Fargo anytime soon.  However, I do have a friend who teaches in the Williston school district and he said they gained 600 new students from last school year to this...that's just crazy!

[Nodak78]

I have been in Williston for 5 years, the growth is massive.  Big companies are making huge investments and they would be doing that unless it going to be here for the long term.  This isn't just oil companies.  Now retail and service companies are investing.  A convention center with 16 floors.  Starting direct flight from Houston.  This is just beginning. 

[Cratter]

Not even the "Craziest Fargo Haters" think Williston will surpass the the Fargo Metro.

While that convention center is nice, Fargo is also building a massive new 11 story $500 million hospital. The largest private industry construction project in the history of the Dakotas.

For every nice new building Williston gets. Fargo probably is getting something just as equivalent. Williston is finally getting a Menards. Moorhead got a new one a few years ago.

[Hammersmith]

I also don't believe Williston will pass Fargo anytime soon.  However, I do have a friend who teaches in the Williston school district and he said they gained 600 new students from last school year to this...that's just crazy!

Not much different than West Fargo. We've been adding 500 kids a year for the last couple years. Probably another 450-550 this year. I think the district will continue to open a new school two out of every three years for the near future. It's nuts.

 

2004 - Cheney Middle

2007 - Aurora Elementary, Sheyenne 9th Grade Center

2009 - Osgood Kindergarten Center

2012 - Freedom Elementary

2013 - Liberty Middle, Sheyenne HS expansion I

2014 - Independence Elementary, Sheyenne HS expansion II

2015 - Legacy Elementary

[SiouxVolley]

Not even the "Craziest Fargo Haters" think Williston will surpass the the Fargo Metro.

While that convention center is nice, Fargo is also building a massive new 11 story $500 million hospital. The largest private industry construction project in the history of the Dakotas.

For every nice new building Williston gets. Fargo probably is getting something just as equivalent. Williston is finally getting a Menards. Moorhead got a new one a few years ago.

 

OneOK has announced two gas plants this year that will each cost more that $500 million, both near Watford City.  That will make 7 OneOK plants around Watford City and Williston.  Those are corporate construction, but I guess Sanford isn't a public corporation.

 

Williston and Watford City, which will eventually be seen as one metro, will not pass the FM arena in this decade or probably the next.  But as long as oil is king, it will keep growing, just as Edmonton has and as Midland-Odessa.  If the OneOK plants would produce ethane, propane, and butane result is a chemical industry along the Missouri:  what has been incredible growth will accelerate.

 

The HS for Watford City that is being constructed is already undersized,  Williston is building a new HS and grade schools and District 8, the rural areas turning suburb around Williston will probably need its own HS as well as adding several elementary schools.  

[Nodak78]

Williston has two retail development both over $500 million.  That is besides Menard and the convention center.  15 years Williston will be bigger.

[nd1sufan]

The metro with a shot at surpassing Fargo is Bismarck-Mandan

The gap between the Bis/Mandan metro and the Fargo/Moorhead metro is widening not shrinking. F/M is double the size, more than 100,000 larger, and the raw numbers is people they are adding is larger than any other city in Fargo. If they keep adding 4,000 to 5,000 every year and others add 3,000 to 4,000, even though the others are adding a larger percentage, they are losing ground in total population. New Town may have added 50 percent this year, Does that mean they are going to catch Fargo, which is adding 4 percent. I don't think so. Percentage gain is misleading. Look at the total numbers. As the population of Williston and Bismarck go up, their percentage gain will drop.  

[bison73]

Williston has two retail development both over $500 million.  That is besides Menard and the convention center.  15 years Williston will be bigger.

 

 

They are looking for public funding to make those developements happen. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out over time. Lets just hope in the end it will all be able to sustain itself over the long haul.

[Cratter]

Williston has two retail development both over $500 million. That is besides Menard and the convention center. 15 years Williston will be bigger.

Williston is having tremendous growth which is great for the state, but like I said for everything you see being built in Williston, just know more is being built in the Fargo Moorhead area. And when more is being built in the FM area (and the census shows more people moved to FM than Williston the last few years) than Williston it will be hard to surpass.

Last year Williston granted $350 million in new construction, while

The FM area had over $525 million in new construction granted.

And this year Williston is on pace to do even less than last year. While Fargo this year has already surpassed last years, which was a record.

[Cratter]

They are looking for public funding to make those developements happen. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out over time. Lets just hope in the end it will all be able to sustain itself over the long haul.

A city can only grow so much in any certain time. Both williston and fargo are experiencing shortage of workers.

Just this month four people were hurt in williston when a building collapsed...

[UNDBIZ]

Could see this technology having quite the impact on ALL of North Dakota:

http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2014/08/20/turning-natural-gas-to-gasoline-at-1-per-gallon/

 

Bay Area startup Siluria Technologies has developed a way to make gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from natural gas — not crude oil.

 

The company uses a catalyst to make ethylene, a widely used chemical, from the methane in natural gas. When processed with other catalysts, the ethylene molecules can be combined to create gasoline, diesel or jet fuel. And at today’s natural gas prices, the company claims it can make gasoline for as little as $1 per gallon. 

 

[ScottM]

Could see this technology having quite the impact on ALL of North Dakota:

http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2014/08/20/turning-natural-gas-to-gasoline-at-1-per-gallon/

 

That could be huge if they can pull it off.  They have a pretty decent list of VCs backing them, so they may be on to something.