Study says Williston could have 44,000 people by 2017
December 12, 2012 at 7:57 am in Grand Forks Herald
Williston’s booming population could be as high as nearly 44,000 people in 2017, according to North Dakota State University study. Continue Reading
The big headache for Williston is how much of their 2017 population will they lose by 2027?
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It’s not sustainable. Gary, West Virginia had a population of 100,000 during the height of coal mining in the 1950s and now its less than 5,000 people. The people left (who couldn’t get out) are mainly on social security disability, welfare, food stamps, and almost any other federal assistance that’s available. Suicide and drug use – an outgrowth of the economic collapse and desperation – is nearly 10 ten times the national average. Most people are sick from the coal ash in the air, most of children have asthma, and the water is completely toxic leading to early deaths for thousands of people, particularly from pancreatic cancer. This could easily happen to boom and bust Williston.
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We can say “what if” all we want. The fact of the matter is, WIlliston is growing and growing big time. The oil boom is expected to continue for decades. They just announced (Harold Hamm) that they estimate the Bakken is now 1 trillion barrels of oil. We can’t just sit back and worry IF the boom slows SOMEDAY…if it even does at all. They still need to plan and build for the current population and the forcasted population. Once the city grows to a significant population, it will take on a life of its own. Fargo used to only be a few thousand at one time to. Over the years, Fargo developed retail, education, medical, etc… into their city. So will towns like WIlliston and Dickinson.
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Amtrak should haul oil workers from the east to west if towns like Williston can’t sustain the population boom. Cities like Grand Forks and Fargo would benefit from the boom as well.
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You mean a one way 8 hour commute?
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WE NEED A MONORAIL TO WILLISTON.
High-speed, of course. 350 mph = about one hour commute.
Monorails fix everything. Just ask Homer.
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