Oil-boom sprawl swallows a North Dakota city
The oil industry and the thousands of workers it's attracted have swallowed up communities like Williston, N.D., where neighborhoods on the edge of town now feel like they're in the center.
The oil boom in North Dakota has attracted tens of thousands of workers and made the state one of the most prosperous in the U.S.
For those who lived in North Dakota’s small towns and cities before, the change is profound — can be seen day by day. Independent radio producer Todd Melby is reporting a project, called Black Gold Boom, out of Williston, N.D. Marketplace is airing some of his portraits of the people and places he’s run across.
Today, Beth Hafele talks about how her home’s gone from being on the edge of Williston to being pretty much in the middle of town. Listen to her story in the audio above.
Todd’s series, Black Gold Boom, is an initiative of Localore and the Association of Independents in Radio.