- Brooklyn, NY
- Seattle, WA
- Austin, TX
- Portland, OR
- Boulder, CO
- Raleigh, NC
- Detroit, MI
- Philadelphia, PA
- Nashville, TN
- Bentonville, AR
- Burlington, VT
- Mountain View, CA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Williston, ND
A huge "thank you" to 'anonymous' for sending me the link. I never would have seen it.
I agree. Putting Williston on a list with Austin and Mountain View is a joke.
ReplyDeleteHow funny! I was going to say the one city that does not fit on the list: Detroit, Michigan. Smile.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Detroit is hardly up and coming. Just do a search on YouTube of Detroit and it is terrible. Of course there is a lot of fix me uppers there at a cheep price. The city that the union way and huge outlays of by big nanny state government tried to make utopia out of. The nightmare of the rust belt goes all the way from eastern Wisconsin, Illinois (south and west Chicago), northern Indiana, Michigan and Ohio on to Pittsburgh, PA and up to Buffalo NY. When a country stops producing consumable things this is what happens. Hopefully the country realizes this and makes some dramatic reform. The human cost has been a crime and should of been avoided. That is why North Dakota is such a bright beacon in so many ways.
DeleteWilliston should be there as up and coming city. North Dakota is one of the few places where a vibrant economy exist in the country.
Actually, I think Williston should be replaced by Phoenix on the list. Do you remember the recent story I linked about North Dakotans "snapping" up property in Arizona?
Deletehttp://www.milliondollarwayblog.com/2012/06/north-dakotans-snapping-up-arizona.html
That was the second story on NoDaks buying AZ property; the earlier one was back in January, 2012.
NoDaks stick together, and a lot of them are buying in the same area in Arizona. I honestly don't know if it's Phoenix, or asuburb, etc., but some suburb is doing well because of the Bakken.
I sure did see the North Dakota Phoenix connection. North Dakotans know what is of value both the material and the non material. The state should consider changing its label from the "Peace Garden State" to "The Common Sense State".
ReplyDeleteThose Norwegian, German and Russian immigrants had to be tough and level headed to make in on the wide open prairies and they did a good job of passing those value on to their offspring.
Wow, so much could be written.
DeleteI often comment on Rolvaag's "Giants of the Earth," about Norwegian settlers in North Dakota. I have read it three times, and it makes an impression every time I read it. It was very, very difficult for me to finish it the last time I read it; very emotional.
A very influential group and a very, very successful group were the Syrian-Lebanese. One of my favorite books is William Sherman's "The Syrian-Lebanese in North Dakota," available at Amazon.com. I enjoy the book so much I have two copies, both hardcover, one at my permanent residence in Texas, and one I carry with me when I travel.
Although I have given him some grief on the blog, Kahlil is a great individual, comes from a great family, and part of that phenomenal heritage. I was going to name another Syrian-Lebanese family that I really appreciated, but then there were so many I didn't want to get started, and leave many out.
Perhaps one of my biggest heroes growing up was Williston Chief of Police, Ray Atol, Lebanese parents immigrated. I don't ever recall meeting him personally but I saw him often with his cigars and on his Harley-Davidson. In a way, he probably made as big an impact on my life as anyone in Williston.
The Lebanese grain farmers were attracted to North Dakota for grain farming, that's the connection.
Another Lebanese family is the Owans family who have been developing residential and commercial (oilfiled warehouses) for decades.
ReplyDeleteI agree Williston has a right to be on the list. Many people scoff at Williston, but in reality, it is growing and may someday become a small city with some stature. I'm sure some in Fargo-Bismarck-Minot andd Grand Forks are NOT rooting for Williston. In all honesty, they never have and never will.
Yes, I am familiar with the Owans. I met one of the brothers last autumn. Very, very pleasant conversation. I did not know about their connection with oilfield warehouses. Amazing.
DeleteI think Williston is going to surprise a lot of folks before this is all over.
The Owans family built many of the new twin home developments in Williston's west side (about a 4 block area) They built one of the retirment communities behind McDonald's. They are also the ones who developed all of the new warehouses WEST of the 4 mile on the North side of the 4 lane all the way to the Trenton turn off (3 miles west of the 4 mile). They own a lot of land around Williston. They know their business, thats for sure.
ReplyDeleteI was unaware of all of that, of course. I am so impressed with how so many North Dakotans quietly go about their business without making a big issue out of things, it seems. I am also impressed with the quality of all that construction; my impression from driving by is that this is all very high quality "stuff."
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking time to comment.