More Housing -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

I've been getting e-mails from readers about all the oil-related activity in the Minot area. It's an interesting phenomenon to watch. Minot is just under the radar in terms of the Bakken. I think there's a lot more going on there than folks are aware; certainly more than I am aware.

Folks have been writing me with anecdotal examples of Minot's growth over the past couple of years; some requested the information not be posted and in other cases, I couldn't post more than what might be a rumor.

The first story of the Baker Hughes complex in Minto; then the recent story of the Berthold grain elevator; then a note about activity between Lansford and Maxbass; then the Port of North Dakota story; and now this story: a flurry of activity in Burlington could see 1,500 housing units in this small town west of Minot, link to The Bismarck Tribune.

I know Burlington very, very well -- at least to the extent that one knows a town by driving through it a thousand times in one's life. When we got to Berthold, coming from Williston, we knew we were just minutes away from McDonald's in Minot. I think there must have been 33 houses in Burlington when I drove through it during my college years. I remember having a crush on a senior who hailed from Burlington attending Augustana College when I was a freshman. It was but a 20-hour crush -- the car ride one Thanksgiving from Augustana to Williston. And maybe the return trip. Or something like that; I've forgotten the drive; I've not forgotten the beautiful woman. She had a distinctive nickname; I'm sure folks would recognize it and she may not appreciate it. Smile.

But I digress. Here's the lede from The Bismarck Tribune story (sent to me by Don):

Hundreds of additional houses could be dotting the landscape of an expanded Burlington city limits in a few years.

The sight of heavy equipment forging a road up the terrain behind what is known as Speedway corner, west of Minot, is just the beginning of construction yet to occur this year and next.

Developers of Highlands Ranch Subdivision are preparing infrastructure to accommodate around 1,500 housing units, which could be built over the next five to seven years.

The master-planned community will include single-family and multi-family homes. Property closest to U.S. Highway 2 & 52 is set aside for commercial uses such as retail and professional offices.

The population of Burlington in the 2010 census was 1,060.