Studies Suggest Folks Underestimating Growth of Cities and Towns In North Dakota Due to Oil

Link here.

This was from the January 6, 2011, edition of the Minot Daily Press. Generally links to these small regional newspapers are lost fairly quickly.

Here are some highlights:

• A study that shows the population of key cities in the Bakken more than doubling in 25 years may be conservative, according to city officials.
• The study projected another 10,957 residents in the communities of Williston, New Town, Parshall, Watford City, Stanley and Tioga. The largest share, 7,365 residents, is forecast for Williston through 2025. Accommodating those residents would require another 5,477 permanent and temporary housing units.
• Parshall Mayor Richard Bolkan said the projected 1,812 population peak for his city seems low, although he agreed with the study that access to housing is going to be a factor in how much growth occurs. Parshall could see more than 3,000 residents if it had the housing, he said.
• One spokesman noted that the study only looked at oil drilling and not employment projections related to developments like a gas plant recently proposed [and approved] for Watford City. It also didn't consider growth from other sectors of the economy or the effect of rural growth around the city, which has been tremendous, he said. Still, the figures provide a starting point.