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Friday, September 9, 2011

No California License Plates in the Bakken -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Someone else pointed this out to me: there are no California license plates in the Bakken.

There have been numerous stories of the people, vehicles, and license plates from across the country, and I have spotted "them all" in Wal-Mart parking lot. The joke making the rounds is that there are no more folks in Idaho: they have all moved to North Dakota.

But one state is missing. The state with the second highest unemployment rate, at 12 percent, is right behind Nevada, at 12.1 percent or so.

I have seen one Nevada plate, but no California plates.

I have opined about this before. Things don't add up. If it's really that bad in California, one would expect at least one California plate here in Williston. Back in the 1980's, a large number of California folks migrated to Williston, albeit some of them were considered a bit out of the mainstream. But California plates are noticeably absent -- and again, it was someone else that pointed this out to me. I had not noticed until then.

Polls in California suggest folks out there are unhappy with the national economy and national politics, but polls actually show Californians generally happy with their state of affairs. My hunch is that folks in California have found ways to cope, and ways to survive economically, even while "unemployed."

11 comments:

  1. For now the state keeps spending and borrowing . Wait until they see their state income tax double and their welfare checks get cut when the state bonds are worthless. You will see CA plates in the Bakken then. jj

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  2. I'm tracking two new metrics:
    California license plates
    Truckloads of proppant, by brand

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  3. Ca tags are not a good metric. It can't go below 0 (present value) so it is useless as a trend measurement (the basic utility of any metric) until it breaks out into positive territory. Californians will endure anything to stay. If they haven't left by now, they never will and wb is not high on the list of anyone here as a destination.

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  4. Trying to track type and amount of proppant -- I was being serious.

    Using CA license plates as a metric was tongue-in-cheek. I agree with you. If they haven't left by now, they never will.

    But you can be sure that I will post the day I see a CA plate in town (I may photograph it). Smile.

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  5. I'm formerly from Dickinson, ND and recently moved to California. I tell all the people out here that need jobs about the opportunities in North Dakota. They all say the same thing, "it's too cold"!

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  6. 80 degrees today.

    But again, those who need jobs and don't come to ND for them supports my contention that 12% unemployed in California -- something doesn't add up. Things can't be that bad.

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  7. Well, jobs are hard to come by and there is underemployment. I know a lot of folks who are underemployed (I e folks with degrees in for example in teaching who are working waitress jobs right now). None want to leave. It's that simple . They will ride it out. Any port in the storm is better than frozen tundra. Sorry.

    I would offer the following. Wherever you are on Jan 2 2012, tune In the rose bowl on your tee vee and ask yourself if you would rather be in a warm climate or wherever you are on that day.

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  8. I will probably be in San Pedro, California, again, this year as usual for Christmas-New Year, watching USC in the Rose Bowl. I went to graduate school at USC. Etc, etc. My wife's family is from Los Angeles, and as many times as I've been out there, I've never gotten used to it, never really enjoyed it. I could never live there.

    It's hardly frozen tundra up here -- 85 degrees
    today. Montana is generally described as God's country.

    Everyone has their favorite locations. My wife loves southern California, but I could never retire there. I favor San Antonio, but I prefer North Dakota in general.

    But, no, I don't care for all the driving one has to do to get around southern California.

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  9. several potential reasons. As mentioned North Dakota cold. In previous postings you mentioned much more pumping activity in CA. CA hasn't had new offshore and limited new on land drilling for decades so it doesn't have a much of a native "roughneck" population.

    The warm CA climate and high gas taxes favor smaller cars. Getting most out of state non-CA emissions cars licensed in CA is expensive so an out of state "smogger" pickup is better if you going to Bakken for work. (BTW: My 2005 Ford Ranger has CA emmissions.)

    From my lifetime Minnesota experience almost everyone who moved here "from California" was originally from the Northern climates, moved to CA for a while and then moved back up north. Traffic, smog, crime, high housing costs and lack of jobs were the key reasons cited.

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  10. I will definitely let you know if I spot a California-tagged car. Or truck.

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  11. I've actually seen a couple when I was in Williston a few weeks ago. There is even the one news clip in the new york times, and one of the main news players in the clip was a young lady driving around Williston in her pickup, trying to find housing. Clip below
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJa4axR_xJY&list=PL455E84410BD1DEED&index=2

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