I have now been in Minot for a bit more than 3.5 weeks and I feel like I am still in school with the amount I am learning.
For example: Did you know that North Dakota is the only state to have never experienced an earthquake? How about the fact that North Dakota has almost a negative unemployment rate?
Yep, those are just a few things I am learning.
I also learned that North Dakota natives are not crazy about this oil rush. The rush is bringing in all kinds of people, but at the same time, the money is not all staying here. I heard a story about an oil truck driver who picked up a load in ND and drove to Iowa to drop it off. He then picked up a load in IA and drove back to ND and made a profit. Even with all those miles, he still made money. That is just sad.
Prices here are so inflated. I found out that the apartment that I currently have would have cost approximately a quarter of the price before the rush. Wild.
On that note, I am extremely lucky to have found an apartment before I got here. There was a major flood in Minot in 2011 and they are still recovering from it. On top of the aquatic flood, there has now been a flood of people which has caused housing to be extremely scarce.
In my head I call North Dakota the New New York, the New Frontier, and the New Mixing Pot. With the oil rush there are so many new people moving to ND, me included, that it feels like I am sure New York felt when everyone was immigrating. The clash of cultures in western ND is pretty crazy. From the man-camps way out west to all the new people here in Minot there is a lot of adjustment going on.
Well I am going to end my post here. There is still so much more I to learn about ND and I have so much to tell you, but I will share it is small bits so that you are not as overwhelmed as I was at first.
Much Love,
Justine
