This Boomtown Has So Much Money It Burns Off $100 Million In Natural Gas A Month [PHOTOS]

Advertisement

Advancements in pulling oil out of shale changed North Dakota forever in 2008, and no place is that change more evident than the city of Williston.

Advertisement

Like a modern-day gold rush, workers have flocked to Williston for work and paychecks that can't be found anyplace else in the U.S. The hours on the job here ensure that even a modest hourly wage can bring in $100,000 a year doing anything from working a rig to driving a truck.

But this economic largesse comes with a cost as the population has doubled in size since 2010, residents have been forced from their homes by doubling rents, and a transient workforce shifts the city's focus.

When Business Insider went to Williston in March of 2012 the city had accepted the challenge before it, and the amount of work it would take to grow. The following photos show Williston's progress since our visit last year.