Posted on 02/21/2014 4:49:21 AM PST by thackney
As far as big cities go, Houston isn’t so bad when it comes to renting a small apartment, according to a survey from Apartment Guide. That’s especially true when you compare prices against one surprising little town.
The group lists the average monthly cost for a one-bedroom apartment in Houston at $817. Compare that to Los Angeles, where you’ll pay an average of $1,411 for the same dwelling. In the New York area, you can expect that to cost around $1,500.
But those aren’t the highest rent costs in the country.
That honor goes to Williston, N.D., where the average cost for a month’s rent in a 700-square-foot, one-bedroom pad can run $2,400.
But why Williston, nestled near the Missouri River on the northwest side of North Dakota? Do they have a thriving art, food, and bar scene? Are hipsters flocking there to create their own little paradise? Is it the proximity to Theodore Roosevelt National Park?
Nope, it’s an oil boom that is making Williston so expensive.
“The town has been through two oil booms, an industry that is cyclical in nature,” said Katie Long, communications director for economic development in Williston.
The first boom was in 2000 and went full-bore in 2008. The Bakken Shale, which stretches between North Dakota and Montana, has been a focal point for the nation’s current oil boom.
“Rents are very high here, but we also have an area mean income that is about $79,000,” Long said.
You can still find older complexes renting out a two-bedroom for around $1,500, according to Long, but they are scarce.
(Excerpt) Read more at fuelfix.com ...
Wow! I guess 1982 is a loooong time ago. My first apartment near Airport and Fondren, a nice 1 bedroom place, cost me $295 a month with a $200 security deposit.
Boom town, make it quick while you can. I wonder what they charge for groceries?
When they were building the Alaska oil pipeline a friend of mine said he wished he was a woman. Said he’d go to Alaska and make his f’n fortune.
They should take all those used FEMA trailers, heck, even New Orleans waterlogged school buses...up there, convert them to basic shelter..
In this case, quick is a relative term.
Not the typical boom/bust cycle.
Keeping the plumbing thawed in a typical FEMA trailer and a typical North Dakota winter could be an issue.
But it has been done.
Minot FEMA Trailers on the Move
http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/61820/
and put them on what land? all the land is being drilled.
How do they keep the sewer lines from freezing solid?
Twenty years ago I worked for a boss from North Dakota who claimed that there WAS no Cost of Living in North Dakota.
How times change.
Buried below frost lines, just like all locations.
Perhaps I don’t understand your question.
There are many FEMA trailers here already. This whole country is over run with campers.
I have lived in mine for 8 years in places like Big Piney Wy, Rock Springs, Pinedale wy, Richfield utah and I now live in Blaisdell nd
I was referring to the hook up, the connecting pipe..from the drains until it goes below the frost line..
Heavy Insulation, heat tape...
It would take some effort.
What do you do to keep the plumbing thawed?
I don’t use the water or sewer. I just run up to the cabana and shit,shower and shave there. Many people here run heat tape and insulation to keep from freezing but with the wind even that doesn’t help. It’s- 7 right now
Thanks for the reply. I thought it would be difficult. Almost need to put the trailer in an outer structure like a garage and still insulate & Heat Tape.
We used to live in Alaska outside Anchorage. Many water lines were buried 10' deep, entered the house from the middle of the basement underneath. They still occasionally froze. Newer codes required 12' burial depth.
The housing crunch is not as bad as it was a year or so ago. There have been many hotels/motels and apartment buildings built in the last two years in the area. The days of the Walmart parking lots full of campers is gone. I have sold a lot of lumber over the last three years that went into the construction of Man Camp temporary buildings. This is a trailer that has 4-5 bedroom/baths in it. There is no sign of this need slowing down any time soon. Not only is there the demand here in the US but also in Alberta where the oil sands are. There is just not enough housing in these areas to meet the foreseeable demand.
Ever step into one of those government trailers? The formaldehyde fumes will knock you down.
An elderly married couple was at home watching TV. The husband had the remote and was switching back and forth between a fishing channel and the porn channel. The wife became more and more annoyed and finally said: “For god’s sake! Leave it on the porn channel. You already know how to fish!”
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