The promise, the growing pains of oil boom town – Watford City, North Dakota

When Brent Sanford graduated high school nearly 25 years ago, his tiny prairie town seemed to be withering away. Storefronts were shuttered, senior classes shrinking, families packing up and moving out. He joined the exodus.

But he kept looking for a way to return. He followed his town’s struggles from afar, getting updates from his father and subscribing to the local weekly newspaper. He’d read about plans to lure businesses to Watford City, but the results were discouraging. "It was sad to see," Sanford says. "They were trying to get things to happen … but you couldn’t force people to live here. There had to be a draw. There had to be a reason."

Watford City now has a reason: Billions of dollars of oil in the shale under the ground.

By Sharon Cohen

Full Story: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765652786/The-promise-the-growing-pains-of-oil-boom-town.html