Thanks to an increase in oil and natural gas production, some parts of North Dakota are undergoing a massive increase in population. That's turned out to be a problem in some towns that have little or no excess housing and few hotels or other residential options for workers.
This is led to an odd situation in which some workers are living in their cares even though they are making more than $100,000 a year in salary and bonuses. According to the Bismark Tribune, one of the popular sleeping locations in Williston, N.D. has been the local Walmart. In fact it has become such a popular sleeping spot that store officials began asking the workers to vacate the lot this week:
The store posted notices Monday that any campers not gone within 24 hours would be towed and impounded at the owners' expense. Some were towed Tuesday morning, said Walmart spokeswoman Kayla Whaling.
The bright yellow notices said the camping was causing safety, noise, litter and property problems and would no longer be tolerated.
To give a sense of the number of workers flooding the area, the most recent census data showed Williston had a population of just over 13,000. Local officials told CNN they estimate as many as 6,000 workers are temporarily staying in the vacinity of the city.
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