Things I learned on my recent trip to North Dakota.

I was in Bismarck, North Dakota, for a couple of days this week. Bismarck, as Reader(s)™ may know, is the capitol of North Dakota. One thinks of North Dakota as being flat and treeless, but Bismarck has more hills than Minneapolis and a lot of trees. Here is a picture I took from a hill on the eastern edge of town.

North America looks different at night

Recently, NPR's Planet Money podcast did a story about the challenges that Williston, North Dakota faces as it deals with an population boom caused by fracking.  Among other things, demand for housing is so high that rent for a one bedroom apartment is equal to rents in New York City.  Also, local businesses are not growing to meet demand because oil workers are not moving their families to Williston.  This leads to a lack of workers for businesses like Wal-Mart or McDonald's.  Also the piece discusses how Williston plans to make itself attractive enough that the oil workers settle there long term.

Robert Krulwich on his blog Krulwich Wonders has a post showing how the boom in Williston has altered the nighttime view of North America from space.  You should check it out.  To me, it looks like the night view of Williston has the most light of anything between Chicago and the California coast.  Mr./ Krulwich also has a picture of the nighttime view of Williston six years ago.  The difference is astonishing and gives an interesting way of thinking about the growth in Western North Dakota.

Will North Dakota eliminate property taxes?

North Dakotans are voting today.  Or, more accurately, some North Dakotans are voting today.  Among the items on the ballot is a ballot initiative called "Measure 2" that would prohibit property taxes in North Dakota.  The initiative is the result of a group called "Empower the Taxpayer."  The group believes that the power to tax property means that the citizens of North Dakota do not own their homes.  Instead, the various entities that can tax property own the homes of everyone in North Dakota.  Mr. Torvik has more of a background with philosophy so he may understand this point better than I.