..some info on the Sidney area as related to the Bakken Oil boom (insurance, retirement)

[jasper12]

A lot of nice folks have sure benefitted. Just like the "Clampett's" on "Beverly Hillbillies". One guy has oil on his land, he has been running cattle and growing crops forever, now retired to the fancy "Touchmark" assisted living center.

[sarah6692]

My husband and I are considering a job in the oil fields. Sidney mt is where we had thought we would move the family, but after reading what you all have to say im having second thoughts. How far from Sidney would we have to be to get away from the crowds and inflated cost of living brought on by the oil boom? We live in a small town in south east ga, so I need all the information I can get before making such a big move. We have 2 teenagers so im not thinking of living in a camper. Is there any housing available. I have a 100 ?'s and I won't bother you with all of them but if you could tell me a little more about what we would be getting into that would be great.

[ElkHunter]

The Bakken oilfield effects towns for quite a ways. Prices are high for rent out about 100 miles from Sidney and they only get worse the further you get towards Williston. The prices are high, but so are the wages, so it's a give and take thing getting started.

Getting started there with a camper trailer is a good idea until there is a couple of paychecks in your pocket and then start looking for more permanent housing. So you would be stuck in a RV for about a month. Consider it a long vacation.

It's best to go into that area with a month or betters worth of savings. Sometimes it takes a bit to find work. Most of the company's are based out of Williston, so finding work that will allow you to stay in the Sidney area is going to be tough.

Good luck!

[oldtrader]

You are thinking of normal living conditions, which are not available in the oil patch today. Here is what it is like.

A lot of men working in the oil fields there, live in places like Billings, or South Dakota in places like Hot Springs or Rapid City (where it is getting hard to find a rental due to the oil boom hundreds of miles away), and fly in to work for a few days living in a man camp as they call them, and then fly home to be with their families for a few days when they are off. Their families live in towns with decent air transportation so they can get in and out when they are off.

They are trying to build homes and apartments as fast as they can, but they are reserved long before they are finished.

It can be very difficult to find a place to even park a travel trailer, especially with hook ups. People are renting out every possible piece of land for this use. If you want to stay in a motel, start booking your stay a couple of months in advance, as you cannot just pull in and get a place to stay.

Cheap motels start at about $125 per night, and just renting a single room in a home can be $800 or more per month.

And as the oil boom in North East Montana, North Dakota, and Southern Canada revs up, it gets worse not better as there is no way to keep up with the need for housing, etc.

[sarah6692]

Wow, thanks for the reality check. That is not what I was expecting. We might have to rethink this. My brother works in the oil field in ND but his wife stays in Colorado. Now I know why. There is not much work here so my brother suggested the oil fields, but I think we'll just stay here for now. How are the long time residents taking all of the changes to there town?

[JMF6165]

Originally Posted by sarah6692

My husband and I are considering a job in the oil fields. Sidney mt is where we had thought we would move the family, but after reading what you all have to say im having second thoughts. How far from Sidney would we have to be to get away from the crowds and inflated cost of living brought on by the oil boom? We live in a small town in south east ga, so I need all the information I can get before making such a big move. We have 2 teenagers so im not thinking of living in a camper. Is there any housing available. I have a 100 ?'s and I won't bother you with all of them but if you could tell me a little more about what we would be getting into that would be great.

As far as towns go in the oil field area, Sidney is really a pretty nice town. I like it there and the "locals" are really nice. The lifestyle is very laid back and no one bothers you. With anything, there are bad elements that come in and ruin things. The costs are high for sure in a lot of areas. As someone said, the RV parks might be a good option until you the the feel for the place. The winters are hard but if you need work then maybe it is the place to consider. If you wanted an area closer, I think Miles CIty is really nice but it is outside the oil area and would involve a drive.

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by sarah6692

Wow, thanks for the reality check. That is not what I was expecting. We might have to rethink this. My brother works in the oil field in ND but his wife stays in Colorado. Now I know why. There is not much work here so my brother suggested the oil fields, but I think we'll just stay here for now. How are the long time residents taking all of the changes to there town?

......Hey Sarah..............

I started this thread with post #1 in May, and (IMHO) most all of what I stated in that post still applies. Others have added other info that also should give you a pretty accurate picture of the situation.

If I may, let me add a few more bits of information you may find helpful......from my point of view.

.....You mentioned you're from S/E GA:.......I happen to have some knowledge of that part of the state and have several friends that live in that portion of that state and have spent a fair amount of time in and around the following towns and adjacent areas:..............Brunswick;..Jesup;..Douglas;.. Waycross;.. and also spent time on St Simon's Island, Sapelo Island, Jekyll Island and in the small town of Darien. Based on the life style(s) of the folks I know in the above mentioned areas....................I think you (particularly with (2) teen agers) would have a VERY difficult time adjusting to what you would be faced with in the "Oil Patch Country".
Just the tremendous difference in weather conditions alone would be a major factor...........then combine that with at least a dozen other "every-day" type situations (applicable to that area) you would be confronted with,......and I think (IMHO) you would be a VERY miserable lady. In short order you would end up truly hating N/E Montana.

If nothing else.............I suggest that "you and your husband" somehow work-out a way to visit the area for at least a week (and then envision what it would be like in the middle of January: 20 below+ a 25 mph wind..+ 12 inches of snow on the ground & 3 foot drifts........................I believe it would be 100 times more enlightening than anything anyone on this forum could tell you.

I wish you luck........................

[oldtrader]

Learn what is going on in the oil patch of NE Montana and North Dakota, and the problems.

Bakken Oil Boom | KPAX.com | Missoula, Montana

Consider, the reason they pay the big money in the oil patch, is there are problems. Your brother, is just one example of what people put up with to earn that kind of money flying in and out of Colorado. It is like working the oil rigs in the Gulf which is a lot closer to you. The guys go out by helicopter and stay a few days, and then go home for a few days. Hard, dangerous work, with lots of inconvenience.

The pay is high (average over $70,000 per year), to compensate for the problems and inconvenience. Without the high pay, no one would put up with working on the oil rigs.

As I say, my son lives in Rapid City South Dakota, and hauls frac sand, and materials mostly for Halliburton to the job, and turns around and hauls loads back to Houston where they bring in the loads by ship. Hauling to and from the oil field pays better than most hauls, and is guaranteed to be steady for years especially for owner operators like my son and a flatbed rig. No recession for truck drivers in that part of the country. Especially short are drivers with CDL with hazardous material (oil) endorsements. As he lives along the route, gets home a lot more often than other long haul gigs getting home to and from the oil patch, but as he says he does not want to take his family closer to the oil patch. Rapid City is getting very short on rentals and the prices are going up on rent and homes, due to the demand, and that is 341 miles from the big oil area. Between the oil patch people living there with their families, and the air base there, it is a prosperous town.

Consider the fact that least 7,500 trucks per day due to the oil boom, pass through Sidney a town of 5,200 people, it is a noisy, busy place from truck traffic alone. That is an average of 312 trucks per hour, or 52 trucks per minute. Some hours of the day, it is much worse than this, and it is getting worse every month.

A lot of the oil workers live in Billings area which is only 271 miles away.

[sarah6692]

Thanks for all the info, I told my husband about what all of you said last night. Most likely we are not going to take the job. However, I don't see us staying here much longer. The town we live in (Enigma) is beautiful, the people for the most part are nice but we have a major drug problem. There is very little work (thank God we are both working right now) and the heat index is 105 to today ( most days). The biggest problem is that there is no future here for my kids. I don't know if it just here or if the whole country is in a mess.

[oldtrader]

Montana is in pretty good shape employment wise. Only 6.2% unemployment.

Counties with high unemployment are the ones with big Indian Reservations some of which are larger than the smallest states.

In the major population area, it is just under 5%. Some counties see oil boom areas it is just over 2.2%.

Montana Workforce Informer, Labor Market Info