Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just read an article about the best and worst managed states. ND ranked #1 for best-managed state. Is it because the state is less governed? Seems like government CAN complicate a lot of things (look at the things going on with Obama's camp). The government's interference in people's lives seem to have made some things worse.
Three simple words: Bakken Oil Fields. ND receives 11.5% of the gross revenue for all of the oil produced through state imposed severance taxes. Combine that with the fact that the entire state population is less than many other states' counties, you're left with an easily manageable situation... for now.
Btw, there is much irony (or negligence) in your statement about government. Blind luck and state government imposed taxation are the two key reasons why ND is "managed" well.
Yep.
At the moment, ND has far more money than it knows what to do with. And, despite a large influx in the western half, there are still relatively few residents to "manage."
I'd be a good manager with an enormous budget, too.
But, an enormous budget can still be squandered on foolishness quite easily. To be fair, there must be something right going on in ND besides just getting X number of dollars. If there is anything I've learned over the course of my own life (both personally and looking at various government entities) it's that big money can be wasted in the same proportion that small money can be wasted, if one tries hard enough. And the same bad things can happen in either case.
Of course it can be squandered. But you have to agree that a huge, short term influx of cash and nothing but winter wheat and cattle to spend it on makes it quite easy to manage. The state has 700,000 people in it (by contrast, the 457 sq. mile county I live in has 1.3 million). ND also gets a heap of Federal subsidy. Basically, if you can't manage that situation, you can't manage anything. "Best" management implies that limited resources are being stretched to make ends meet. ND's situation is anything but that at the moment.
Of course it can be squandered. But you have to agree that a huge, short term influx of cash and nothing but winter wheat and cattle to spend it on makes it quite easy to manage. The state has 700,000 people in it (by contrast, the 457 sq. mile county I live in has 1.3 million). ND also gets a heap of Federal subsidy. Basically, if you can't manage that situation, you can't manage anything. "Best" management implies that limited resources are being stretched to make ends meet. ND's situation is anything but that at the moment.
I don't think the recent influx has much to do with it. North Dakota's books were in the Black, long before there was any kind of oil boom. They have done well managing their finances through the years.
Agree. The ag boom that preceded the oil boom really got things going. This, along with a gradual influx of firms/jobs. Microsoft's subsidiary in Fargo, Amazon in Grand Forks, growing universities in UND and NSDU, and on. North Dakota voters were wise to lock up a chunk of the oil money. It's not inconceivable in future years a huge chunk of the state government could be funded just on the interest from that oil fund. The state budget did balloon in recent years so it does have to tread carefully to avoid pitfalls other places have fallen into. Money! Spend it all! Bust. The state economy is much more diversified now than it was 30 years ago so it should be in far better position to weather a storm (80s oil and ag busts). The state is also quietly becoming more diverse in terms of people. I'm not gonna compare it to larger cities east but immigrants are certainly filtering in which are helping to stabilize and even grow the population. A demographic storm averted. The state is the beneficiary of Federal subsidy, yes, though a chunk of that is for two significant air force bases including one in Minot housing a bunch of nukes. That can't be cheap. Farmers in this state sure do get favored more than those anywhere else for whatever reasons. Strange since a quarter section of land north of Grand Forks recently fetched $10,000/acre in an auction sale. That's nuts.
Simple answer is our forefathers were a bunch of tight (as in frugal) scandahoovian/northern european immigrants who were used to getting by on nothing but hard work. They haven't bred all of it out of us yet.
The state doesn't have any large urban cities with large populations of poor people.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
