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WDAZ just posted this article.... yes there are plenty of jobs outside the oil patch. Job listings in the Grand Forks region are up 32 pct over last year....
"The number of job openings in Grand Forks County is up 32 percent from this same time last year with a record 1,732 job openings"
Now...these are not 80 or 100K oil jobs....sorry but jobs are jobs....retail and food service industry jobs are getting more and more in the east as new restaurants open up. The latest newspaper had 90 openings of various positions at the local hospital.
I think Grand Forks is more or less catching up to Fargo and Bismarck which have been growing quickly the last few years while Grand Forks has taken a decade or so to finally shake off the flood of 97 and its impact on the local economy and population.
Compared to the oil patch and Minot...housing is much more available...only people I see in the local Walmart at night are Canadians in RVs down for the weekend.
Compared to the oil patch and Minot...housing is much more available...only people I see in the local Walmart at night are Canadians in RVs down for the weekend.
Funniest quote this week!!!...LMAO
Guess they have heard about the wonderful accommodations at Chateau Walmare...
Canadians, who were among the throngs of people watching "Rock Center with Brian Williams" last week have discovered what most of us already knew. The Walmart parking lot CAN be a place where friends can meet, and where you can travel to meet NEW friends!
Here's John Mangenson-jun of Estevan Saskatchewan, "Oh yeah, we saw the spot on the T.V., eh? And we thought to ourselves, look how much fun those folks are having! So... I said to the wife, 'pack up the rolling house and let's go for a visit'. So, here we are, and I gotta tell ya, the atmosphere here in this parking lot is dynamite! It's just all the energy you feel, kinda like vibes, eh?
And there you have it, the Walmart parking lot, the NEW place to vacation! Now back to you Frank in the studio!
Now that Wal-Mart is so popular for "extended saty" I am now paying attention, lol...The other day went to Wal-Mart here in MN off I-94 and saw the RV's and trucks.....Hey can you blame them, the parking structure is huge!
Now...these are not 80 or 100K oil jobs....
Compared to the oil patch and Minot...
But this is the problem. Pay in Grand Forks is horrible compared to the cost of housing. Grand Forks, Bismarck, and Fargo all have moderate housing prices compared to other mid-western cities, but the salaries do not justify those prices, especially in Grand Forks. It's hard to afford a $200k house on $40k a year.
Everywhere you go in Bismarck are NOW HIRING signs. They aren't the high paying jobs like out in the west but it's amazing compared to the horrible job market in NYC.
But this is the problem. Pay in Grand Forks is horrible compared to the cost of housing. Grand Forks, Bismarck, and Fargo all have moderate housing prices compared to other mid-western cities, but the salaries do not justify those prices, especially in Grand Forks. It's hard to afford a $200k house on $40k a year.
That is why apartments are being built like crazy....many cannot afford the downpayment required. That said, it really all depends on your circle of friends. As you drive around you see so many boats, 4x4 trucks, snowmobiles, etc. So there are certainly those that easily make 200k + via the hospital (doctor, construction company owner, etc)....so like in many cities now there that growing gap between the haves and have nots.
The median price of a house sold in GF so far this year is around 170k-190k.... with average family income in that 50-60k range.
Now...these are not 80 or 100K oil jobs....sorry but jobs are jobs....retail and food service industry jobs are getting more and more in the east as new restaurants open up.
The addition of new jobs is always good news, but it's important for Americans to recognize the difference between poverty-wage jobs without benefits and secure, solid middle class jobs with benefits. The big issue in this country is not merely "jobs, jobs, jobs," but rather "middle class jobs, middle class jobs, middle class jobs." If we reduce unemployment to 2% but 90% of the populace is earning third world wages and is impoverished, it's not a victory.
The point is, a "job" is not a "job"; not all jobs are of equal value when it comes to maintaining the health of our society and our standard of living.
The addition of new jobs is always good news, but it's important for Americans to recognize the difference between poverty-wage jobs without benefits and secure, solid middle class jobs with benefits. The big issue in this country is not merely "jobs, jobs, jobs," but rather "middle class jobs, middle class jobs, middle class jobs." If we reduce unemployment to 2% but 90% of the populace is earning third world wages and is impoverished, it's not a victory.
The point is, a "job" is not a "job"; not all jobs are of equal value when it comes to maintaining the health of our society and our standard of living.
I understand completely what you are saying....
my point being is that I would hope someone who is unemployed or on welfare and no job would take a job.....any job....better than living off the government fully. I understand that many have a job that doesnt pay well and still may need assistance....but that to me is completely different that someone who just sits around and fully feeds off the government and says such and such a job is beneath me and makes no effort.
Or to those who stand at the corner exiting the mall or a big store with need money or will work for food signs....if they are truly that bad off would hope that would consider that getting a job is better than truly begging. And I certainly do realize that many of those who do such a thing outside stores...their job is indeed begging.
I dont want to throw this off course.... but yes there are indeed service industry jobs who pay little but there are other more higher paying jobs too in the mix in the larger cities in the eastern part of the state too.
But this is the problem. Pay in Grand Forks is horrible compared to the cost of housing. Grand Forks, Bismarck, and Fargo all have moderate housing prices compared to other mid-western cities, but the salaries do not justify those prices, especially in Grand Forks. It's hard to afford a $200k house on $40k a year.
Why not buy a smaller home within driving distance of GF? I've see them regularly for anywhere between $5,000 and $40,000 dollars. You can also get a lot starting at around $1,000 and build your own (much smaller and cheaper) home.
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