Willing to Relocate? Bring a Coat.
Posted on August 12th, 2009 by Tim Eavenson | 2 Comments »Filed under: ., The Financial Crisis |
What if I told you there was a magical land where the mortgage crisis never happened, where banks, people, and the government were all flush with cash, taxes were going down, industries were moving in and home prices were reasonable? What if I told you there was a place with 4.2% unemployment and 9,000 available jobs, just waiting for resume submissions?
If you’re like I was, you’re now asking what language they speak in this Utopia. Well, it’s English. Moostly, ya noo.
Yep, jobless midwesterners, break out that Bison penant - North Dakota wants you!
A report from Marketplace details how North Dakota is soliciting workers from hard-hit midwestern states like Ohio1 and Michigan2 for its booming work needs.
According to Marketplace, the Flickertail State is reveling in a combination of planning and timing – their banks steered clear of the subprime mess, and they lured companies like Microsoft to set up shop (if Jeff Krause is right, though, let’s hope it’s not an Office 2007 distribution center or something).
While all that was going on, the coasts suddenly realized there was a huge land mass between them that could be used to create renewable energy, and North Dakota added a whole new industry to its list of hiring sectors. The state currently has a $700 million surplus and just lowered its taxes.
Will it be a switch from what you’re used to? Sure, especially if you’re coming from a big city. But don’t judge the state too quickly. Here’s what one person featured in the story had to say about her new home:
Oh, Bismarck is beautiful! It’s clean, and there’s a mall, and it’s a nice mall, and has some of my favorite stores.
Wait – even their malls are surviving? Man, when can I move?
~~ Footnotes ~~
Sounds like a move worth considering for some!! I’m not in the market for a move, but the cold/etc wouldn’t be an issue for this Albertan girl! Oh and ps. recently was in Chicago – great city!
3:40 pm on August 12th, 2009.
Interesting points. I’d like to see where we would be if Bush was still in office and we didn’t have obama’s stimulus package!
1:43 pm on October 14th, 2009.