magazine

“What exactly are those above-average
growth rates? Take the city atop the
North Dakota list, Horace. It boasts
an incredible 95.8 percent growth
rate. But Horace certainly isn’t alone.
oil boom,” she says. “A lot of these cities don’t
have economies that are solely based on oil; a
lot of the cities on the list have very diverse
economies. They have, for example, large hospitals
in the area and great schools in the area.
I thought it was interesting that a lot of these
places have rich, diverse economies based on
several factors, not just the oil boom.”
Bottineau is definitely one of those diverse
cities. Located approximately 85 miles
northeast of Minot, ND, and 10 miles south
of the Canadian border, Ben Aufforth says
he thinks the reason his city is so strong is
that its citizens have embraced the weather
and the most popular pastimes of the people
living in the area.
“It’s pristine outdoor living, more or less.
We are busy all year long with activities going
on,” says Aufforth. “With sports, you’ve
got college and high school happening. The
arena is busy with hockey, we’ve got people
from all over the place coming here, even
coming down from Canada, all the time.
One of the best things right now is, as mayor,
I have a very proactive council. We’re really
attacking projects. Things are getting built.
We have more housing, more apartments,
and we’ve got businesses looking to come in.
It’s just a really good time to be here. It honestly
does feel like there’s something going on
here every single day of the year.”
Bottineau’s Chamber of Commerce emphasizes
hunting, camping, fishing, cross
country skiing, and snowmobiling among
the main attractions of the area.
Although Bottineau’s growth happened
largely separate of the oil boom, Aufforth says
they’re close to having a piece of that action
as well.
“We do have some activity going on out
there,” he says. “We have a few oil drills, and
110 The Official Publication of the North Dakota Association of Oil & Gas Producing Counties