Finding a Second Chance in North Dakota

Writing in The Weekly Standard, Michael Warren profiles some new pioneers. An excerpt:

That’s the way life is in North Dakota now. The oil boom that began in 2007 has transformed this area of sleepy ranching communities into America’s new energy powerhouse. Shortly after the drilling process called hydraulic fracturing (commonly known as “fracking”) made available the oil and natural gas buried two miles beneath the surface in the Bakken shale formation, the engineers and drill hands and rig workers swooped into town. That brought more people, with more disposable income. Businesses not directly connected to the energy sector soon followed to serve the growing region: retailers, service stations, hotels and man camps, fast-food restaurants, and, yes, boutiques like Lynden Chocolate.