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North Dakota is definitely diverse, and we loved LegendaryND’s recent blog on what’s going on below the surface. Check out their posting below – used with their permission of course!
You could probably say that North Dakotans are good at keeping secrets. The state has often been called a “best kept secret” in reference to beautiful scenery, fun attractions, awesome fishing, hunting and more. Some of the most impressive secrets in North Dakota are the ones found underground.
It’s in the news today that oil production is expanding in ND. Currently there are 102 active rigs and 4,500 producing wells in North Dakota. The state currently ranks 4th in the nation in crude oil production – at 250,000 barrels a day. Interested in oil facts and figures? The North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck has a cool model depicting the drilling process and depths of the wells and the type of oil that’s found in the Bakken Formation.
While North Dakota’s #4 ranking in oil production may surprise you – the next underground secret might even unnerve you.
During the Cold War, it was no secret that Minuteman Missiles were positioned throughout the northern U.S. Decades later, the types of missile may have changed – but they’re still here. North Dakota has two of the four air force bases with control over 530 Minuteman III Missiles. It’s unknown the exact location or number of the missiles in North Dakota but a guess would put about 265 here. This modern military history can be explored at the new Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site near Cooperstown. Oscar Zero was the code-name for this specific mission control. Travelers can visit the facility and even go underground to see where those infamous keys could have synchronized to launch a nuclear warhead.
Don’t let North Dakota be a “best kept secret” any longer.
Fargo ranked 9th as a Best Place for Careers and Business.
Annually, Forbes magazine releases its Best Places for Business and Careers rankings. The rankings look at both large and small metros across the 50 states in the categories of cost of doing business, job growth projected, educational attainment and metro area population.
North Dakota is proud to claim two of the cities that made the top 10 for Best Places for Business and Careers in Small Metros – Bismarck (4th) and Fargo (9th) — and let us not forget, Grand Forks who made the top 100 in the 45th spot. You may be saying great, but so what? What does something like a simple ranking do to help grow North Dakota?
Actually, it does more than you might think. Many companies use site selection firms when they think about where to locate or expand their business. These site selection firms do just what it sounds like they do — they help the company find the right “site” for them. They do this through a number of different tools, one of which just happens to be a variety of rankings done by many companies nationwide. These rankings help site selection companies and others quickly narrow a vast field of states and cities in which to locate. Many rankings, similar to the Forbes ranking, are then used by other services, to help them determin their rankings and so on. So when North Dakota does good in one ranking, it can sometimes help move it upward in other rankings as well.
So, while it may not mean much to us that the Beacon Hill Competitiveness Report named North Dakota number three overall for its ability to promote economic growth and provide high income for workers long term, it may mean a lot to someone the state would like it to mean a lot too.
In the end, everyone likes to come out on top in a good, fair competition and should celebrate when they do so. Please join us in celebrating the Forbes ranking, and if you are hungry for more fun North Dakota statistics check out the rankings database at NDBusiness.com.
The Ambassadors Program had the opportunity today to connect with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition today.
The USGLC is focused on the importance of strengthening our use of diplomacy and development alongside military activites to stimulate economic growth/trade, enhance our national security and achieve our humanitarian goals by influencing the U.S. International Affairs budget. They are currently working to bring together groups in all states, including North Dakota, that look at how international trade impacts the state.
As a part of the connection, the group shared a number of really interesting numbers about the state’s international efforts. So interesting in fact, that they are worth repeating. Enjoy and be amazed at the impacts we have on the global economy.
Employment
- Trade supported 88,349 jobs in North Dakota in 2006, or 19.1% of total jobs, up from 11.5% in 1992.
- One-seventh (14.3%) of all manufacturing workers in North Dakota depended on exports for their jobs.
- In 2007, 7,800 people in North Dakota were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.
Trade
- North Dakota exported $2.8 billion in merchandise to 144 foreign markets in 2008 (a 174% increase over 2004). North Dakota’s largest market in 2008 was Canada ($1.4 billion), followed by Mexico ($199 million), Russia ($147 million), Belgium ($95 million) and Germany ($94 million).
- In 2007, 781 companies exported goods from North Dakota. Of these, 85% were small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
- Agricultural exports are important to North Dakota’s economy, totaling $3.9 billion and supporting about 45,173 jobs in 2008.
- Since 2005, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed over $71 million in exports from 3 companies in 8 communities in North Dakota.
Education & International Assistance Programs
- In 2007-2008, 363 North Dakota students studied abroad, a 4.3% increase over the previous academic year.
- During 2008-2009, 2,607 international students were enrolled in North Dakota colleges and universities and contributed $51.5 million to the North Dakota economy.
- Since 1961, 521 Peace Corps volunteers from North Dakota have served in dozens of countries overseas.
