Tag Archives: Rural affordable housing struggles with oil and gas boom

Waves of highly paid oil and gas drilling employees into rural areas is causing strain on local governments to provide affordable housing for locals who can no longer afford skyrocketing rents, according to a government study released Thursday. Drilling for oil and gas increased substantially in these areas over recent years. South Texas counties surrounded by the Eagle Ford Shale, for instance, saw a 27% increase in jobs in 2011. In Williams County, N.D., the population grew by 8% in just one year as new jobs increased by 41% due […]