Williston

Understand

Williston was founded as a Northern Pacific Railroad stop in 1887 and named for Daniel Willis James. It was chosen over the nearby town of Buford as the site of a turntable which led to its early growth. In 1951, oil was first discovered in the Williston Basin. Williston experienced rapid growth during its first oil boom in the 1980s. After the boom died down, the population shrank to about 13,000. Geologists have discovered 4.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil in the Bakken Formation. The Three Forks Salish Formation also contains recoverable oil. With these discoveries, Williston experienced another oil boom and rapidly increased in size. While the rest of the country remained in a recession, Williston boasted a strong economy, one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, plenty of jobs, and the highest wages in North Dakota. Following a sharp decline in oil prices in the second half of 2014, the boom ended (at least for the time being).

Despite this growth, Williston still maintains a small town atmosphere. Most residents are friendly and will happily give visitors directions.

Get in

By car

US Highway 2 runs east-west, intersecting with Interstate 29 in Grand Forks and Interstate 15 in Shelby, Montana.

US Highway 85 runs north-south, intersecting with Interstate 94 west of Dickinson.

By plane

Go Sloulin Field International Airport (ISN)

U.S. customs service is available to handle private flights from Canada.

MapsWebsite☆ Want to go

• Delta Air Lines has nonstop service from Minneapolis/St. Paul.
• United Express has nonstop service from Denver.

By train

• Route stopping at Williston:

• Empire Builder operating daily between Seattle/Portland and Chicago including stops at Spokane, Glacier National Park, Fargo, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee. The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago.

Get around

Stay safe

North Dakota has one of the lowest crime rates in North America, and Williston has one of the lowest of North Dakota. Most residents do not lock their doors, and in wintertime many people leave their cars running in parking lots as they run their errands.

Violent crime and rape are rare, and usually occur due to the influence of alcohol. However, women should use common sense when walking alone near bars at night. Most residents and police officers will pull over and offer rides to people walking at night or in the winter. The biggest threat are drunk drivers. If needed, the police can be reached at +1 701-577-1212.

Go next

• Theodore Roosevelt National Park - The park includes badlands, open prairie, hard wood draws. It is home to bison, prairie dogs and many other wildlife species.