May 23, 2017

From temporary contractor to a permanent resident

From temporary contractor to a permanent resident

By Betsy Ryan
Farmer Staff Writer

Seven years ago, Nate Carlson thought he was just passing through Watford City, building a few homes while the demand was high. Little did he know that one day, he would be calling this boom town home for his family.
Carlson grew up in northern Minnesota, above the 49th parallel, almost to Canada. His town was small, a resort town, where his father was a carpenter. He travelled 65 miles each way to attend high school and enjoyed the quiet lakeside community he called home.
When Carlson was 17 years old, he and his brother Mark bought their father’s construction business and travelled around building log homes. They slowly built their business and hired employees to work with them.
Their specialty was log homes but they had the equipment and manpower to tackle just about any construction job. And, they were already set up to travel. So when they got word that western North Dakota had a plethora of construction jobs in 2011, they brought their team here, to Watford City.
“When we first got here it was madness,” remembers Carlson. “There were so many people and only two little grocery stores. You couldn’t even buy ice cream because the lines were so long, it would be melted by the time you got out the door.”

WATFORD CITY WEATHER