Williston, North Dakota: It’s Where You Want to Land

HISTORY

Williston, North Dakota is where opportunity and innovation meet. Since it was founded as a Great Northern Railroad divisional headquarters in 1887, Williston has welcomed pioneers, innovators, adventurers, investors, and hard workers, all seeking – and most realizing – untapped opportunities.

While agriculture was and remains a major boon to the economy, the discovery of oil brought booms of activity to the region, known as the Bakken, since the 1950s. The most recent boom in the 2010s contributed to a nationally recognized population hike in the 2020 census as Williston tripled in size.  

The last decade has cemented Williston as a hub, not just for regional economic activity, but also for international activity with the opening of Williston Basin International Airport in 2019. Relocating the airport gave the city the opportunity to develop nearly 800 acres of new greenspace now known as Williston Square.
 

WILLISTON SQUARE

Williston Square is set to redefine the city as a regional live-work-play/shop-dine-stay destination featuring a sports/events complex, retail and restaurants, housing, an elementary school, a state-of-the-art medical facility, hotels, and more.

The first two businesses to go vertical represented both local and national favorites, Genesis clothing store and Slim Chickens restaurant, respectively. Shortly thereafter came two commitments. One from Sanford Health to build a multi-specialty clinic and another from Bethel Lutheran Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to build a new skilled and basic care facility.

In the fall of 2024 two much anticipated projects broke ground: a new elementary school and a housing development, addressing two more important community needs.

Looking ahead to 2025, spring and summer will see heavy construction activity with the breaking ground of Taco Bell, Burger King, and the redirection of US Highway 2 and 26th Street which will create additional access to Williston Square and is intended to be the main entrance to the development. The completion of that project will bring the infrastructure investment total to nearly $100 million.

Adjacent to Williston Square, several national chains have put down roots, including Starbucks, T-Mobile, Jersey Mike’s and Noodles & Company in 2024, and Pizza Ranch and Popeyes are proposed for 2025.
 

ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE

Diversification has been the name of the game for Williston over the past decade. While agriculture and energy remain the top industries in the region, others are finding a home here. The build out of Williston Square, the completion of a multi-million-dollar water park, the development of a state-of-the-art indoor/outdoor hockey facility, and the opening of a 1,000-person event center are all set to boost tourism and quality of life. Enhanced oil recovery and new uses of oil production by-products are leading a revolution in the value-add energy industry. In a nod to the future, uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and data centers have sparked an emerging technology industry that is rapidly gaining momentum.

Williston has gained a business-friendly reputation, named the “seventh-best city in the nation in which to start a business,” according to WalletHub in 2022. This as Forbes Advisor named North Dakota the top state to start a business two years running, in 2023 and 2024. City leadership is known for being innovative and forward-thinking.

WORKFORCE

Workforce development is supported by a local college and career and technical education (CTE) facilities. Williston State College is a two-year institution that is part of the North Dakota University System. It also houses TrainND-Northwest, one of four regional workforce training facilities across the state. Williston High School also has a thriving CTE program, opening a dedicated wing of the high school to the efforts and creating a Work-Based Learning Coordinator position in 2024.

STARTING A BUSINESS

The city is fortunate to have an Economic Development department that works closely with the Small Business Development Center, Williams County, and the Tri-County Regional Development Council to help businesses establish, expand, and thrive in Williston. A fourth of a citywide one-cent sales tax also contributes to the STAR Fund which gets re-invested back into the community in the form of grants and interest buy-down programs in conjunction with the Bank of North Dakota to give businesses a leg up when they are starting up. Williston and its partners are dedicated to fostering investment and growth within the business community.