DECEMBER 2022

New Voices of Watford Videos

More videos highlighting community members are now available on the www.voicesofwatford.com website!

When it comes to being a part of building something special in Watford City, Mr. Green and Mr. Spacher share Watford City’s secret sauce…

When rangeland ecologist, Kara Novakovich sought to start her native grasslands and prairie conservation career, she found a special place and special work family in Watford City, where the deer and and the bison roam and cowboys will give you the shirt off their backs…

Three area school districts enrollments are up

Many public school districts in McKenzie County are seeing their fall enrollments higher this year compared with last year. McKenzie County District #1 (which includes Watford City) saw a 12.7% increase; Alexander District #2 saw a 19.1% increase; Yellowstone District #14 (which includes East Fairview) saw a 35.3% increase; Horse Creek remained the same; and Mandaree District 36 decreased 9.2%. See this data and more here.

December Economy at a Glance

The December Economy at a Glance is now available. Some data of note include:

• 2022 Total true and full value of all property in McKenzie County increased over $265 million from 2021 levels, representing an approximately 8% increase.

• Apartment occupancy at Brookledge remains high at 91%.

• Year to date restaurant and lodging tax distributions from Watford City increased from $235,324 in 2021 to $260,374 in 2022.

New report shows impact of oil and gas

The Western Dakota Energy Association released a report recently that shows the impact of oil on gas on the state finances of North Dakota. About $2.8 billion was collected by the state of North Dakota for fiscal year 2022 between the extraction and gross production taxes. Additionally over the past five fiscal years oil and gas taxes have accounted for about 51% of all taxes collected in North Dakota. See more in this eight-page report here.

New report shows impact of agriculture

Agriculture contributes $30.8 billion to North Dakota's economy according to a recent report by NDSU. Crop production contributes 52% of that total and commodity processing is 26%.

Agriculture accounts for 110,480 total jobs as well as 19.2% of all employment in North Dakota. See more in the infographic or full report.

Cowgirls 'n Conservation

The annual Cowgirls 'n Conservation is coming up! Hosted by the McKenzie County Soil Conservation district, the theme for this year's event is "Grandma, tell me 'bout the good old days". The event will be held Friday, January 27, 2023. Find more information and reserve your tickets here.

Indoor mini golf

The Rough Rider Center will have 12 holes of mini-golf set up in the field house. A round is only $5 and will run from

2-7pm December 27-30 and from 1-5pm on December 31.

Parallel Exit to perform

Parallel Exit mixes song & dance with slapstick physical comedy to produce a delightful show for any audience. They will be performing at 7pm on Saturday, February 25, 2023, at the Watford City High School Theater as part of the Long X Arts Concert Series.

Curling league

Watford City Parks and Rec are hosting a curling league. The season will run on Wednesdays from January 11-March 1 at 7pm. It costs $400 per team to register. For more information and to register visit here.