For years, Midland, Texas, was a quiet corner of the oil patch in the middle of the desert. Then came fracking, and the city, the center of a West Texas region known as the Permian Basin, would never be the same again.
Then came fracking, and Midland, the center of a West Texas region known as the Permian Basin, would never be the same again.The technology of injecting water into the ground to force up oil and gas locked in the shale put huge fossil fuel deposits within reach that had never been economically available before. Production soared, a key to the United States becoming the world's largest oil producer.With increased oil production came an explosion in residents.
Restaurants have to leave tables empty because they don't have enough staff to cook and serve their customers. There's a shortage of affordable housing because finding construction workers is difficult. A one-bedroom apartment goes for $1,500, more than rents for similarly-sized housing in Dallas and Houston.
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