Unemployment is a national problem in the U.S., but you wouldn't know that if you travel through North Dakota.

The state's unemployment rate hovers around 3 percent, and "Help Wanted" signs litter the landscape of cities such as Williston in the same way "For Sale" signs populate the streets of Las Vegas.

"It's a zoo," said Terry Ayers, who drove into town from Spokane, Wash., slept in his truck, and found a job within hours of arrival, tripling his salary. "It's crazy what's going on out here."

he reason?

Billions of dollars are coming into the state and thousands of people are following—all because millions of barrels of oil are flowing out.

The result: A good, old-fashioned oil boom.

Here are some examples of what a boom is like in 2011.

There's no available housing, so people sleep in truck stops and Wal-Mart Stores' parking lots.

Developers have expanded plans from just a few dozen new homes and are now building hundreds of houses and thousands of apartment units.

The McDonald's in Williston is one of the busiest in the country, and they need to pay $15 an hour just to attract employees to work there.

And then, there's the trucks—thousands of them—on country roads. There's one left turn in Williston that can get so backed up with truck traffic, it can take hours to get through the intersection.

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