Unlike many of the other women living in the boomtowns of North Dakota, Whitney Hollingsworth didn't follow a husband or boyfriend. She arrived first.

She came to the state to work for a trucking company, and her husband and kids joined later.

Originally from Georgia, Hollingsworth and her husband Kyle had been trying to revive a family construction business that had been hit hard by the recession. They finally gave up a couple years ago, but couldn't find other jobs.

Hollingsworth had heard about the boom in North Dakota, so on a whim she applied for an administration job at a trucking company there, not really expecting anything. Two days later she got a call from someone, asking when she could start. Hollingsworth arrived in North Dakota in April.

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"I'm the first one in my family to ever move away," she said. "But I knew if we stayed we wouldn't be able to provide the life for our kids that we want to -- we wanted not to struggle so much."

She stayed at a hotel for two weeks, then her husband came out -- leaving their kids with their grandparents in Georgia while they got situated. Hollingsworth's husband found a job as a truck driver at the same company, MBI Energy Services, allowing them to double their annual household income.

Because of the daycare shortage in the area, Hollingsworth's father-in-law is living with them and taking care of their youngest girl, who is four. Her other two sons are 10 and 6 years old, so they go to the local elementary school.

"Everybody thinks we're crazy, but we have a much more stable life for our kids here, and they love it -- they're especially excited to see the snow for the first time," said Hollingsworth.