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It's different than home," Dan Rivette says. "It's different from a lot of places I've been. But you grow accustomed."
Life in Pratt is a change from New York, but it's where Dan Rivette has found work as an oil and wind boom takes hold across rural Kansas.
"I am a foreman for a rebar company that does foundations for power lines," Rivette says.
Rivette is among hundreds who have come to the Pratt area for work that's not permanent but can last for two to three years--and there isn't enough housing to meet the demand.
Some relief may be come by way of a 48-unit apartment complex which could be constructed on land on the east side of Pratt. Some community leaders say the sooner the better.
"I have businesses that need to hire people," Chamber of Commerce executive director Jan Scarbrough says. "In order to hire people you need to attract people, and it's hard to attract people when you have nowhere for them to live."
The lack of apartments has helped keep the motels filled up during the week. But with housing maxed out, it's hard for the city to keep growing--a city that has been on a roll lately.
"It's a good problem," Scarbrough says. "It's all beneficial to our economy here, and we're growing."
Now if the city commission approves the new apartment project, many hope Pratt can keep the momentum going as the energy boom continues.
Scarbrough says there is plenty of land for housing development--both apartments and single family homes.