MINOT, ND ( KXNET ) — Right now, there’s plenty of activity happening in North Dakota’s fourth-largest city.

In the past few years, with higher inflation, the cost of living has been more expensive for people in the Magic City.

Still, businesses in Ward County were able to bring in around $400 million in revenue in June alone, according to the Minot area Chamber EDC. The chamber’s job is to promote companies, big and small, around Minot, even in tough times.

“We are willing to support a one or two-person business just as much as a larger business that does a lot of work for the region,” said Mark Lyman, in the economic development of the EDC.

Lyman says while new storefronts often attract attention, Minot’s commercial activity is often what you can’t see from a drive-by.

“It feels like lately there have been a lot of auto shops or auto mechanics or oil change shops and for a while there, it was car washes and some of that could be because they are visible there on Broadway,” said Lyman.

With over 1,500 businesses in Minot bringing in close to $300 million in total revenue in the month of June, there’s a lot for people in the Magic City to feel optimistic about.

Many business owners say they also depend on traffic from Air Force Base.

“Most of the guys from the base get parts for gaming PCs or we will do builds for them and other businesses in Minot will come to us too for printers and any kind of services they need. It’s a very good area for us,” said David Moum, a sales consultant at The Computer Store.

But Lyman admits that Minot’s success is a combination of how many dollars people are spending, but also the investment and jobs created by existing companies.

“The sales tax dollars are up. I think people are spending money. I know the Air Force Base has grown, Trinity Health has grown, they built that $515 million facility, that says quite a bit about their commitment to our region,” said Lyman.

Ultimately, Lyman says for a business to make it in Minot, it starts with getting people in the door.

“The more you support what you have in your backyard, the more it will get better and nicer,” said Lyman.

Lyman says he expects Minot’s population to grow to 50,000 people in the next two years.

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