WATFORD CITY (AP) - This northwestern North Dakota oil town is getting a face lift.

"We're redoing all the avenues and the main street into the city," said Gene Veeder, executive director of the McKenzie County Job Authority. "There will be new concrete on Main Street, decorative lighting and modern crosswalks."

The city also is installing new water mains and sewer systems. "It replaces the old, old stuff that was probably done originally in the 1930s," Veeder said.

The improvement work, much of which is funded by city sales tax money, is expected to take another six weeks.

"It all comes down to community pride," Veeder said. "The town has got to look good and feel good. We've got younger families coming back home. They want to feel comfortable doing so."

Several major oil industry companies, such as Power Fuels, Lund Oil and Rugged West Trucking, have built or are building new facilities in Watford City. Some new homes also have been built.