About This Episode
Christian Wallace grew up in Andrews, Texas—heart of the Permian Basin—and worked as a roughneck on drilling rigs before joining Texas Monthly as a staff writer. That insider perspective shaped Boomtown, a narrative serialized podcast that debuted on December 10, 2019, as a partnership between Texas Monthly and Imperative Entertainment, with syndication through Marfa Public Radio.
The podcast presents a 10- to 12-episode limited series examining the 21st-century oil boom transforming the rugged corner of West Texas and its broader economic, environmental, and geopolitical ripples. Rather than focusing on a single storyline, Boomtown weaves together voices and experiences across the industry: billionaire wildcatters, pipeline workers, oil executives, startup founders, and exotic dancers whose lives intersect in boom-and-bust economics.
The opening episode, "Highway to Hell," establishes the human stakes immediately. U.S. Route 285, running through Texas oil country, earned the nickname "Death Highway" as traffic from oil tank trucks surged. Since the boom began, deaths on that stretch increased by 67 percent—a statistical shadow falling across the prosperity the industry promises.
Wallace's reporting examines both the allure and cost of the energy rush. The podcast explores how the Permian Basin became ground zero for American oil ambition in the 21st century, and what that means for workers risking life and limb, for communities transformed overnight, and for a global climate already warming from fossil fuels. Reviews have praised the series for balancing serious subjects with accessible storytelling. The Atlantic described it as "a beautiful ride filled with levity, even as it delivers troubling forecasts for the future."