Marcus Rowland, who recently retired as CEO of a drilling outfit, for example, relocated from Oklahoma and in 2011 bought a more than 8, 000-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-bathroom Mediterranean spread, complete with an entertainment room and a pool, in Fort Worth's gated community of Montserrat.

WSJ: From Oil, a Land Rush??WSJ Mansion

One outfit also uses written sales pitches that make drilling in Alaska seem as though it is a stone's throw away from a leaseholder's property.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The research outfit reports that thanks to the innovation of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling on private and state lands, the U.S. in fiscal 2012 produced 6.2 million barrels of oil daily, up from 5.1 million barrels as recently as fiscal 2007.

WSJ: Review & Outlook: Drill, Barack, Drill