Duluth economy brightening

Author:: BMTN Staff
Publish date:: Nov 27, 2012

Economic struggles and budget woes have dogged Duluth for years. A crippling summer flood created more hurdles.

But the city may be at the beginning of a new era of prosperity, MPR reports. The city is looking forward to several major industry investments in the area, including a new aircraft maintenance hanger that will employ 225 employees. The city's unemployment rate is ticking downward, and has dropped to 5.9 percent. And the local economy is diversifying, MPR says.

Downtown Duluth is enjoying a kind of renaissance, too, WDIO reported earlier this month. Several new businesses have opened on the eastern end of downtown that focus on art and culture, an outgrowth of a city plan called Duluth's Creative Corridor project.

Flooding that ravaged the city in June caused an estimated $3 million loss for the area's tourism industry, but the industry bounced back relatively quickly, thanks in part to an ad campaign, WDIO reported. By summer's end, resorts and campgrounds reported a good season, the Duluth News Tribune reported.

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It appears an aggressive tourism campaign after the devastating June floods in northeastern Minnesota helped boost tourism in Duluth. The News Tribune reports tourism tax receipts show a 10 percent surge in local hotel and motel revenues in July compared with the same month last year. Figures for August and September are still being calculated.