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.