Study shows San Antonio is nation's best-performing city in recession - New Mexico Business Weekly:

dyakonostrlin.blogspot.com
The Washington, D.C.-based think tank has begun analyzinfg the impact of the recessionthroughout America’ws metropolitan areas. In the first of a series of quarterly MetroMonitor Brookings ranked San Oklahoma City, Austin, Housto and Dallas as the top five metrok areas in the country in economi c performance in the wake of the recession. Brookings ranked the top 100 metropolitaj areas based on six keyindicatorsd — employment, unemployment rates, gross metropolitan product, housinb prices and foreclosure rates. This initial MetroMonitor reporgt covers the first quarterof 2009.
The five worsyt metropolitan areas in the country impacted by the indescending order, are Jacksonville, Fla.; Lakeland, Fla.; Fla.; Bradenton, Fla.; and Detroit. “All metropolitanm areas are feeling the effects of this but the distress is notsharesd equally,” says Alan research director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings and co-author of the “While some areas of the country have experiencedx only a shallow and may be emerging from the recessioh already, people living in metro areazs that are now performin weakest economically should prepare themselves for a long recovery period.
” Howarde Wial, director of the Metropolitan Economyg Initiative at Brookings and another co-author of the report, arguezs that the report shows that a national fiscalk and monetary policy will not be enoughn for stimulating the economy. “Many (metro) areaes will need targeted assistance, and since states have no fundsw available, the federal government will have to step up to fill the Concentrations of industry activityu have both helped and hurts some regionaol economies duringthe recession.
For example, metropolitan areas in statea with specializations in energy and governmentremployment — such as Texas, New Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana — have largely been insulated by the recession. However, metropolitan areas in states like Michigan and Ohio that depend heavily on the automotive industry have been impacted by the downturbn inthe economy, the report shows. San Antonio is home to Randolpu AirForce Base, Fort Sam Houston, Lacklancd Air Force Base and Brooks The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure decisiojn alone is providing a significantr economic punch to the Alamo City’s economy througg the consolidation of high-paying military health care jobs and more than $2 billio n worth of new construction activity.
A separate report released by LLC outlining the impacty of BRAC showed that Fort Sam Houstonm alone would experiencea 11,500 increase of personnel. The Army post will also gain 7.9 milliob square feet of space. Construction activity due to BRAC alons shouldcreate 46,000 construction jobs durintg the course of the building programs, the DiLuzii report showed.