Hopeful economic signs abound

There are many hopeful signs pointing to long-awaited economic recovery in the Flathead Valley.

First off, unemployment in Flathead County dipped to its lowest level since before the recession began four years ago.

The 7.9 percent jobless rate means there are now more than 400 job openings posted at the Flathead Job Service office in Kalispell. And it’s not just service jobs that are available. Positions in the medical field, construction and heavy equipment jobs and some engineering positions are among the job openings.

It seems as though long-sluggish real estate sales may have turned the corner, too.

Kalispell appraiser Jim Kelley, who tracks real estate data like a hawk, told the Flathead Business Journal earlier this month that real estate sales are up about 32 percent over this time last year.

Homes in the $250,000 and lower price range are selling like hotcakes, one Whitefish Realtor reported, and other agents say they’re now busier than they expected to be this summer.

This local boost in home sales comes on the heels of an Associated Press report indicating homebuilder confidence is at a five-year high. As confidence has increased, so has construction. Builders nationwide broke ground in June on the most new homes and apartments in nearly four years.

Good news is coming from Glacier National Park, too, with the visitor count to Glacier in July up 9.6 percent from July 2011.

So far this year, visitation at Glacier is up 14 percent compared to the first seven months of last year.

Even though the cost of getting to the Flathead may be more these days, it doesn’t appear to have affected tourist traffic.

At Glacier Park International Airport, the number of revenue passengers flying was up 10 percent in July over the same month in 2011. Year-to-date passenger enplanements are running 0.2 percent over year-to-date 2008 — just before the United States and global economies began to falter.

We’re hoping all of these positive indicators aren’t simply a blip on the economic radar.

It’s been a long four years for a lot of Flathead folks, from small business owners trying to keep their doors open to working-class residents who haven’t had a pay raise (or a job, for that matter) for years. Most of us are more than ready for the long, sweet embrace of economic recovery.