I am currently living in Kansas, we have seen a boom in construction, higher home prices since we moved here 15 months ago, and Help Wanted signs all over town. Yes, we had high gas prices like everyone else, but those are down to $2.05 now. Only one business shut down since I moved here - Fashion Bug because the rent was too high for them at the mall. They are building a new shopping center in town too, Bed Bath and Beyond, HyVee, Petco. Just wondering if others see the same in their neck of the woods!!! Funny thing is, I am not happy here, moving to Phoenix next summer, and I keep telling my husband, we will end up moving and there will be nothing left there! (economy hitting them hard, lots of shutdowns)

Yes, we live in Oklahoma and we are being told in the newspapers/local news that our area has not been hit like other areas have been. We still have new homes being built and sold, other homes being sold, our unemployment is low. Our gas prices have been high, but down to $1.93 right now and our grocery prices have gotten alot higher. However, people have their jobs, we also have alot of military and alot of oil and gas industry here, cattle ranchers, wheat farmers, etc. I think things are hard for the people that were barely making it to begin with because of the elevated prices of things and our local food bank is being utilized more, but again I think it is because of the higher prices of things and those people that were already having a hard time. There have been some layoffs in the OKC area in car manufacturing, but here where we live in SW Oklahoma, I really haven't heard of any big layoffs or businesses closing. Back in the summer it looked like there was a slowing in the restaurant business, but a couple of weeks ago we went to dinner at Chilis and had a 30 minute wait to get a table, fast food places are packed at noon time, so things seem to be back to normal in those areas.

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Wow. What part of Kansas do you live in? I'm in a suburb of Kansas City and we've been hit - granted not to the degree of the East & West coast, but we have homes sitting for months and months, even years and not selling. Realtors are finding different lines of business.

We moved across town 18 months ago and our new neighborhood is supposed to be pretty exclusive and is now building cheaper houses because the ones planned and the specs are not selling here as fast as they were.

They are getting ready to open 3 new schools, but debated postponing because of the downturn. They've decided to go ahead, but the enrollment will be less than expected because the housing sales have slowed so much. Our house is worth less than we paid for it 18 months ago.

One of the builders in our subdivision filed bankruptcy. I, personally, do not know of any foreclosures, but we are definately feeling it here. And people are getting laid off here, too. Restaurants are hurting because people aren't going out. We went out last night expecting an hour wait and were seated immediatly. Not all the tables were full.

Groceries are way up, too. I run in to get just a few things and it's $50! Though gas is coming down - $1.94 at last check.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

The economy in Alaska, at least the greater-Anchorage area, is doing very well. Lots of new construction, hiring signs everywhere, etc.

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Proud Wife of an Army Soldier and proud mother of an Army MP currently serving in Iraq.


"To any critics who say a woman can't think and work and carry a baby at the same time, I'd just like to escort that Neanderthal back to the cave." - Sarah Palin

I left Chicago for Richmond a year ago when everything was starting to slow down there. Richmond is starting to feel it, but not as bad as some other parts of the country.

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I'm the kind of woman when my feet hit the floor in each morning, the devil says "Oh crap, she's up."