MinnEcon: April 22, 2010 Archive

Economic Lookout: Sustaining the economy in Fergus Falls

Posted at 11:00 AM on April 22, 2010 by Paul Tosto (0 Comments)
Filed under: Economic Lookouts, Greater Minnesota, Jobs & unemployment

MinnEcon note: Jessica Sundheim is a Fergus Falls student and mom and one of the most active sources in MPR's Public Insight Network.

In November, she gave us a personal look at how the federal stimulus was helping her family. In February, she relayed stories of friends who've had to roll the dice on health coverage.

Today, she gives us a thumbnail look at the economy around her in Fergus Falls and Otter Tail County.

Creating jobs that can sustain a family is probably the region's biggest struggle, she says. Area farmers also had a tough 2009.

Still, "our economic outlook isn't all that bad," Sundheim says. "We're able to continue to attract new businesses. And those that have been here for over a century continue to make it even in the toughest of economies."

Check out her report and then post your thoughts below.

Interested in being an Economic Lookout? Contact us directly at MinnEcon.

Unemployment in Otter Tail County (click on the chart for a larger view)

Source: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

Jessica Sundheim is a full-time student and mom in Fergus Falls.

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