Issue link: http://savannah.uberflip.com/i/629640
19 8 Savannah Savannah's employment will rise by 3.1 percent, or 5,300 jobs, about the same as it has for the past two years. The MSA's multiple personality: that of a major tourist attraction, an aerospace manufacturing center, an extraordinarily successful deep water port, and a regional hub for health and educational services constitute the grounds for Savannah's continuing success. Although the housing bubble severely hurt the metro area, it was not very exposed to the restructuring of either the information or the financial activities industries. Recently, Bryan County landed several economic development projects that will support economic growth in 2016, including Caesarstone's announced expansion that will create 130 jobs, West Penn Testing Group's decision to locate in the Interstate Centre industrial park, and Daniel Defense's expansion. Savannah also will benefit from its popularity as a movie location. Savannah's growth prospects are among the best in the nation. Visitors are drawn to the thriving historic district, and waterfront developments. Hotel development has been and will continue to be very strong in 2016. Retirees will continue to be an important force powering and diversifying the region's economic development, but the Savannah area will benefit from the fact that its population is increasing for all age groups. Gulfstream Aerospace also is a very powerful driver of the metro area's economy, providing thousands of high-quality jobs. Due to the presence of its ports at Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia is the nation's seventh largest importing state and eleventh largest exporting state. Port operations support manufacturing and foster growth of Savannah's logistic, distribution, and warehousing industries, and provide almost 36,000 jobs. The statewide economic impact of Georgia's ports is over 369,000 jobs. Tourism and convention business will continue to be one of the fastest growing sectors of Savannah's economy, reflecting substantial investments in the area's infrastructure, including a large number of new well-situated hotels as well as the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center on Hutchinson Island. The housing bust was severe in Savannah, but the area's housing recovery is strong. As of mid-2015, single-family home prices in the Savannah MSA were only 8 percent below their peak level.