That's double the number who were that pessimistic last year and the most since 1992. We found some of that, but taken as a whole, there's considerable optimism. Sure there are problems. If you're an Ad Art worker, it must feel more like a depression than a recession. And don't underestimate the staggering problems facing agriculture, the longtime foundation of the county's economy.
Traffic means sales, and sales mean optimism.
Single-family building permits reached 5,200 units last year. That adds a lot of pop to the economy. Economic roots Agriculture, stressed as it always is, remains this area's economic bedrock. In the early '90s, when the state was shaken by the worst recession since World War II, agriculture provided ballast. We just came off the second-best year in terms of employment that this county has had since 1990.