‘Better late than never’: Missoula shows signs of recovery after recession

The Missoula economy was hit harder than other areas of the state by the recession of 2008 because the closures of both the Stimson lumber mill in Bonner in 2008 and the Smurfit-Stone Container plant in Frenchtown in 2010 exacerbated the problem.

"Missoula had a couple extra challenges," explained Patrick Barkey, an economist with the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research. "The recession was bookended by those two closures. Growth started later here because the closure of Smurfit-Stone kept us in the recession an extra year. And Missoula was a community hit hard by the housing bust."

By DAVID ERICKSON Missoulian

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