Shreveport, La.
(Eric McFarland / iStockphoto.com)
Economists at IHS Global Insight expect Louisiana to have lost just 2 percent of its jobs by the end of the recession and think the state will return to its pre-recession employment peak by 2012. After Hurricane Katrina, Shreveport embraced filmmakers forced out of New Orleans and created a new industry for its workers. Also, the Haynesville Shale rock formation promises a booming natural gas industry.
