Nonagricultural wage and salary employment in the Great Plains increased by 147,300 jobs (2.4 percent) from February 1998 to February 1999. Kansas again led the region, with a 3.1-percent growth rate, followed by Iowa at 2.8 percent, Missouri at 2 percent, and Nebraska at 1.9 percent. The service sector accounted for the greatest part of the employment gains in Missouri and Kansas. As of February 1999, the unemployment rate in Kansas was 3.7 percent, down from 4.2 percent a year ago and the lowest February unemployment rate in 26 years. Unemployment in Iowa dropped to 3.3 percent from 3.5 percent a year earlier, while Nebraska dipped to 2.8 percent from 3.1 percent. The strong economic growth in the region continues to create labor problems, especially for small businesses.

Building permits for new residential construction in the Great Plains region reached a 20-year high in 1998. Single-family permits were issued for 45,230 homes, a 12-percent increase over 1997. The strong demand for new homes continued into the new year. In the first 3 months of 1999, single-family activity was nearly 17 percent above first-quarter 1998 volume. The Kansas City and St. Louis metropolitan areas recorded increases of 20 and 8 percent, respectively.

In St. Louis, the last remaining building of LaClede Town, a 1,240-unit HUD housing project, was recently razed. Constructed in the early 1960s, this development was once heralded as a model of diversity and urban living. Parcels in the complex have been sold to Harris-Stowe State College, St. Louis University, Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, and A.G. Edwards for corporate and educational development. Fifteen blocks east of the old LaClede Town is St. Louis' newest major mixed-use development, Cupples Station. Located just west of Busch Stadium, the $200 million Cupples Station project consists of 10 old warehouses that were once part of a railroad depot dating from the turn of the century. Work has begun on one of the centerpieces of the project, a $50 million Westin Hotel to be located next to the MetroLink station across from Busch Stadium. Four red-brick warehouse buildings built between 1905 and 1917 will be converted into a 220-room hotel and 50 extended-stay apartment units. Construction is scheduled to begin by June 1999 on a $90 million office building complex and an 800-vehicle parking garage. A new $300 million Federal courthouse that is nearing completion is a major catalyst for the Cupples Station project. The new office buildings are expected to be filled by law firms and others involved with the court, spurring additional growth of restaurants, loft housing, and office space.

Spotlight on St. Charles County, Missouri

St. Charles County, the third largest county in the 12-county St. Louis metropolitan area, has been the fastest growing county in the State of Missouri since 1990. From 1990 through July 1998, the county's population grew 28 percent to 272,000. Two-thirds of the 59,602-person increase is due to in-migration from both St. Louis city and St. Louis County.

St. Charles County has traditionally been a bedroom community for workers commuting to jobs located in St. Louis County. However, more new industries and business centers have established operations in the county, where employment increased from 64,000 workers in 1990 to 88,400 in 1998. A new bridge over the Missouri River between St. Charles and St. Louis Counties is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in late 2002. The 10-lane bridge will substantially improve access to employment centers in both counties.

Home construction in St. Charles County has surged during the past 5 years, averaging more than 3,050 per year, a 36-percent increase over the average annual activity early in the decade. The abundance of available land and affordable new housing has attracted many families, especially move-up buyers who are drawn to the larger homes and recreational amenities provided with the new developments. Home prices range from $90,000 for single-family attached homes to $450,000 for single-family detached residences. Several golf course communities are under development, which are attractive to empty nesters and retirees. Some builders are offering free golf for 1 year with a house purchase.

A local economic development agency estimates that nearly $3 billion has been invested in commercial, industrial, and residential projects in St. Charles County during the past 2 years. Winghaven, a 1,100-acre research, office, and residential community currently under way, will have 1 million square feet of office space; 1.2 million square feet of technology, research, and laboratory space; and 400,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, including hotels, restaurants, and a town center with daycare, a grocery store, and other services for residents and workers. Residential construction will include 1,300 single-family homes and townhomes and 800 apartments. MasterCard International is building a $90 million Global Technology and Operations Center in Winghaven and will relocate more than 1,100 employees from several locations in St. Louis County.

The growth in St. Charles County has given a boost to recreational ventures. Under construction is the $30 million St. Charles County Family Arena. It will be home to minor league basketball, hockey, and soccer teams. The arena will be a 10,000-seat facility, with 48 luxury boxes and parking for 4,000 cars. A minor league baseball stadium is also being built and play is scheduled to start this summer.