Prior to 2004, it had been 40 years since Florida experienced four hurricanes in one season. While the state’s rebuilding efforts continue and some of the economic damage lingers, the state’s economy is poised for growth.

Southeastern textiles and cotton have seen their once-dominant positions weakened. How these longtime mainstays of the regional economy fare in the future depends on how well they adjust to the global marketplace.

New home construction set a torrid pace for years in the Southeast. But the homebuilding industry has cooled considerably, tempering the vitality of industries that had flourished along with it.