ATLANTA—The recovery from a devastating recession is under way, and the Coastal Empire should outpace the rest of the state in economic growth, a local economist told attendees at Effingham Day at the Capitol.

Dr. Michael Toma, director of Armstrong Atlantic State University’s Center for Regional Studies, said the Savannah metropolitan area’s diverse economic base — manufacturing, the ports, tourism and the influence of the military — give it a leg up against the rest of Georgia.

“We are lucky in the Savannah metropolitan area in that we have a great deal of economic diversification, much more so than other areas of the state,” he said. “It helps level out the fluctuations we experience in our area, as opposed to other areas of the state.”

For more, see Friday's edition of the Herald.