SOUTHWEST FLORIDA - Despite a steady stream of negative economic news, a national magazine is positive about the future for Southwest Florida.

BizJournals recently put out a report listing the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metro as one of the areas in the best position to bounce back from the economic downturn. The key, according to the magazine, is growth.

"Since I've lived here, the Cape has been one of the fastest growing places in the country," said Bob Suhrie, who came to Cape Coral a quarter-century ago after losing his industrial job in a mid 80's recession.

These days, Suhrie is a real estate agent, and once again experiencing the worst the economy has to offer. Yet experience has taught him to be hopeful.

"Prices went down in real estate here at that time, stayed down for a few years, leveled out, and eventually started on an upswing again. I think the exact same thing will happen again," Suhrie said.

"We were the boom, now we're the bust," said Cape Coral mayor Jim Burch. "The backside of that a lot of times is, first one in, first one out."

What's hurting southwest Florida right now could be exactly what saves it when the recession ends. The BizJournals report says a history of growth leaves the area in position for positive momentum once the recession subsides.

Local leaders add the same things that have always drawn people to the region are still here: affordability, opportunity, and of course,the weather.

"We haven't lost the desirability, we just hit a very very bad economic time," Burch said. "We'll look back and go, wow, what a terrible time we had, but look where we're going now."

Only two other metro areas ranked higher for growth in the BizJournals report, Las Vegas, Nevada and Raleigh, North Carolina; although the magazine notes Cape Coral-Fort Myers actually had a faster rate of population growth (24%) in recent years.