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Pete Bigelow · A Look At The Winners And Losers From The Southern Auto Boom
November 10th, 2011
Officials from a three-county area in northern Mississippi spent years trying to entire an auto maker to open a plant in their area. Next week, their efforts will finally pay off. 
On Nov. 17, Toyota will begin production at a plant in Blue Springs, Miss. that will employ 1,530 workers by the end of the year. Finally, officials there feel their area will participate in the economic boom automakers have provided across the South for the past decade.
“It’s a Godsend to us,” says Tupelo Mayor Jack Reed. Jr., who tells CBS News the plant has energized the entire area. “People around here certainly have a little more bounce in our steps now.”
Elsewhere in the South, other communities have benefited from the auto influx. Nissan has opened a plant in central Mississippi, Toyota in Texas, Kia in Georgia, Volkswagen in Tennessee. Another Toyota plant in Georgetown, Ky. opened in the 1980s.
All together, carmakers have invested $6 billion in eight plants in five Southern states. Those plants in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi collectively employ 27,000 and tens of thousands more at regional auto suppliers, reports The Florida Times-Union.
Why is the Jacksonville-based paper exploring the Southern auto boom? Because Florida got left in the rear-view mirror.
The steady decline of Florida manufacturing jobs has spurred local leaders to rethink their strategies, and they’re seeking to rebuild an export-driven manufacturing base. They believe Jacksonville’s port are an attractive option for auto manufacturers.
“If somebody could figure out what the silver bullet is for it, I would buy that silver bullet,” Jacksonville city councilman Ray Holt tells The Times-Union. “It’s just a slam dunk to bring manufacturing to Jacksonville.”
