The Year 2005 in Review

Make it 18 in 2005. That's 18 consecutive years of job growth, a record that only a handful of states can match and the longest stretch of growth since Alaska gained statehood. The last time the state lost jobs Ronald Reagan was president, Steve Cowper was governor, The Last Emperor won the Academy Award for best M picture, and Walk Like an Egyptian topped pop music charts. The year was 1987 and the state was in the second year of a deep recession caused by a collapse in the real estate market and a plunge in oil prices from over $30 a barrel to less than $10.