You dont have to look far to see Lincoln Citys economic recovery after several years of recession.

New business development is moving ahead in several parts of the city including along Highway 101 at the old Lincoln City A&W Restaurant which has been torn down over the past few weeks to make room for a new Dutch Brothers Coffee outlet.

City planners also said a new motel planned for the Nelscott area, a national fast food restaurant suggested for a vacant lot near Lincoln City Hall and a new mini car lot for Highway 101 in the north part of the city are all indicators of economic growth that could occur in the months ahead.

Those that keep a close eye on Lincoln Citys economy are suggesting that a slow and positive recovery is well under way.

It is a slow recovery, said David Hawker, Lincoln City city manager. But I feel cautiously optimistic that the economy is improving. For the community that means a whole lot. Its jobs. Its business. Its everything.

Hawker outlined his optimism at the Jan. 14 Lincoln City Council meeting by using a series of graphics to illustrate the recovery.

The graphics included the unemployment rates, gross room receipts, building activity and retail trade. All show a gradual increase in activity.

I do believe we had a good year last year, said Dick Anderson, Lincoln City mayor. Anderson looks beyond the graphics to judge the economy.

More people came to Lincoln City in the latter half of the year and they were staying at our hotels and visiting our shops, said Anderson. That tells me that consumer confidence is improving. I see travel money as being discretionary money and that people are now willing to let loose of that discretionary money.

He also citied expansion plans of the Chinook Winds Casino and stability of the Tanger Factory Outlet Center as positive economic indicators.

Anderson said he even noticed the economic rebounding in 2011.

I counted 20 businesses that were new or remodel, he said. So that trend is continuing and is verified by the city managers graphics. We have definitely reached bottom and are on the uptick. Although slow, we are seeing healthy economic growth.

Nonni Augustine, Lincoln City Chamber of Commerce executive director, said local business operators shes talking with are also optimistic.

There does seem to be more optimism, said Augustine. People Ive talked with do see business picking up especially right after the New Year. It was surprisingly busy with a healthy mix of locals and visitors from out of town.

But an even more significant factor is the number of people that are looking to settle in Lincoln City.

We have a lot of people inquiring about moving here, said Augustine. That is positive. People are checking us out. We have seen an uptick in traffic at our office with more face-to-face inquiries.

The Chamber is also seeing a rise in applications for business membership.

I feel that this is going to be a good year from the chamber perspective, she said. There is a lot of interest in capturing the business that comes through our town.

Mike Roy, the Lincoln County Board of Realtors president, confirms the recovery is under way in the local housing market as well. Roy is also the owner and principal broker at Lincoln City Reality.

We are in the process of hiring three or four licensed realtors at my company, said Roy. We are seeing some good sales trends. In fact, the fourth quarter was our best quarter for our company.

Roy said historically low interest rates, housing becoming more affordable and an increase in consumer confidence have combined to help boost home sales locally, regionally and across the nation.

In Lincoln County the sale of single family residential dwellings is up 13 percent in volume and the average sales price is up one percent, said Roy. So we are starting to see prices bounce back.

He described the current Lincoln County home sales as a buyers market

Those that were sitting on the fence are realizing its a good time to buy, he said. Affordability of homes is better and the selection is good.

Roy also said there is a sense of urgency with some home seekers because, If the home is in good condition and it is priced to sell, it will sell, so people are recognizing that the prices are going back up and that the selection and inventory is being depleted.

Roy said in 2011 the average single family residential home sold for $241,756 in 2012 the average price was at $245,720.

He said the depletion of distressed properties is also a leading factor in the home sales recovery.

There are less short sales and bank owned homes on the market, said Roy. That means there is better opportunity for open market sales because they are not competing with the distressed properties. The distressed properties had been a drag on the market values.