I’m working on a piece about the effects of the miserable weather on the Gorham economy. People at every business I’ve stopped at have reported the rain has dampened more than just their spirits. One hotel said they are normally booked on weekends through the entire summer. Instead they still have vacancies. Coupled with the weak economy this makes for an extremely difficult economic situation for much of the area.
Berlin is talking about building a tourism based economy. But the one positive about the current state of Berlin’s economy is that it is so disconnected from much of the rest of the state and the country that it doesn’t feel the same economic pain as elsewhere. Many Berliners have told me the most recent recession hasn’t felt particularly difficult because Berlin has been down for so long. In fact some Berliners have expressed optimism, saying the city is moving upwards, in contrast to the rest of the nation.
The eight miles between Berlin and Gorham often seem like more than eight miles. As the rain pours down on Coös county, for the first time in a while Berlin is on the winning end of that arrangement.