Some parts of the country are still struggling to regain footing after the economy turned south several years ago. The rollercoaster of the financial climate has continued to ebb and flow over the last few months, but some areas are seeing better recovery than others thanks to localized growth.

In Kansas, home sales and new construction projects have been down for the last couple of months, according to the Wichita Business Journal. However, that still puts these totals at a higher level than seen in 2011, meaning that while full recovery is still on the horizon, it may be closer than in previous years.

The Kansas City Business Journal reported that the Associated General Contractors of Kansas found strong positive trends for the state. Mike Gibson, AGC's executive director, said some of the slowdown could be a lack of federal funding that in previous years boosted overall job counts.