The Nation - News from Aug. 19, 1985

The Rust Belt region is ready and able to compete with Sun Belt states for industrial expansion, officials attending the Midwest Governors’ Conference at Mackinac Island, Mich., said. “I think they (businesses) recognize that we have some assets as well as some very skilled workers,” Indiana Gov. Robert D. Orr, chairman of the meeting, said at a news conference. Michigan Gov. James J. Blanchard said: “My sense is that the shift in population will slow down, for a lot of different reasons, including the limited resources (of the Southwest), such as water and attractive land.”