The RV industry and northern Indiana are inextricably linked. Over the years numerous recreational vehicle manufacturers and support businesses have cropped up around Elkhart, Indiana, which has earned the city the nickname "RV Capital of the World." Unfortunately for Elkhart the industry cratered at the start of the Great Recession. The first sucker-punch was from gas prices that topped out near $5 a gallon, making filling up near impossible for the average person. Then came the mortgage meltdowns which clocked numerous peoples' credit scores. Banks became skittish about lending lunch money let alone financing a huge purchase like an RV. Consumers suddenly couldn't get the credit to purchase. So the industry went into a nose-dive beginning in 2007. Amish employees fill the factories of RV industries in northern Indiana. For the most part they are superb workers and they don't unionize. Factories are often accommodating of their large Amish workforce, shuttering on religious days like Ascension Day. For years Amish and RV were synonymous but when the meltdown happened Plain people were thrown into unemployment lines. Fast forward to today. While the next article doesn't even have the word "Amish" in it, the implications are implicit. Business is back and booming again and with it: jobs, jobs, and more jobs! Welcome back to the recovering RV business! Do any of our readers have RVs? Did you stop using them during the recession?
Carolyn
We don't have an RV but hope to purchase one in the next year or two. We enjoy camping but are getting too old to use tents and sleep on the ground!
Diann Brown
I'm a bit tardy in my reply but we have a travel trailer and we camp about 4-7 times per season. No, we did not slow down over the recession, but we usually don't venture too far from home. Once we drop the camper off at camp, we can just run around in the truck, but it is still somewhat of a gas hog!