Leaving for the nation's capital

Leaving Charleston feels like I'm putting down a really good book in the middle of a really good chapter in the middle of a really good sentence. Suspense built, ending unclear.

Will Boeing Co.'s ambitious investment really transform the Lowcountry's economic landscape, streaming health and stability for generations to come? Will job growth and that statewide $300 million rescue program provide enough of a lifeline to struggling homeowners who are desperate to stay in their homes?

Will Clemson University's wind turbine research facility be successful in drawing big manufacturers in alternative energy and their massive plants, putting South Carolina as an economic beneficiary of whatever new direction that industry takes?

South Carolina's economy seemed more decisive four years ago when I arrived here in the bewildering heat, armed with a journalism degree and a determination to unearth good stories.

The Lowcountry real estate market -- the industry that I'd been assigned to cover -- already had begun to slump. Sales tanked, and prices lingered before following the same downward path.

The hardship soon spread to other sectors, giving business leaders some assurance that my articles were not, in fact, the source of Charleston's economic troubles.

Then came the stories I'll never forget. Business news desks became a witness to crushing financial hardships. And here, the Lowcountry business community demonstrated inspiring resilience.

I'm grateful to the people who trusted me to chronicle their valiant struggles.

With economic worries somewhat subsided, perhaps the greatest curiosity remains: What will all of this economic promise do to Charleston's quality of life, an attribute that seems more fragile than many people here acknowledge?

I'm eager to watch the story unfold from my next perch in Washington, D.C., where I'll be covering bankruptcy for a Dow Jones publication.

I'm pulling for a happy ending, Charleston.

Reach Katy Stech at katystech@gmail.com.