With the New Year just days away, area residents — and some visitors — were optimistic on the last Saturday of 2008. Most believe that economic recovery is coming, though not overnight. And many believe that President-elect Barack Obama should be given a chance, regardless of whether he was their candidate of choice in a heated political season that seemed interminable.

“Personally, I’m recently married, I have a wonderful wife and new home, but it’s tough to substantiate our personal economy on one income,” said Michael Hankins, who moved from Dahlonega to Dallas, and has relatives in Dalton. “It’s a blessing, but there’s also a little bit of angst because I’ve been out of work for seven months.

“Still, I don’t believe that government should provide jobs for thousands of unemployed people. I’m thinking of going back to school.”

Of Obama, Hankins said voters “drank the Kool-Aid — I just hope he’s a centrist. To have (Rev.) Rick Warren come and speak at his inaugural will be very interesting.”

Ron Yeager of Rocky Face said he thinks the country “needs to be optimistic” about Obama.

“We need to give him a chance,” he said. “It’s a big job and he’ll need a lot of help.”

He also noted the downside of the economy in 2008, since he traveled 450,000 air miles and rented 125 cars while servicing fiber optics companies across the country.

“There are less people traveling,” he said. “Airline travel is down, and restaurants are down. The airports haven’t been as crowded as they were before the economy went south.”

Devin Wright, visiting Dalton from Modesto, Calif., said he thinks 2009 will be better than 2008.

“I believe the hope for change may be enough,” he said. “I mean, there may be enough people anticipating change that they will make it happen rather than waiting for it to happen. I don’t think the economy will get worse, but it won’t recover overnight because it took it a long time to get this way. Change will be the theme of 2009.”

Juan Blanco of Chatsworth repeated the sentiment.

“People are expecting change, and 2009 represents a new hope for everybody,” he said. “The last three months have been tough for the people in the (Murray) county. With a new president I expect real changes, and I expect him to remember his promises.”

Blanco said four areas of change that are needed include “establishing” the economy along with benefiting families economically, returning the troops from Iraq, and forging a new immigration law.

“We need a real solution to the immigration problem,” he said. “There are too many different laws for people from Mexico, Central America, Israel, Afghanistan and elsewhere. It’s too complicated. We need one law for everybody, not different rules for different immigrants. We need real solutions for everyone living in our country, so that everyone can live with peace and security.”

Bryson Clark of Dalton said the hope that things can turn around is “up to the American citizen — not government — to make the right decisions.”