Historic closing on Wall St.

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - For the first time since 2007, the New York Stock Exchange had something to celebrate. Dow closed above 14-thousand, hitting a 5-year high. It’s a sign that our economy is recovering fast.

Mark Teed of Raymond and James Associates told 22News “We were there in 2007, and then when the crisis came in 2008 we went all the way down to 6,600. To climb back up almost 7,500 points in a short period of time, it's really a significant achievement.”

That kind of optimism is being felt here on Main Street as well. Just comparing the unemployment rates, just after the recession in 2010, the unemployment rate shot up to over 10%, now it's down to 8%.

Jennifer Yara of West Springfield said “So far I've been able to find a few jobs. Right now I have one. It took me only a few months to get one, so I feel like it's getting back up there, like how we used to be.”

But some people told 22News the number of jobs isn't the only indicator of how well we are doing. If you look beyond those jobs numbers, they say there's a lot more work to do.

Jonathan Nevits of West Springfield told 22News “There's a lot of homeless poeple. People without homes due to storms. And I think the people who have who could help others could make this country a lot better too.”

Teed said this means more companies will hire in the near future. Manufacturing may be one of the fastest growing industries.