Ask 100 people how the economy is doing, and you’ll get, well, maybe not 100 different answers, but certainly quite a few.

Some will point to new home construction, which in March reached its highest level since June 2008, according to Bloomberg news. Some look at gas prices, such an important part of everyday life, and feel optimistic that they are 28 cents lower now in Maine than a year ago, and still below the national average. Some will look at the unemployment rate, which in Maine fell to 7.1 percent in March, down from 7.3 percent in February, and remains smaller, at 6.2 percent, in the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford region.

The more pessimistic – or realistic, depending on your view – counter with wage statistics showing stagnant growth. They’ll argue that changes in the unemployment rate are unimpressive, and only heading in the right direction because more people are dropping from the labor force.

Others use their own voter registration card to divine the direction of the economy, blaming whomever is on the other side of the aisle. In Maine, you can have it both ways – Democrats can blame our Republican governor for any problems while giving President Obama the credit when things go well, a tactic that works just as well backward for conservatives.

It’s hard to know who to listen to (well, certainly not the last group). But a look around southern Maine gives at least some reasons for being optimistic about the economy as Maine summer approaches.

In Westbrook, proponents of downtown revitalization got a boost recently when city officials said they are close to finalizing a deal to finally raze the Maine Rubber building, which sits at the western gateway of the city. Officials believe taking down eyesore will help spur improvements downtown. Already, one business owner, Pete Profenno of Profenno’s Pizzeria & Pub, has applied for a loan from the city to make improvements to his building, which will be more visible once Maine Rubber is gone.

Also in Westbrook, the city is close to settling the matter of Pike Industries’ quarry with an agreement OK’d by most of the stakeholders, and a Vietnamese restaurant is joining the city’s growing array of dining choices.

In Cape Elizabeth, six businesses – some new, some transplanted – have opened in the last two weeks at the site of the former Jordan’s Lawn and Garden Center on Route 77, while in South Portland a promising series of new restaurants have popped up in the last six months.

Real estate agents in Gorham, Windham and Gray recently told Current Publishing that the southern Maine real estate market is improving, with first-time home buyers leading the comeback. In fact, the Maine Association of Realtors released numbers earlier this week indicating sales of single-family homes rose 8.34 percent in March compared with March 2012. The median sale price of the 792 homes sold also increased 6.25 percent to $170,000.

In the Lakes Region, where summer tourists will soon bring in the busy season, this year will likely see the construction of Windham’s first brand-name hotel, a 50-room, three-story MainStay Suites. The project has been in limbo for years, and it’s construction is a sign of the value of the Route 302 corridor.

Of course, all this news is little consolation to the 110 workers recently let go at General Dynamics in Saco, or to the 350 left jobless by the shutdown of the Hostess plant in Biddeford, or the 57 workers who will lose their jobs July 19 when Dielectric closes in Raymond.

But the new investment, whether in a home or business, is a sign of confidence, and welcome following what has been a dark few years.