traffic's a huge problem in wilmington (NC) -- though the economy has little to do with it. poor city planning is the culprit.
first came the college many years ago, and wilmington wasn't prepared for the influx of students. its expansion and more students living off campus (over 70% live in the city) and driving cars lead to HUGE traffic problems.
then came the highway. when I-40 was extended all the way to wilmington, the city was a small, sleeper of a place. suddenly tourists started taking the highway til it ended, and w-ton became a (very affordable) vacation destination.
the traffic here is something like 10x more than the roads were designed to handle -- that's not a recent phenomenon, though; it's been happening over the past 20 years.
the city council is comprised of old w-ton families, and they are loathe to allow changes like building more roadways or widening those that are already packed.