Steve Mensing, Editor
♦On Monday evening Doug Paris and I were cordially talking at the rear of the County Commission chambers just prior to the commission meeting being called to order. He asked: “Steve, do you think Salisbury is a dying city?”
“Yes,” I replied. ”Salisbury displays all the indicators fitting the pattern of a dying city. That doesn’t mean this pattern is irreversible, but it gets more difficult to climb out of as each year passes. Look around–urban flight has grown here steadily for a number of years. People are selling their houses and moving elsewhere. Poverty is 22.4% of the city’s population. Crime, according to FBI statistics, is high here. Education, in the city schools, faired poorly on the new state education report card: READY. Salisbury proper’s the K through 12 schools scored low on their composite performance scores. All well below the state average and the county’s. That gets families to move out of Salisbury or not even locate here. Businesses, considering locating here, look at that too. It’s a roadblock to potential jobs.
Before Doug and I could continue our conversation, the commission meeting was called to order.
Small cities can die within a few years especially if they hit a major economic slump. It doesn’t help to put this challenge out of awareness or cover it over. Without recognizing these difficulties they can’t be overcome. Let’s look at the major indicators of city’s dying:
• Urban Flight. Salisbury’s demographics demonstrate that folks are moving away and young people are leaving because of lack of job possibilities. Non Latin whites are now a minority in Salisbury since the last census. Having poor performing school systems, having high crime rates, poverty, joblessness and a visible breakdown in city services all impact on urban flight. Urban flight can also be shown in year by year decline in school test scores. The tax base often shows a decline and foreclosures are prevalent.
• High Poverty. As poverty grows–the probability of cities dying rise. At the last census Salisbury showed 22.4% of its population dwelling in poverty. That’s a large number of people. It’s said that around 62% of children are on school lunch programs. High poverty often goes hand-in-hand with growing crime, drug problems and stresses the local system. Poverty and crime turns on the jets of urban flight.
• High Unemployment. Unemployment remains fairly high in Salisbury and many folks are forced to commute to Charlotte, Concord, Winston, and Greensboro for decent pay. People often relocate to where they are employed.
• Abandoned Buildings. Salisbury has many. Boarded up buildings attract homeless squatters and addicts. Derelict buildings make people move away.
• Vacancies & For Sale Signs. Often signs that people are leaving and that businesses failed.
• Declining School Test Performances. This often demonstrates that schools are losing their better students.
• Numerous Area Foreclosures and Bankruptcies. Families and businesses are in trouble.
• Poor School Performance. The recent READY report card composite scores shows Salisbury’s public schools are poor performers. This sparks families into urban flight and turns away people looking to move here.
• Public Safety. The FBI crime statistics demonstrate that Salisbury has many dangerous areas. Violent crime and property crime place Salisbury in the upper echelons of North Carolina’s crime challenged cities. People want to live in a safe place–they move away from dangerous cities. This is a major cause of urban death.
• Breakdown of City Services. As the city’s budget spiraled downward from the unsuccessful fiber optic network, many city employees found themselves out of work. Large gaps in the city’s police and fire departments occurred. Not only does it lead to a lack of safety and well-kept city properties, it also means folks are unemployed.
• Growing Numbers of Feral Dogs and Cats on the Streets. Large populations of feral dogs and cats go hand-in-hand with poverty and the breakdown of neighborhoods. Such free roaming animals make neighborhoods less inviting.
The indicators are strong that Salisbury is in critical condition. At some point there will be no turning back. Positive smoke screening and award ceremonies may cover over the growing keloids of urban death, but not for long.
