A series of recent stories has us thinking about how pleasing it is to live in Winston-Salem.
The city has been growing moderately — about 4% — but our population topped 250,000 in 2021, the Journal’s Wesley Young reported last week. The official U.S. Census count went from 249,545 on April 2, 2020, to 250,320 on July 1, 2021.
The round number of 250,000 may seem largely symbolic, but it allows us to be included in rankings of other cities with populations more than 250,000, Keith Debbage, a professor of geography at UNCG, told the Journal.
There, we’ll likely shine. With our rich amenities, friendly people and lack of the kind of traffic congestion found in cities like Charlotte and Raleigh, the City of Arts and Innovation has many advantages for entrepreneurs, small business owners and young families.
“Certainly, I think that it is something that is not magical, but it is significant to be able to say that you are at 250,000,” Mayor Allen Joines told the Journal. “I think it is helpful to us as we market the city in a number of ways.”
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Other cities in Forsyth County grew as well — Kernersville’s population reached 26,793 in 2021, Clemmons 21,517 and Lewisville 13,602.
But as fond as we are of those nearby communities, we’ve got the National Black Theatre Festival. We’ve got Salem Lake and The Ramkat.
One list on which we’re happy to appear is the latest Forbes magazine Top 25 places to retire, as the Journal’s Richard Craver reported last month. There, we’re in the company of cities like Athens, Ga., Knoxville, Tenn., and Roanoke and Virginia Beach.
Forbes described Winston-Salem as “the cultured city of 252,000 in the Piedmont area of North Carolina,” benefiting from having Salem College, UNC School of the Arts, Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University within its community.
Winston-Salem also had the lowest median home price of the 25 cities on the list — $219,000, which Forbes said is 42% below the national median. And Forbes touted Winston-Salem’s cost of living, determined to be 19% below the national average.
Forbes praised our high ratio of physicians per capita; comfortable climate; good air quality; good economy; lack of state estate tax or income tax on Social Security; and relatively moderate risk of natural hazards.
One needn’t retire to enjoy most of those benefits in our very livable city.
But Forbes also pointed to some of the city’s deficits, including a crime rate above the national average and our underdeveloped infrastructure for bicycle travel. Forbes also noted that only 33% of our population has been fully vaccinated with boosters against COVID-19, which is considerably below the national average.
Those are legitimate points; they require our attention and action from the city’s leaders. But when it comes to being vaccinated — nine COVID-19 related deaths were reported in Forsyth County last week — our leaders can only do so much. It falls on individuals to practice responsible behavior.
If not for personal safety, maybe for the cause of civic pride?
Residents will be enjoying some of our city’s perks this weekend, especially our parks, like Winston Lake Park, which reopened last weekend after extensive improvements. Bicyclers will be glad to learn that the city recently received significant federal funds to help remedy the low-lying stretch of the Salem Creek Greenway that often floods. The designers will have to do their part before construction is put up for bids, but there is some “light at the end of the puddle,” as a pundit put it on the city of Winston-Salem’s Facebook page.
Downtown, Murphy’s Lunch, a local institution, is back in business and Camino Bakery just completed monthslong renovations. And any kid or kid at heart who enjoys watching construction can get their fill at the site of the new Kaleideum museum on Third Street, where crews are hard at work. On Saturday, a food truck event will be held at Robinhood Plaza on the corner of Robinhood and Peace Haven roads to celebrate the completion of a mural by local artist Laura Lashley.
It’s a promising weekend.
The world is full of turmoil, as are many lives from time to time. In the midst of it, we’re blessed to have a hometown with a unique character, with warm neighbors, where for the most part we can feel comfortable and safe. As if we belong.
We like calling Winston-Salem home.