The Salisbury Jaycees help make Salisbury one of the nation’s top 10 best cities for the holidays, according to Realtor.com.
The real estate website recently ranked Salisbury No. 8 on its list of “Top Tinsel Towns: 10 Surprising Cities Whose Holiday Charms are Worth Unwrapping.”
Topping the list of reasons for the rating was the Salisbury Christmas Parade, hosted annually by the Jaycees since 1947.
“Going strong for 71 years … the parade includes fire trucks, marching bands, Santa Claus and Saul the Salisbury Jaycees Bear,” the ranking noted.
Other local institutions cited included Emmanuel Wesleyan Church’s annual Christmas Eve service and the Winterfest of Lights in nearby Ocean City, celebrating its 25th year.
In determining the top 10 holiday cities in the U.S., Realtor.com used criteria including Google hits for search terms including “Christmas parade,” “Hanukkah” and “Festivus”; seasonal cashiers as a percentage of overall employment; percentage of Realtor.com home listings with a fireplace or chimney (“because Santa,” the website said); Christmas tree, holiday decoration and toy stores per capita; alcohol consumption rates by state (accounting for holiday parties); the number of live Christmas trees harvested per state; and percentage of flight arrivals during the Christmas travel period of December 19-23.
Cities rounding out the top 10 included Hickory, NC; Eugene, OR; Buffalo, NY; Pittsburgh; Sarasota, FL; Hartford, CT; Providence, RI; St. Louis; and Lafayette, LA.
The full ranking is available at https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/best-cities-if-you-love-holidays/
