Salisbury In Top 5 Of Most Dangerous Cities To Live

According to a new report, Salisbury, a small city in Maryland's Eastern Shore, is one of the top five of most dangerous places to live in the country.

In cities with populations of more than 25,000 people, the website Neighborhood Scout places Salisbury fourth as most dangerous place to live in the country. Salisbury comes in behind Saginaw, Mich., Chester, Pa. and Las Vegas Nev.

According to the annual report, the chances of being the victim of a violent crime in Salisbury are 1 in 42, drastically higher than the state's average, which is 1 in 159.

In recent years, Salisbury has been battling a large uptick in gang-related violence, crime, and prostitution, but city officials say that crime has actually gone down slightly in the last year, and point to the city's 2010 award as an All-American City -- an honor awarded by the National Civic League.

Still, some folks in this little community of just 28,000 people are shocked and outraged by the report that says Salisbury is only safer than just 2 percent of cities in America.

In an interview with Coastal Connection's Bryan Russo, Salisbury mayor Jim Ireton disputes this distinction, saying crime in Salisbury is on the decline.