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Is Belton the 'poorest' town in South Carolina? No way, say residents
Residents question claim that Belton is poorest city in South Carolina
Is Belton the 'poorest' town in South Carolina? No way, say residents Residents question claim that Belton is poorest city in South Carolina Check out this story on independentmail.com: https://www.independentmail.com/story/news/local/2018/05/10/belton-not-poorest-town-south-carolina-residents-say/595652002/
abe hardesty, Anderson Independent Mail Published 6:15 a.m. ET May 10, 2018 | Updated 12:14 p.m. ET May 10, 2018
Belton remembers past and moves forward Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail, Anderson
Tracy Wood, owner of Kutz On The Square in downtown Belton, talks about the old and new of Belton life, in her shop on Wednesday. (Photo: Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail)
BELTON — A city hit by the loss of five major manufacturing plants over the last 40 years took another figurative punch this week, when a Delaware-based organization named Belton the poorest town in South Carolina.
More: Which town in your state is the poorest? Here is the list
Residents reacted with surprise, skepticism and resentment.
"No way," lifelong resident Rex Maynard said emphatically from his family-owned furniture store. "When I was a kid, we were one of the richest towns in the state per capita, and I know that isn't true now. But I don't believe we're the poorest town in the state.
Belton rich in history moves on
Abigail Burden, left, director of The Ruth Drake Museum in Belton explains history of Belton on Wednesday, looking at items from Belton's rich textile mill business past with visitor John Woodhead of Belton. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
Silas Boggs, left, plays a video game while his mother Rachel Boggs gets her hair styled by her cousin Kylie Boggs at Kutz On The Square in downtown Belton on Wednesday. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
Cars and trucks pass each other where U.S. 76 meets State Highway 20 near the square in Belton on Wednesday. A historical marker sign for Belton states the town was incorporated in 1855, named after Judge John Belton O'Neall, then president of the G&C Railroad. Trains still pass through downtown, ocasionally disrupting a tennis match nearby. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
A billboard next to First Baptist Church in Belton shows an advertisement for FirstQuality in Anderson. There are jobs in Belton, but many residents from there commute to their workplace. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
A man trims grass with a weedeater along U.S. 76 in view of the Belton standpipe on Wednesday. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
An old fashioned clock shows time for visitors shopping in downtown Belton on Wednesday. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
People walk into the Belton City Hall on Wednesday. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
Tracy Wood, owner of Kutz On The Square in downtown Belton, in her shop on Wednesday. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
Tracy Wood, owner of Kutz On The Square in downtown Belton, talks about the old and new of Belton life, in her shop on Wednesday. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
John Woodhead of Belton visits The Ruth Drake Museum in Belton on Wednesday, looking at items from Belton's rich textile mill business past. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
A large photograph of Belton Mills in the 1950s is on display at The Ruth Drake Museum in Belton. Once a thriving mill town, most Belton residents work in other jobs since the textile mill business in South Carolina closed most doors. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
A large photograph of a first shift at Belton Mills in 1954 is on display at The Ruth Drake Museum in Belton. Once a thriving mill town, most Belton residents work in other jobs since the textile mill business in South Carolina closed most doors. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
E.B. Rice, Sr., seen in a photograph at The Ruth Drake Museum in Belton, shows life in Blair Mills around 1914. Photo courtesy The Ruth Drake Museum
Blair Mills closed in 2007, one of the last textile mills open in Belton and leaving few in South Carolina. A sign inside the door of the front office reads Space For Rent. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail
"What other town of 4,000 has a thriving Center for the Arts, a museum like we have, and a tennis facility like we have?" he added. "Those organizations don't survive if you don't have support, and most of that support comes from the people of Belton. Those organizations also require a lot of volunteerism, which you don't normally get in areas of extreme poverty."
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In its list of the poorest town in every state, financial news organization 24/7 Wall Street pointed to Belton's 24.3 percent poverty rate and median household income of $29,329. The report, based on five-year estimates (2012-16) by the American Community Survey, cited Belton as the only town in the state where less than half of households earns $30,000.
"Poorest" criteria also included the percentage of residents with college degrees and high school diplomas, SNAP benefit rates, and median home values, the organization said.
Robert Carey, director of the Regional Economic Analysis Laboratory at Clemson University's Strom Thurmond Institute, questioned the study's methodology.
"I don't think they did their homework," he said. "From everything I've seen, Belton is definitely not the poorest town in the state. The facts just don't support it."
Carey said the study's consideration of education level in addition to median household income "gives double weight" to that element, which distorts the value.
"Not having a high school diploma is not in itself a measure of income. A lot of people have good-paying jobs as mechanics and skilled tradesman without a diploma. It's a little strange that a survey would give so much weight to that," Carey said. "And doing it gives you results that are not valid."
The 24/7 Wall Street study also contradicts the U.S. Census Bureau's 2017 estimate of South Carolina's 10 poorest cities (of at least 5,000 residents). All had poverty rates higher than 30 percent, and median household incomes lower than $29,000.
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The cities on the census list, which does not give weight to education level, are Cheraw, Abbeville, Georgetown, Hartsville, Darlington, Marion, Chester, Central, Greenwood and Union.
Belton City Manager Alan Sims echoed Carey's observations.
Alan Sims
"I've lived here 54 years, and to say that it is the poorest town in the state is deceptive. I don't see why the level of education should be a substantive part of a study like this," Sims said. "Some of the most successful people I know don't have a college degree."
More: Belton faces challenge to improve recreation facilities
"People who know Belton can attest to what a wonderful town this is, and it's all made possible by our people, be they rich or poor," he added.
Sims also noted the study "was based on a sample size of 323 persons, and the poverty-level number presented in the article has a margin of error of plus or minus 8.1 percent."
Other residents also questioned the report.
Abigail Burden, left, director of The Ruth Drake Museum in Belton explains history of Belton on Wednesday, looking at items from Belton's rich textile mill business past with visitor John Woodhead of Belton. (Photo: Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail)
"I'm surprised that Belton would be considered the poorest. We have some depressed areas ... but I can think of other places who have those, too," said Abigail Burden, director of the Ruth Drake Museum, as she greeted visitors near a wall that highlights the city's colorful history.
The city was once home to four large cotton mills — Belton, Blair, Rice and Peerless — but all closed between 1977 and 2007. Another large employer, Belton Bottling Company, closed in the early 1970s.
Blair Mills closed in 2007, one of the last textile mills open in Belton and leaving few in South Carolina. A sign inside the door of the front office reads Space For Rent. (Photo: Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail)
Yet despite the economic challenges, Anderson County's second-largest city has a resilient mindset, Burden said.
"I grew up in a town in Indiana that also lost it largest employer ... but the mindset here is more forward-thinking," she said. "Here, the people haven't given up. They (now) drive to jobs in Greenville and Anderson."
Michigan transplant John Woodhead said he hasn't observed unusually high poverty in his new home.
"If you go from here to Myrtle Beach, you'll find that in every town you go in," Woodhead said. "The ranking just depends on whether you go by the city limit or the mailing address. You can live in Belton, but be a mile from the city limit."
Hairstylist Tracy Wood, owner of Kuts On The Square since 1998, said while she was a little surprised by the report, "I am seeing things in the last seven or eight years that you'd didn't see 20 years ago. Since the mills have closed, there is not a lot of job opportunities in the town and more drug dependency," she said.
Rachel Boggs, a former teacher at both Belton and Honea Path elementary schools, said she was "definitely surprised" at the "poorest" designation, though she was well aware of poverty during her teaching career.
"I know we had a lot of Title I students (from low-income homes)," Boggs said, "but it's very surprising that Belton would be considered the poorest. I know that the churches here work hard to help everyone."
Cars and trucks pass each other where U.S. 76 meets State Highway 20 near the square in Belton on Wednesday. A historical marker sign for Belton states the town was incorporated in 1855, named after Judge John Belton O'Neall, then president of the G&C Railroad. Trains still pass through downtown, ocasionally disrupting a tennis match nearby. (Photo: Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail)
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