Springfield upset by PARADE's 'Most Strip Clubs' claim
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SPRINGFIELD, Ore --- In Sunday's cover story "America by the Numbers," PARADE magazine says Springfield leads the nation with 9.3 strip clubs per 100,000 residents.
The article, presented in infographic form, cites a 2009 blog post from the Portland, Ore., alternative news weekly The Mercury as the source of the information.
Springfield spokesperson Niel Laudati said there are only 5 strip clubs in town as of 2011. Census estimates for 2009 put Springfield's population at around 55,000 people.
Laudati said the defunct Springfield News made a simialr claim in 2006 that Springfield was the strip club capital of the nation but nearly a week later retacted the statement and said the article wrong.
"I think at the time it was an easy story for the editor of the Springfield News so it just continues you know with the Internet age you can't clear everything out. Once it's out there it's out there," said Laudati.
Laudati said PARADE misrepresents the city in a way thathurts people who call Springfield home.
"It doesn't do us any good here," he said. "It's a joke to the people that read PARADE magazine but it's a reality here."
