Winston Salem

by The Linguist

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston-Salem is a city in and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. With a 2019 estimated population of 247,945, it is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the fifth most populous city in North Carolina, and the eighty-ninth most populous city in the United States. Winston-Salem is home to the tallest office building in the region, 100 North Main Street, formerly the Wachovia Building and now known locally as the Wells Fargo Center.

Founded in 1753 as the county seat of the newly formed county of Forsyth, Winston-Salem owes its existence to the union of the two neighboring towns of Winston and Salem in the early 20th century. This union created a city well-suited for establishing businesses, thus creating one of the most business-friendly cities in the southeastern United States. Multiple societies of religions, including Moravians and Baptists, populated the area and created schools such as Salem Academy and Salem College. The prestigious arts and science institution University of North Carolina School of the Arts calls Winston-Salem home. Additionally, the city is home to Wake Forest University School of Medicine which is consistently ranked as a top medical school. Winston-Salem is also the home of notable companies and organizations including Hanes, Reynolds American, Krispy Kreme, and The Babcock & Wilcox Company.

The historic neighborhoods of Winston-Salem such as Old Salem, Historic West End and Bethabara contain buildings and landscapes that tell the city’s story and preserve its heritage. Winston-Salem also contains unique tourist attractions and has an active performing arts scene, including the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Piedmont Opera Theater, the Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance, the Stevens Center, the Sawtooth Center for Visual Arts, the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, the Hanesbrands Theatre, and the National Black Theatre Festival.

History

The earliest Native American peoples of the Piedmont region included the Siouan-speaking Cherokee. They had begun settling the area around the Yadkin-Pee Dee rivers in the 17th century. Shortly before 1700, the Virginia traders had opened the famous path, known as the Great Wagon Road, from Petersburg, Virginia’s Fort Henry, along the Carolina border, southwestward to the Waxhaws.European colonial settlement of the area after 1750 was along the primary east-west trading route from coastal ports at Charleston and Savannah. The Wachovia Tract of approximately 98,000 acres, was purchased in 1753 by a representative of the Moravian Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Great Wagon Road ran next to this tract.

Eventually, the Moravian Church received a land grant of the almost 100,000-acre (400 km2) Wachovia Tract named for the ancestral estate of Count Zinzendorf, the benefactor who helped them seek refuge in America. Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg named the tract after the Austrian estate of Wachau where he had been born.

The first settlers of what became Winston-Salem were Moravian-German colonists who arrived in 1753 under the leadership of Bishop Spangenberg. He called this area “die Wachau” (Latin form: Wachovia) named after the ancestral estate of Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. The tract of land received from Earl Granville was intuitively named after this “Wachovia” in Pennsylvania. Moravian settlers from Bethlehem began building the town of Bethabara in 1753, a few miles north of the present city. In 1756, the bishop and the Moravians, settled Salem, which would become the center of the Moravian settlement. In 1780 the Moravians, a pacifist denomination, made a legal agreement with the U.S. government that exempted them from military service in exchange for civilian settlement in Wachovia. Other German-speaking Protestant settlers were Lutheran Scots-Irish from Pennsylvania and ethnic Germans settled the area as well. The Scots-Irish Presbyterians had also immigrated to the colonies from northern Ireland before 1775. They outnumbered the Moravians, and established churches of the Presbyterian denomination in early Winston and Salem.

On November 27, 1766, the North Carolina legislature incorporated the town of Salem. On January 6, 1849, the town of Winston was incorporated. Winston and Salem merged in 1913 to form the city of Winston-Salem. Winston was the county seat of the newly formed Forsyth County in 1849. The settlement became the “county town” or seat of county government in 1830.

Two institutions supported by the Moravians, Salem Academy and College for Women, founded in 1772, and Wake Forest College, founded in 1834, are located near the city of Winston-Salem. Baptists founded Wake Forest, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention in North Carolina, Virginia and into Alabama.

In the 1830s, many religious groups moved to the city, where the population grew from 500 in 1820 to more than 3,000 in 1852. In the late 1800s, the textile industry paced the developing economic scene. The 1890 Census indicates that 80% of Winston’s residents lived and worked in the growing tobacco, textile and furniture industries. Winston was the largest tobacco market in the world by 1892. Other industries included iron, paper, printing and dyeing.

With the rapid growth of Winston and Salem, they combined in 1913 to form Winston-Salem. Reynolds Building located downtown houses R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company headquarters. Commercial, industrial and farming uses have also characterized the urban and rural sides of Winston-Salem for more than a century.

Read more about the history of Winston-Salem on the Wikipedia page.

Population

As of the 2020 census, the population of Winston-Salem was 247,945, making it the fifth largest city in North Carolina. Winston-Salem is included in the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 797,863 as of 2020. It is also a part of the Piedmont Triad region along with nearby cities Greensboro and High Point.

Economy

Winston-Salem has an economy focused on the service, trade, and manufacturing industries. It is home to many of the top employers in Forsyth county including Hanesbrands, Novant Health, Wake Forest Baptist Health, Wells Fargo, BB&T, Herbalife, Krispy Kreme, and Lowes Foods to name a few. Many of these companies are headquartered in Winston-Salem.

Some key facts about Winston-Salem’s economy:

  • As of 2021, the unemployment rate in Winston-Salem was 4.5%.
  • The median household income in Winston-Salem is $50,031 as of 2020.
  • Major industries and employers include healthcare, finance, education, manufacturing, retail, and food/beverage.
  • Some major companies headquartered in Winston-Salem include Hanesbrands, Krispy Kreme, Texas Pete, and Wake Forest Baptist Health.

Learn more about the economy and top employers in Winston-Salem.

Attractions

Winston-Salem and the surrounding area have many attractions and things to do for both visitors and residents. Here are some of the top attractions in the city:

  • Old Salem Museums & Gardens: This living history museum depicts life in the Moravian village of Salem in the 18th and 19th centuries. Historic buildings, gardens, shops, and restaurants transport you back in time.
  • Reynolda House Museum of American Art: This elegant country estate built in 1917 features impressive collections of American art, decorative arts, and gardens.
  • SciWorks: SciWorks is an interactive science museum great for kids and adults with exhibits on science, technology, and the environment.
  • Winston-Salem Dash Baseball: The city’s minor league baseball team plays at the BB&T Ballpark downtown.
  • Wake Forest University: Take a campus tour or cheer on the Demon Deacons sports teams.
  • Salem Lake Park: Popular for walking, running, biking, and boating, this beautiful lakeside park also features a dog park.

Find more information on things to do, events, and attractions in Winston-Salem at the Visit Winston-Salem tourism site.

Transportation

Winston-Salem has various transportation options for getting around the city and to other destinations:

  • High Point Transit: Offers public bus transportation throughout Winston-Salem and to High Point and Greensboro.
  • Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART): Connects the Triad region with express bus routes to major destinations.
  • Amtrak: The Amtrak station in Winston-Salem provides train service on the Crescent line between New Orleans and New York.
  • Smith Reynolds Airport: Located just northeast of downtown, this local airport offers commercial flights on Delta, United Airlines, and American Airlines.
  • Piedmont Triad International Airport: The main airport for the region is located in nearby Greensboro, about 30 minutes away.
  • Highways: Winston-Salem can be accessed from major highways including I-40, US-421, US-52, and Business I-40.

Sports

Winston-Salem has a thriving sports culture, both for participants and spectators. The city is home to several professional and collegiate teams.

  • Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Winston-Salem is home to Wake Forest University and its Demon Deacons athletic teams that compete in the ACC conference for college sports.
  • Winston-Salem Dash: The city’s minor league baseball team plays at BB&T Ballpark downtown as an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
  • Carolina Thunderbirds: This hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League plays home games at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex.
  • North Carolina FC: The professional soccer club representing the Triangle region plays some home matches at WakeMed Soccer Park in Winston-Salem.
  • Winston-Salem Open: An ATP World Tour 250 series men’s tennis tournament is held annually at the Wake Forest tennis complex.

Learn more about sports in Winston-Salem.

County Information

Winston-Salem is located in Forsyth County in central North Carolina. Some key information on Forsyth County:

  • Founded in 1849
  • Population of 378,102 as of 2020 census
  • County Seat is Winston-Salem
  • Part of the Piedmont Triad region along with Guilford and Randolph Counties.

Visit the Forsyth County government website to learn more and find contact information.

Forsyth County Government Center
201 N. Chestnut St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Phone: (336) 703-2000

School Districts

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is the main public school district serving the city of Winston-Salem. There are also several other public charter school options. Private schools are also available.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
P.O. Box 2513
Winston-Salem, NC 27102
Phone: (336) 727-2816
https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/

Some of the other public charter school options in Winston-Salem include:

Additional Local Resources

Here are some other useful resources if you live in or are visiting Winston-Salem:

Map and Location Information

GPS Coordinates for Landmarks

  • Old Salem Museum and Gardens: 36.098967, -80.244448
  • Reynolda House Museum: 36.102809, -80.282024
  • BB&T Ballpark ( Dash Baseball): 36.095556, -80.256516

Downtown Winston-Salem