Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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| County |
Forsyth County, NC | ||
| Mayor |
Allen Joines | ||
| Website |
Official Website (http://cityofws.org) | ||
| Population |
185,776 (2000) | ||
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Winston-Salem is a city located in Forsyth County, North Carolina. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 185,776. It is the county seat of Forsyth CountyTemplate:GR.
The Old Salem district and related Historic Bethabara site are the city's oldest historical attractions. Also of historical interest is Reynolda Village (which includes Reynolda Gardens and the Reynolda House Museum of American Art). Other sites of interest include the Horne Creek Historic Farm, Tanglewood Park, the SciWorks educational facility (formerly the Nature Science Center) and SECCA, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art).
Winston-Salem is also the location of the corporate headquarters of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco corporation, the Krispy Kreme corporation and Branch Banking and Trust Company (BB&T). The Wachovia Corporation was also based in Winston-Salem until it moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2001.
In December 2004, the city landed a deal with Dell, Inc. to build a computer assembly plant nearby in southeastern Forsyth County, near the junction of Interstate 40 and US Route 311. The city provided Dell with $37.2 million dollars in incentive packages to attract Dell. The incentive package has received some criticism, including that of state representative Paul Luebk, who said that he thinks "North Carolina dramatically overpaid Dell to come here." [1] (http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031779834649)
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History
Salem
The origin of the town of Salem dates back to January 1753, when Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg, on behalf of the Moravian church, selected a settlement site which he called "Muddy Creek du Wachau" (Wachovia, named after the Austrian estate of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf). The land, just short of 99,000 acres (400 km²), was subsequently purchased from John Carteret, 1st Earl Granville.
On November 17, 1753, the first settlers arrived at what would later become the town of Bethabara. This town, despite its rapid growth, was not designed to be the primary settlement on the tract. Instead, the guidance of the Lord was sought for selection of a new town by drawing lots among sites which were suitable. The town established on the chosen site was given the name of Salem (for "peace").
Winston
In 1849 the town of Winston was founded, named after a local hero of the Revolutionary War, Joseph Winston, who was well-known in the town of Salem. Shortly thereafter both Winston and Salem were incorporated into the newly formed Forsyth County, It thrived as an industrial town, producing tobacco products, furniture and textiles. In 1851 Winston was designated the county seat, and, with plans to connect the cities of Winston and Salem, the county courthouse square was placed just one mile north of Salem's square.
Winston-Salem
In 1889, the United States Postal Service combined the mail offices for the two towns, and the towns were officially joined as "Winston-Salem" in 1913.
Geography
Winston-Salem is located at 36°6'10" North, 80°15'38" West (36.102764, -80.260491)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 283.9 km² (109.6 mi²). 281.9 km² (108.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.71% water.
Google Map of W-S (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=winston-salem,+nc&hl=en)Google Satellite Image of W-S (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=winston-salem,+nc&hl=en)
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 185,776 people, 76,247 households, and 46,205 families residing in the city. The population density is 659.0/km² (1,706.7/mi²). There are 82,593 housing units at an average density of 293.0/km² (758.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 55.57% White, 37.10% African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.13% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.29% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 8.64% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 76,247 households out of which 28.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% are married couples living together, 16.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% are non-families. 33.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.32 and the average family size is 2.95.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $37,006, and the median income for a family is $46,595. Males have a median income of $32,398 versus $26,335 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,468. 15.2% of the population and 11.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 22.0% of those under the age of 18 and 11.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Winston-Salem is served by Greensboro, North Carolina's Piedmont Triad International Airport. The airport also serves much of the surrounding area, including High Point, North Carolina.
Economy
Winston-Salem has a very strong and changing economy. Many major companies including Krispy Kreme, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and Wachovia were founded here. Winston-Salem is also attracting new markets (mainly high-tech and bio-tech) such as Dell, Inc.. Besides high-tech and bio-tech industries, Winston-Salem has been known for textiles, furnature, tobacco, and medical for a long while. While the textiles, tobacco, and furnature industries are slowly fading away, Winston-Salem is keeping its medical industry strong, and bringing in new businesses all the time. Winston-Salem's modern and adapting economy keeps the outlook bright for citizens.
Features and Attractions
Education
Public Schools within Winston-Salem are run by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Many of the schools in Forsyth County are in Winston-Salem. Some examples include: Sherwood Forest Elementary School, Brunson Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School, Reynolds High School, Mount Tabor High School, and West Forsyth High School. Winston-Salem also has many great universities. Some include: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University, North Carolina School of the Arts, Salem Academy, Salem College, Piedmont Baptist College, and Winston-Salem Bible College. Private and Parochial schools also make up a significant portion of Winston Salem’s educational establishment. Until 2001 Winston Salem was home to Bishop McGuiness Catholic High School, (now in Kernersville, NC) one of only 3 Catholic High Schools in North Carolina. Catholic elementary schools include St. Leo The Great and Our Lady of Mercy (which now resides on the same location as the original Bishop MGuiness). Forsyth Country Day School is the preeminent secular private school in the city.
Museums
Winston-Salem has a large variety of museums avaliable. Some museums in Winston-Salem are listed below.The Reynolda House Museum of American Art (Built by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco)is one museum within Winston-Salem. SECCA, The South Eastern Center of Contemporary Art is also a unique museum worthy of interest. Wake Forest University Museum of Anthropology is a great historical museum, maintained by Wake Forest University, that has many fascinating artifacts and other historical pieces of art. SciWorks is a great interactive museum for children, teaching basics in all areas of science, and offering fun experiments and educational tours.
Sports
Winston-Salem provides many athletic attractions. The Warthogs are a Winston-Salem based Minor-League baseball team. They play at Ernie Shore Field, and provide entertainment for many residents. Winston-Salem also has great college basketball teams. Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State both have great teams that are usually well ranked in the country. Outside of large sports, Winston-Salem offers a variety of community sports, and children's sports. Winston-Salem's YMCAs are a great place for excercise and athletics for both children and adults. Community recreation centers also provide cheap exercise and sports. One of the recently added community recreation sports is dogeball. Finally, Winston-Salem also contains many outdoor pools that residents can gain membership to.
Surrounding Areas
Some minor outlying areas and surrounding cities are:
- Dozier, North Carolina
- Seward, North Carolina
- Pfafftown, North Carolina
- Old Town, North Carolina
- Lewisville, North Carolina
- Rural Hall, North Carolina
- Clemmons, North Carolina
- Wallburg, North Carolina
- Union Cross, North Carolina
- Kernersville, North Carolina
- Walkertown, North Carolina
- Stanleyville, North Carolina
- Tobaccoville, North Carolina
- Greensboro, North Carolina (in Guilford County)
- High Point, North Carolina (in Guilford County)
See also
- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools School district
External links
- Official website of Winston-Salem, NC (http://www.ci.winston-salem.nc.us/)
- Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce (http://www.winstonsalem.com/)
- Winston-Salem Convention & Visitors Bureau (http://www.visitwinstonsalem.com/)
- Winston-Salem Journal (http://www.journalnow.com/)
