Country United States Population 236,441 (2013) Unemployment rate 5.3% (Feb 2015) Area 132.4 sq mi | State North Carolina Founded 1766 (Salem),1849 (Winston) Mayor Allen Joines (D) | |
Points of interest SciWorks, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Bowman Gray Stadium  Colleges and Universities Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Forsyth Technical Community College, Salem College | ||
Winston-Salem is a city in and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. With a 2013 estimated population of 235,527, it is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and the fifth largest city in the state. 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.
Contents
- Map of Winston Salem North Carolina
- Downtown winstonsalem nc night tour
- History
- Geography and climate
- Economy
- Attractions
- Winston Salem cuisine
- References
Map of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is called the "Twin City" for its dual heritage and "City of the Arts and Innovation" for its dedication to fine arts and theater and technological research. "Camel City" is a reference to the citys historic involvement in the tobacco industry related to locally based R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Companys Camel cigarettes. Winston-Salem is also known for its traditional furniture company. Many locals refer to the city as "Winston" in informal speech. "The Dash" is referenced from the hyphen between Winston and Salem and was popularized by the nickname of the local minor league baseball team, the Winston-Salem Dash.
Downtown winstonsalem nc night tour
In 2012, the city was listed among the 10 best places to retire in the U.S. by CBS MoneyWatch.
History
The city of Winston-Salem is a product of the merging of the two neighboring towns of Winston and Salem in 1913.
Geography and climate
Winston-Salem is in the northwest Piedmont area of North Carolina. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 132.4 square miles (343 km2), of which, 129.6 square miles (336 km2) of it is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) of it (0.81%) is water. It is situated midway between the states Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains to the west and the Atlantic beaches and Outer Banks to the east. The nearest major cities are Greensboro to the east and High Point to the southeast.
Economy
It is the location of the corporate headquarters of BB&T (Branch Banking and Trust Company), HanesBrands, Inc., Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc., Lowes Foods Stores, ISP Sports, Reynolds American (parent of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company), Reynolda Manufacturing Solutions, K&W Cafeterias, and TW Garner Food Company (makers of Texas Pete). Blue Rhino, the nations largest propane exchange company and a division of Ferrellgas, is also headquartered in Winston-Salem. Wachovia Corporation was based in Winston-Salem until it merged with First Union Corporation in September 2001; the corporate headquarters of the combined company was located in Charlotte, until it was purchased by Wells Fargo in December 2008. PepsiCo has its Customer Service Center located in Winston-Salem.
Attractions
Winston-Salem cuisine
In the 1880s, the US Post Office began referring to the two towns as Winston-Salem. In 1899, after nearly a decade of contention, the United States Post Office Department established the Winston-Salem post office in Winston, with the former Salem office serving as a branch. After a referendum the towns were officially incorporated as "Winston-Salem" in 1913. The USPS Address Information System (AIS) does not recognize the hyphen. Ironically, the sign hanging on the USPS location in downtown Winston-Salem reads "United States Postal Service, Winston-Salem, NC."
The Reynolds family, namesake of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, played a large role in the history and public life of Winston-Salem. By the 1940s, 60% of Winston-Salem workers worked either for Reynolds or in the Hanes textile factories. The Reynolds company imported so much French cigarette paper and Turkish tobacco for Camel cigarettes that Winston-Salem was designated by the United States federal government as an official port of entry for the United States, despite the city being 200 miles (320 km) inland. Winston-Salem was the eighth-largest port of entry in the United States by 1916.
In 1917, the company bought 84 acres (340,000 m2) of property in Winston-Salem and built 180 houses that it sold at cost to workers, to form a development called "Reynoldstown." By the time R.J. Reynolds died in 1918, his company owned 121 buildings in Winston-Salem.
In 1920, with a population of 48,395, Winston-Salem was the largest city in North Carolina and the largest city between Atlanta and Washington, DC.
In 1929, the Reynolds Building was completed in Winston-Salem. Designed by William F. Lamb from the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, the Reynolds Building is a 314 ft (96m) skyscraper that has 21 floors. When completed as the headquarters of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, it was the tallest building in the United States south of Baltimore, Maryland, and it was named the best building of the year by the American Institute of Architects. The building is well known for being the predecessor and prototype for the much larger Empire State Building that was built in 1931 in New York City. Every year the staff of the Empire State Building sends a Fathers Day card to the staff at the Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem to pay homage to its role as predecessor to the Empire State Building.