Winston Salem, North Carolina

Winston Salem, North Carolina

Introduction to Winston-Salem, North Carolina

The North Carolina city of Winston-Salem is Forsyth County's largest city and also its county seat. Located in the Piedmont Triad, a region of North Carolina which also includes the cities of Greensboro and High Point, Winston-Salem is situated about 100 miles west of the state capital of Raleigh and about 80 miles northeast of the city of Charlotte. Interstate I-40 runs adjacent to the city, which is also serviced by U.S. Routes 52 and 421; and North Carolina State Highway 8. Winston-Salem is home to Wake Forest University, as well as Winston-Salem State University and Salem College.

Founded in 1766, the town of Salem began as a congregational site for the Moravian church and soon evolved into an active trading center and haven for entrepreneurs. In 1849 the town of Winston was founded, named in honor of a local Revolutionary War hero, Joseph Winston. Both towns thrived as dual elements of the newly created Forsyth County and established prominence in the tobacco, furniture and textile industries. In 1851 Winston was designated as the county seat and plans were already underway to eventually connect the cities of Winston and Salem. A notable business event occurred in 1874 when Richard Joshua Reynolds established one of the world's largest tobacco firms in Winston-Salem. Since that time, the Reynolds family, proprietors of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, have played a large role in the city's history. During the twentieth century, other notable businesses got their start in Winston-Salem, including Krispy Kreme, which opened its first doughnut shop there in 1937; and Piedmont Airlines, which was officially formed in 1948.

Art and Culture in Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem is replete with historical attractions. Reynolda Village, which includes Reynolda Gardens and the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, is a good example. The museum is housed in the former home of tobacco baron R.J. Reynolds. Built in the early twentieth century, the structure contains one of the premiere public collections of American art in the South. The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) is dedicated to the original decorative arts of America's early South. Featured are the paintings, textiles, and furniture made and used in regional southern states up until the early 19th century. The Old Salem Children's Museum is geared towards visitors under the age of ten and features a child-size early-Salem house, a secret tunnel, and old costumes which children can try on.

Winston-Salem is also renowned for its local art schools and art-related attractions. Performance arts venues include the Piedmont Opera Theater, the Stevens Center for the Performing Arts, the Winston-Salem Symphony, and the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem. The city boasts many galleries in the city's art district and plays host to the RiverRun Film Festival and the National Black Theatre Festival. The 1.4 million-acre Yadkin Valley, located just west of Winston-Salem, is home to numerous vineyards and wineries and was approved as the state's first American Viticultural Area (AVA).

Sports attractions in Winston-Salem include a minor league professional baseball team. The Winston-Salem Warthogs are a Class High-A team playing in the Carolina League and have been an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox since 1997. Top rate collegiate sports can be found at Wake Forest University, a member of the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The University's basketball teams, known as the "Demon Deacons", have been particularly successful, frequently being nationally ranked and having claimed an NIT championship in 2000 and a trip to the NCAA's Sweet Sixteen in 2004.

High Points

Winston Salem strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in North Carolina):

Category	Trophy
Public Transportation Use (vs. State)	Top 3%
Racial Diversity (vs. State)	Top 6%
Well-Paid Single Women (vs. State)	Top 12%
College Educated Adults (vs. State)	Top 16%
Short Commute Times (vs. Peers)	Top 16%
Well-Paid Single Men (vs. State)	Top 18%

Comparative Profile of Winston Salem, NC

Comparing Winston Salem to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in North Carolina (State):

Ratings range from (lowest) to (highest).

The People

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Female Share of the Population
Senior Citizens
Age of the Population
Well-Paid Single Women
Racial Diversity
Well-Paid Single Men
Children Under 5 Years Old
Male Share of the Population

Families

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Portion of People Married
Average Household Size

Wealth

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
College Educated Adults
People in Middle Class or Better
Median Family Income
People Above Poverty

Commute & Sprawl

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Short Commute Times
Working at Home
Public Transportation Use
Walking and Biking to Work

Housing

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Affordability of Rents
People Living Alone
Affordability of Property Taxes
Housing Recently Built
Seasonal and Vacation Housing
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals

Crime

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Low Violent Crime
Low Property Crime

Winston Salem Almanac

Winston Salem Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

• Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
• Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

Winston Salem Population (2000)

(From 2000 Census, as reported by individuals)

Political Contributions (2004)

Money donated by Winston Salem residents to parties and candidates for the 2004 elections.

by Political Party

by Presidential Candidate

Neighborhood and Nearby Area Names

According to the US Postal Service, Winston Salem, its neighborhoods, and/or surrounding areas are also referred to as:

Note that not all alternate names are acceptable for use in US Post Office addresses.

Nearby Cities and Towns

Winston Salem Hospitals

FORSYTH MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
(Voluntary non-profit - Other)
3333 SILAS CREEK PARKWAY
(336) 718-5000
Emergency Service: Yes

MEDICAL PARK HOSPITAL
(Voluntary non-profit - Other)
1950 S HAWTHORNE RD
(336) 718-0600
Emergency Service: No

NORTH CAROLINA BAPTIST HOSPITAL
(Voluntary non-profit - Private)
MEDICAL CENTER BOULEVARD
(336) 716-2011
Emergency Service: Yes

Starbucks in Winston Salem

Wal-Mart in Winston Salem

Winston Salem High Schools (2004)

REYNOLDS HIGH
301 N HAWTHORNE ROAD
336-727-2061
Serves 1,831 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 18.9

MOUNT TABOR HIGH
342 PETREE ROAD
336-774-4600
Serves 1,774 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 20.2

NORTH FORSYTH HIGH
5705 SHATTALON DRIVE
336-661-4880
Serves 1,693 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 17.8

PARKLAND HIGH
1600 BREWER ROAD
336-771-4700
Serves 1,278 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 19.4

CARVER HIGH
3545 CARVER SCHOOL ROAD
336-727-2987
Serves 1,118 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 17.5

C G WOODSON SCH OF CHALLENGE
437 GOLDFLOSS STREET
336-723-6838
A charter school.
Title I eligible, not participating.
Serves 307 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 23.6

FORSYTH VOCATIONAL HIGH
2700 S MAIN STREET
336-771-4590
A Special Education School
Serves 170 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 5.7

MIDDLE COLLEGE OF FORSYTH CNTY
2100 SILAS CREEK PARKWAY
336-734-7163
Serves 94 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 13.4

12TH STREET ACADEMY
2020 EAST 12TH STREET
336-727-2604
A Non-traditional School
Serves 28 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 2.8

HOMEBOUND/HOSPITAL EDUC CTR
1649 EAST 21 STREET
336-748-4155
A Non-traditional School
Serves 25 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 1.1

CAREER CENTER
1615 MILLER STREET
336-727-8181
A Vocational School

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