Winston-Salem, North Carolina | |||||
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City | |||||
City of Winston-Salem | |||||
Winston-Salem skyline
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Nickname(s): City of Arts & Innovation, Twin City, Camel City, Winston, The Dash | |||||
Motto: Urbs Condita Adiuvando (A city founded on cooperation) | |||||
Location in Forsyth County and the state of North Carolina. |
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Location in the contiguous United States | |||||
Coordinates: 36°6′9.95″N 80°15′37.77″W / 36.1027639°N 80.2604917°WCoordinates: 36°6′9.95″N 80°15′37.77″W / 36.1027639°N 80.2604917°W | |||||
Country | United States | ||||
State | North Carolina | ||||
Counties | Forsyth County | ||||
Founded | 1766 (Salem), 1849 (Winston) |
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Consolidated | 1913 (Winston-Salem) | ||||
Government | |||||
• Mayor | Allen Joines (D) | ||||
• City Manager | Lee D. Garrity | ||||
Area | |||||
• Total | 133.7 sq mi (346.3 km2) | ||||
• Land | 132.4 sq mi (343.0 km2) | ||||
• Water | 1.2 sq mi (3.2 km2) | ||||
Elevation | 970 ft (300 m) | ||||
Population (2015 estimate) | |||||
• Total | 241,218 (US: 88th) | ||||
• Density | 1,821/sq mi (703.2/km2) | ||||
• MSA | 659,330 (US: 83rd) | ||||
• CSA | 1,642,506 (US: 33rd) | ||||
Demonym(s) | Winston-Salemite | ||||
Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||||
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||||
Area code(s) | 336/743 | ||||
Website | www |
Winston-Salem is a city in and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. With a 2015 estimated population of 241,218, 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.
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 city's historic involvement in the tobacco industry related to locally based R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's 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.
In 2012, the city was listed among the 10 best places to retire in the U.S. by CBS MoneyWatch.
The city of Winston Salem is a product of the merging of the two neighboring towns of Winston and Salem in 1913.
The origin of the town of Salem dates to January 1753, when Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg, on behalf of the Moravian Church, selected a settlement site in the three forks of Muddy Creek. He called this area "die Wachau" (Latin form: Wachovia) named after the ancestral estate of Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. The land, just short of 99,000 acres (400 km2), was subsequently purchased from John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville.