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Winston-Salem is probably best known internationally for its tobacco manufacturing, but it is also a regional leader in commerce, education, and the arts. More than 250 industries reside or have their headquarters here; and with its relatively low cost-of-living index, diversified economy, and pleasant climate, the area often appears on national 'Best Places to Live and Work' lists.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, with over 9,000 employees, is the area's largest employer. Other key employers include Wachovia Corp., Branch Banking & Trust (BB&T) Corp., R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Sara Lee Corp., and Krispy Kreme. Other institutions of higher education include Winston-Salem State University, North Carolina School of the Arts, Wake Forest University, and Salem College.
Historical Perspective
The roots of the city go back to the group of Moravians who settled in the area in 1753. The name of the first settlement was Der Wachau, "creek along a meadow," later Latinized to Wachovia. Other settlements soon followed. The town of Salem was founded in 1766 and quickly grew as a center of crafts and trades. Textile and furniture manufacturing companies began to grow in the area after the Revolutionary War. In 1849, the state legislature created Forsyth County, and the town of Winston was selected as its county seat.
Though they had been joined in print with a hyphen as early as 1899, the neighboring towns of Winston and Salem officially merged in 1913. Today, the 'twin city' of Winston-Salem is home to about 186,000 people, making it the fifth-largest city in the state. Together with the nearby cities of High Point and Greensboro, Winston-Salem is part of the Piedmont Triad, a region with a population of about 1.2 million people. The area has many of the pleasures of city life without the discomforts associated with high-density urban living.
Climate
Newcomers to Winston-Salem enjoy its mild winters and moderate year-round climate. Located roughly halfway between Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA, the average annual rainfall is about 42 inches and snowfall accumulations are rare. You can take a look at the current local weather report courtesy of the Winston-Salem Journal.
Arts and Culture
Winston-Salem has long been known for its support of the arts, and its residents enjoy a wide variety of cultural activities. Public art galleries include MESDA, the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Old Salem; SECCA, The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art; and Reynolda House Museum of American Art, the former home of tobacco magnate R.J. Reynolds. Reynolda House is considered to have the finest collection of American art south of Washington, D.C., including masterpieces by artists such as Gilbert Stuart, Andrew Wyeth, and Frederic Church.
Music lovers can attend concerts given by Piedmont Triad Symphony, Symphony Chorale, Wachovia Little Symphony, Piedmont Chamber Singers and Piedmont Opera Theater. Other productions and concerts are presented by local schools, colleges, and universities, including the Secrest Artists Series at Wake Forest University which showcases established performing artists as well as promising new musicians and ensembles.
The North Carolina School of the Arts presents dance and theatrical productions throughout the year. Many are held in the school's beautifully restored Stevens Center for the Performing Arts downtown (pictured at right), which also presents limited-run films in cooperation with the local Cinema Society. The annual River Run International Film Festival also offers cinema adventure.
The City, the local Arts Council, and other organizations sponsor numerous events, including free jazz, blues, bluegrass, and folk music performances downtown on summer evenings. Annual summer events include the highly regarded National Black Theater Festival and the Eastern Music Festival.
Points of Interest
Among Winston-Salem's most popular tourist attractions is Old Salem, a Moravian town restored to its 18th-century appearance and staffed by costumed guides. More than 80 buildings, homes, and small gardens are open for self-guided or group tours.
Residents take advantage of the mild climate with recreation at more than 80 public parks. People of all ages can enjoy more than 100 tennis courts, 11 swimming pools, 12 golf courses and 17 general recreation centers. The county's largest recreational area is Tanglewood Park, with 1,100 acres of scenic countryside and an arboretum, only 10 minutes from downtown. The park has two 18-hole championship golf courses (the site of the Vantage Senior Golf Tournament), an annual steeplechase, tennis courts, picnic areas and places for horseback riding, camping, boating and fishing. Hanes Park, which is located only two blocks away from The Medical Center, has the city's largest tennis complex and a paved track and playing fields.
Minor-league baseball is a popular summer pastime; the city hosts the Winston-Salem Warthogs, a Carolina League Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The Bowman Gray Stadium is home field to the Winston-Salem State University's Rams football team as well as the longest-running NASCAR short-track facility in the nation. In addition, there are college sports at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University, and Salem College; as well as plenty of opportunities for cycling, tennis, running, and hiking.
North Carolina
Winston-Salem lies in North Carolina's Piedmont ("foot of the mountain") region, just a short drive from the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway, the longest federal park in the country, is an hour's drive to the west. Skiing on the longest run south of the Catskills is only a two-hour drive away, and mountain biking conditions are ideal.
Pilot Mountain (shown at right) is nearby, as is Mt. Airy, of "Mayberry" fame. In the western part of the state, visitors can enjoy the mountain scenery, waterfalls and trout streams of Pisgah National Forest, Grandfather Mountain and the Great Smoky Mountains. Asheville, located in the heart of the mountains, is home of Biltmore House and Gardens and the Biltmore Winery, the most visited winery in the country. Mountain visitors also enjoy outdoor fun such as camping, hiking, boating, flyfishing, and excellent golf courses. People of all ages can enjoy panning for rubies and garnets in Franklin, and kids love riding the old-fashioned steam locomotive at Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock.
North Carolina's harbors and beaches are an afternoon's drive to the east. Popular visitor spots on the coast include the battleship USS North Carolina and the Outer Banks, known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" for its many notable shipwrecks. The state's coastline is known also for its historic lighthouses, including the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, shown in the photo at right. |
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The Medical Center is not far from Downtown Winston-Salem:
WEBLINK LIST:
Educational Institutions
Tourism/Regional Interest
The Blue Ridge Mountains
Old Salem
Local Interest
SECCA
Local Arts and Culture
Stevens Center
"Wally the Warthog"
Pilot Mountain
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
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