Winston-Salem, a city of 186,000 people located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, enjoys a moderate climate and all four seasons. The nation’s much loved Blue Ridge Parkway is a 1-2 hour drive to the north and west and North Carolina's beaches are close enough to enjoy during long weekends.
Salem, founded by the Moravians in 1766, was one of the earliest planned communities in the colonies. The early Moravians, a protestant demomination from Germany, believed in hard work and also fostered appreciation for the arts, music, and quality craftsmanship. The nearby town of Winston was founded in 1849 as an industrial tobacco and textile community. Winston reaped the benefits of the Moravian values and sharing attitudes. The two communities voted to merge in 1913, creating the Twin City of Winston-Salem. Today Old Salem, the restored town of Salem, contains historical eighteenth-century buildings and the nation’s largest museum of furniture and early Southern decorative art (MESDA). Old Salem attracts thousands of visitors and tourists from near and far annually.
Winston-Salem is home to several institutions of higher learning which offer excellent opportunities in education and add to the cultural richness of the city.
· Wake Forest University
· Winston-Salem State University
· Salem College
· North Carolina School of the Arts
The first local Arts Council in America was chartered in Winston-Salem in 1948. A city long noted for the arts, residents and visitors have many venues from which to choose, from traditional museums and gallerys
· Reynolda House, Museum of American Art (an outstanding permanent collection of American art)
· Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) (changing exhibits of contemporary art)
to the Downtown Arts District Association’s (DADA) Gallery Hop on the first Friday of every month and the annual performances of the Nutcracker at the Roger L. Stevens Center for the Performing Arts produced by the Winston-Salem Symphony/North Carolina School of the Arts. For more information on art and entertainment in Winston-Salem please visit Winston-Salem’s Office of Cultural Affairs website.
Winston-Salem has a rich history of fostering successful entrepreneurial endeavors. Many familiar companies such as R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Krispy Kreme, Hanes Corporation (a division of Sara Lee Corporation), Piedmont Airlines (now US Airways), Wachovia Bank, Targacept, and BB&T have origins in Winston-Salem and many continue to call Winston-Salem home.