Located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Winston-Salem, North Carolina is one of the top ten most livable mid-sized cities in the US (pop. 193,000) according to the Partners for Livable Communities, a national non-profit organization.
Top 10 Reasons that Winston-Salem is a Top 10 Most Livable City
1. RECREATION
2. NIGHT & DAY LIFE
• 50 Downtown Restaurants
• Downtown Farmer’s Market (August – September)
• Local bars such as Speakeasy Jazz & Tapas Bar, Finnigan’s Wake Irish Pub & Kitchen, The Garage, 6th & Vine Wine Bar, Foothills Brewing Company, and many more.
3. WEATHER
4. EDUCATION (50,000+ college students)
5. SPORTS
• Wake Forest Demon Deacons compete in the ACC and NCAA against their in-state rivals the Duke Blue Devils, UNC Tarheels, and NC State Wolf Pack.
• The Wake Forest men’s soccer team were AC champs in ‘02, ‘04, and ‘06 and have competed in the NCAA tournament 5 years in a row and a total of 10 times.
• Wake Forest’s women’s field hockey team has advanced to the NCAA finals five times in the past six years and are three-time champions.
• Wake Forest’s men’s golf team has won the NCAA championship four times.
• Wake Forest was the only school in the nation to have its men’s and women’s soccer teams, football team and field hockey team ranked nationally during the 2006 season.
6. WINE
• Yadkin Valley is North Carolina’s first official American Viticultural Area and there are 30 Vineyards within an hour or less of Winston-Salem.
• Annual North Carolina Wine Festival with 31 Wineries, music, food and art.
7. SHOPPING
• The largest mall in the Carolina’s, Hanes Mall, is in Winston-Salem
8. MUSIC
• Alive After 5 – concert on Thursday nights
• The Fourth Street Jazz and Blues Series – Friday nights
• Summer on Trade – Variety of musical styles on Saturday night
• Fiesta! Hispanic/Latino community celebration
• Winston-Salem Symphony
• Piedmont Jazz and Blues Festival
• MerleFest is an annual celebration of Americana music with 13 stages and 81,500 attendees
9. THEATER / MOVIES
• RiverRun International Film Festival
• National Black Theater Festival – Founded in 1989, the first chairperson was Winston-Salem resident Maya Angelou. Attracting more than 50,000 people over its six-day run it includes theatrical performances, film, poetry, workshops and seminars.
• North Carolina Shakespeare Festival
• The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem
• Piedmont Opera Theatre
10. MUSEUMS
• SciWorks thrills children of all ages with interactive exhibits, a planetarium, and a 15-acre environmental park.
• Museum of Anthropology is the only museum in the Southeast that is dedicated to the study and elucidation of world cultures including the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
• Historic Bethabara Park
• Old Salem
• Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts
• Children’s Museum
Winston-Salem is obviously a very special city. It has 12 top 10 reasons that make it one of the most livable (and loveable) cities in the United States! |
11. ART
• South Eastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) presents some of the best contemporary art between New York and Miami in its 11,000 square feet of gallery space.
• Diggs Gallery
• Sawtooth Center for Visual Arts
• The Reynolda House Museum of American Art
• First Friday Gallery Hop on the first Friday of each month in the Downtown Arts District
• Delta Fine Arts
12. SURFING!
• There are fourteen 3-star surfing beaches within 4-6 hours of Winston-Salem