Winston Salem, NC
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Winston-Salem is a city in the county seat of Forsyth County, located in North Carolina, U.S.A. With an estimated population of 236,441, it is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and the fourth largest city in the State of NC.
Over the years, Winston-Salem has remained true to its independent roots. This city has been called the "Twin City" for its dual heritage and the "City of the Arts and Innovation" for its dedication to fine arts and theater and technological research. Another is "Camel City" which is a reference to the city's historic involvement with the tobacco industry. Here is where the locally based R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's popular Camel cigarettes. Also, Winston-Salem is quite well known for its traditional furniture industry. In informal speech, many locals refer to the city as "Winston" and "The Dash".
In 2010, the city was listed among the 10 best places to retire in the U.S. by CBS MoneyWatch.
Winston-Salem enjoys the four subtle yet distinct seasons. It also has a humid subtropical climate characterized by cool, sometimes moderately cold winters, and hot, humid summers. During the summer, days are sunny with an average high temperature ranging from 85°F - 87°F (29°C - 31°C), and an average low temperature ranging from 63°F - 66°F (17°C - 19°C). When fall comes, the warm days gently transition into cool evenings with an average high temperature ranging from 60°F - 81°F (15°C - 27°C), and an average low temperature ranging from 36°F - 59°F (2°C - 15°C). In winter, temperatures may vary but the average high temperature is ranging from 49°F - 52°F (9°C - 11°C) and an average low temperature ranging from 28°F - 30°F (-1°C - -0°C). The moment spring arrives, the cool mornings transition to warm days with an average high temperature ranging from 60°F - 78°F (15°C - 26°C), and an average low temperature ranging from 37°F - 59°F (3°C - 12°C).
The city of Winston-Salem is a product of the merging of two neighboring towns Winston and Salem in the year 1913. This merging first began long ago in January of 1753. The Moravians were a devout, religious group that were originally from Eastern Europe and these people were attracted to the fertile soil, abundant water, and temperate climate in the central portion of North Carolina. Bishop August Gottlieb Spangernberg, on behalf of the Moravian Church, chose three forks of the area of Muddy Creek as a settlement site. The Moravians then settled on more than 100,000 pristine acres in the settlement area and called their new home the Wachovian Tract.
The town established on the site was given the name of Salem which was from a Hebrew word shalom that meant "peace". On the 6th of January, 1766, the first tree was felled for the buildings of Salem. The handiwork of the Moravians then established what would become another hallmark of the city that had survived to this day. The pioneering of their works as fine craftsmen and artisans of various arts such as pottery, tannery, iron works, cloth and furniture making, made it possible for Salem to become a thriving, sought-after trade center. The manufacturing prowess of the town then played a prominent role as the supplier during the American Revolution and the American Civil War.
In the year 1849, the Salem congregation sold the land north of Salem to the newly-formed Forsyth County for a county seat. Although the new town was called "the country town" or Salem, in 1851, the place was renamed as Winston which was in honor of the local, prominent hero in the Revolutionary War, Major Joseph Winston. During the first two decades of town, Winston was simply a sleepy country town. However, in the year 1868, work began with the business leaders of both Salem and Winston that aimed to connect the town to the North Carolina Railroad. During that same year, Thomas Jethro Brown of Davie Country established the first tobacco warehouse in Winston. Pleasant Henderson Hanes then built his first tobacco factory just a few feet away from Brown's warehouse. By the year 1875, Richard Joshua Reynolds of Patrick Country, Virginia, built his first tobacco factory a few hundred feet away from Hanes' factory. Soon enough, the building of one factory was followed by another until such time that by the 1880's, there were almost 40 tobacco factories in the town of Winston. Rivalry ensued between the Hanes and Reynolds and they competed fiercely for the next 25 years, absorbing a number of the smaller manufacturers in the process, until Hanes finally sold out to Reynolds in 1900 to begin a new business involving textiles.
In the 1880's, the United States Post Office began to refer to the two towns as Winston-Salem. Nearly a decade later, the United States Post Station Department established the Winston-Salem post office in Winston, with the former office in Salem serving as a branch in the year 1899. By 1914, the towns were officially incorporated as "Winston-Salem".
Uniting these two towns has paved the way for Winston-Salem to efficiently pool their resources and bureaucracy. This united spirit remains to the present with the emerging economies of finance, medicine and technology.
Along with the rise of banking in the 1980s and '90s, Winston-Salem experienced a tremendous increase in their medicine and health care assets. Winston-Salem is home to two regional medical facilities, namely Forsyth Medical Center and Wake Forest Baptist Health. These hospitals have large, diversified medical service corporations that include community hospitals, health-maintenance organizations, physician practices and outpatient and diagnostic clinics. The agents of WNC Health Insurance / The Asheville Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina® Store are well-trained and experienced agents. This health insurance agency offers free health insurance quotes, and a variety of individual, family and group health insurance plans. The agents know how to best match those health insurance plans with the coverage needs and budget constraints of each and every customer.
The early successes of the industrial center brought wealth to the community that fueled the fire for other successful businesses to start-up. Among them were the Piedmont Airlines (now US Airways), Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation, T.W. Garner Food company (makers of Texas Pete hot sauce) and Goody's headache powders.
Winston-Salem also prides itself with the 6 colleges and universities available in the city:
- Forsyth Technical Community College which was founded in the year 1960. Forsyth Tech offers over 190 programs of study that leads to associates degrees, certificates, or diplomas.
- Piedmont International University which was founded in 1945. The university offers more than 20 degree and certificate programs at the undergraduate level as well as two master-level programs and a Ph.D. degree. Courses in Bible, Christian Ministries and Teacher Education are offered in traditional classroom settings and online.
- Salem College which was founded in 1772, which is also the oldest educational institution for women in the country. Salem College offers undergraduate degrees for women; co-educational graduate-degree programs in education and programs for men and women ages 23 and older via the Martha H. Fleer Center for Adult Education.
- University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) was founded in 1963, formerly known as North Caroline School of the Arts, is the first state-supported conservatory dedicated to providing focused training programs for the whole artist. UNCSA offers high school, undergraduate and graduate programs for talented students in dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music. UNCSA also presents public performances throughout the year highlighting the talents of its students, faculty, and special guest artists.
- Wake Forest University was founded in 1834 and this private university serves approximately 7,000 students on the Reynolda campus, offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in many disciplines. The University has professional schools in divinity, law, management, and medicine. Wake Forest University affiliates include the Baptist Health, Wake Forest Innovation Quarter (Winston-Salem Research Park), Reynolda Gardens, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Reynolda Village, Graylyn Conference Center and 88.5 WFDD radio.
- Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina and is also a public university founded in the year 1892. WSSU is a historically black university that today is a regional institution offering baccalaureate and graduate programs to a diverse student population.
Winston-Salem continues its aim to build a much more diverse business base, including leading in the research of nanotechnology, finance, manufacturing again in order to reaffirm its time-honored tradition of forging boldly into the future. So regardless of where your historical research of Winston-Salem's roots may begin – you will easily discover a central theme that embraces and even rewards its explorers and entrepreneurial spirit. What started at their very roots remains ever true to their core today -- Winston-Salem, the city of arts and innovation.
