About Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem, also known as the City of Arts and Innovation, has a population of more than 300,000 and is located in Forsyth County, NC.

Regional Information

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.

A Place of Higher Learning

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.

Educational Information:

A City of the Arts

The first local Arts Council in America was chartered here in 1948. A city long noted for the arts, Winston-Salem offers residents and visitors many venues from which to choose, from traditional museums and galleries to the Downtown Arts District Association’s (DADA) Gallery Hop on the first Friday of every month, as well as the annual performances of the Nutcracker at the Roger L. Stevens Center for the Performing Arts produced by UNCSA.

The Winston-Salem Symphony is one of the most accomplished local professional symphonies in the nation, and the community abounds with high-quality music, theater and dance performances. The city is also home to Piedmont Craftsmen, a guild of the most talented artisans in the Southeast.

Social and Cultural Information

A Place to Play

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 2 blocks from the Medical Center, has the city's largest tennis complex and a paved track and playing fields.

Located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Winston-Salem is close to national parks and plenty of hiking and camping areas.

Sporting Information:

A Place to Grow Your Businesses

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.

Today, medical care and biomedical research are the leading employers in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, with a total workforce approaching 25,000.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is the largest employer in the Piedmont Triad (a 12-county region encompassing Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point).

The burgeoning Wake Forest Innovation Quarter in downtown Winston-Salem, covers about 200 acres, and, at maturity in 20-25 years, is expected to include up to 5 million square feet of laboratory, office, and mixed-use space and provide up to 30,000 new jobs for the region.

Business Information

A Place of History

Salem, founded by the Moravians in 1766, was one of the earliest planned communities in the colonies. The early Moravians, a protestant denomination from Germany, believed in hard work and 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 2 communities voted to merge in 1913, creating the Twin City of Winston-Salem.

Today Old Salem, the restored town of Salem, contains historical 18th-century buildings and the nation’s largest museum of furniture and early Southern decorative art. Old Salem attracts thousands of visitors and tourists annually from near and far.