Salem (Virginia)

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Salem
Salem VA downtown
Salem VA downtown
Location in Virginia
Salem (Virginia)
Salem
Salem
Basic data
Foundation : 1802
State : United States
State : Virginia
Coordinates : 37 ° 17 ′  N , 80 ° 3 ′  W Coordinates: 37 ° 17 ′  N , 80 ° 3 ′  W
Time zone : Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 )
Residents : 24,654 (as of 2005)
Population density : 652.2 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 37.8 km 2  (approx. 15 mi 2 ) of
which 37.8 km 2  (approx. 15 mi 2 ) are land
Height : 358.1 m
FIPS : 51-70000
GNIS ID : 1498533
Website : www.salemva.gov
Mayor : Howard C. Packett

Salem is an independent city in Virginia in the United States . It is located in the Shenandoah Valley between the Alleghany and the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Roanoke River. Preliminary estimates suggest that the city ​​on Interstate 81 had a population of 24,654 in 2006, with an average age of 39 years. The private Roanoke College is in the suburbs.

Salem operates its own water supply and disposal system and its own electricity network.

history

Native American traces date back to 8000 BC. At first the valley was only used as a transit station for hikes, later groups settled down here.

The first Europeans came to the area in the 1770s. The first settlement was Fort Lewis in 1752, west of today's Salems, which was founded in 1802. The exact origin of the name is not known, but it is believed that William Bryan, who was from Salem , New Jersey , gave her the name.

In the American Civil War Salem was attacked twice.

It officially became a city on December 31, 1967. With a population of 16,058 in 1960, it was the largest city in Virginia. All cities in Virginia have been independent cities since 1871 . So Salem does not belong to Botetourt County , but is completely surrounded by it.

Population development

year Residents *
1980 23,956
1990 23,756
2000 24,747
2005 24,654

* 1980–2000: census results; 2005: Update of the US Census Bureau

economy

The ten largest employers in 2018 were:

employer Workers
Veterans Administration Medical Center 1.915
Lewis-Gale Hospital 1,603
Yokohama Industries 760
Lewis-Gale Physicians 646
General Electric 545
City of Salem Schools 527
Roanoke College 467
City of Salem 460
US Foods 398
Carter Machinery 370

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report , at www.salemva.gov , accessed May 24, 2019