Salem

Salem is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,346. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. Salem is home to the Salem Red Sox, a Class-A affiliate to the Boston Red Sox. The city hosts several Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including Salem High School, which has won ten state championships since 1996. The Salem Flying Artillery is said to have fired the last Confederate shot at Appomattox Court House prior to Robert E. Lee's surrender. Salem was attacked twice by the Union Army during the American Civil War, but its Salem FlyingArtillery is believed to have been the last shot fired before Lee surrendered. Salem became a city on December 31, 1967, to avoid the possibility of annexation into the city ofRoanoke. In 1847, the Virginia Institute, a boy's preparatory school, moved to Salem from Staunton. It received a college charter in 1853 and was renamed Roanke College for the Roanokes Valley. The college is located in central Salem, one block north of Main Street. The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the NCAA Division III Football Championship game was held at Salem Football Stadium between 1993 and 2016. Salem's success in holding that event led the NCAA to also move the NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship and the Women's NCAA Division Three Volleyball Championship to Moyer Field.

History

Salem is home to the Salem Red Sox, a Class-A affiliate to the Boston Red Sox. The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the NCAA Division III Football Championship game was held at Salem Football Stadium between 1993 and 2016. Salem was attacked twice by the Union Army during the American Civil War, but its Salem Flying Artillery is said to have fired the last Confederate shot at Appomattox Court House prior to Robert E. Lee's surrender. Salem annexed South Salem in 1953 and also an eastern tract in 1960, giving it a population of 16,058 making it Virginia's largest town at the time. Salem officially became a city on December 31, 1967, to avoid the possibility of annexation into the city of Roanoke. It is not known why the town was named Salem; the most widely accepted explanation is that it was named to honor William Bryan, a prominent citizen, who had moved from Salem, New Jersey. In 1847, the Virginia Institute, a boy's preparatory school, moved to Salem from Staunton. It received a college charter in 1853 and was renamedRoanoke College for the Roanokes Valley. The college is located in central Salem, one block north of Main Street. Salem High School, is also known for its athletic programs, particularly the football team which has won ten state championships since 1996, and also the forensics team, which has winning fourteen consecutive state championships. The city hosts several statewide, regional, and national sporting events at its facilities.

Geography

Salem is located at 37°1712N 80°321W (37.286895, -80.055836).According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.5 square miles (37.6 km²) of which 14.4 square miles is land and 0.3 km² (0.7%) is water. The city is home to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, which was founded in 1883. The University of South Carolina at Asheville was founded on the campus of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1894. The campus is located in the historic downtown area of Greensboro. It is located on the North Carolina Turnpike, which is a main highway through the city. The town's name is derived from the town's former name, "Salem", which means "salvation" or "salvage" in English. It was named after the town of Salem, North Carolina, where the city's first settlers arrived in the early 19th century. It has a population of 2,000, with the majority of its residents living in and around the downtown area. In the city, there are about 1,000 homes, most of which were built in the 1800s and early 1900s. It also has one of the largest concentrations of African-American residents in the United States, at 1,500 people per square mile (1,500 per square kilometer).

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 24,747 people, 9,954 households, and 6,539 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 91.88% White, 5.88%, African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0,02% Pacific Islander, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population. The median income for a household in theCity was $38,997, and the median income. for a family was $47,174. About 4.3% of families and 6.7% of. the city's population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 8.1% ofThose age 65 or over. The city's median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females, there. were 89.3 males. There were 10,403 housing units at an average density of 713.1 per square mile (275.3/km²). The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was2.84. The population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 11.7%. from 18 to 24, 26.7. from 25 to 44, 24.0%. from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older.

Government

Salem is governed by a five-member council. The council elects a Mayor and Vice Mayor from within itself. The members of council are Mayor Renée Ferris Turk, Vice Mayor James Jim Wallace III, Byron Randy Foley, William Bill Jones, and John Saunders. Day-to-day operations are run by the City Manager, James Jay Taliaferro.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Salem, Salem City, Virginia = 54.1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 80. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 39. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Salem = 4.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 25,346 individuals with a median age of 39.8 age the population grows by 2.34% in Salem, Salem City, Virginia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,700 residents per square mile of area (670/km²). There are average 2.29 people per household in the 10,201 households with an average household income of $48,300 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.30% of the available work force and has dropped -3.02% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 27.66%. The number of physicians in Salem per 100,000 population = 569.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Salem = 40.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 23.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 118. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 210. 87 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 27 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 50, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Salem, Salem City, Virginia which are owned by the occupant = 64.66%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 40 years with median home cost = $162,060 and home appreciation of -4.38%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $9.47 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,704 per student. There are 13.4 students for each teacher in the school, 284 students for each Librarian and 234 students for each Counselor. 6.62% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.04% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.70% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).