Two towns became one here in 1913, Moravian Salem, settled in 1766, and tobacco-era Winston. That history is why the place is still called the Twin City, and why Old Salem, a restored Moravian village, is the top visitor stop. Reynolda House and its gardens, the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts and SECCA cover the art side.
About 257,000 people live in the city, with a metro above 700,000. Day to day it feels calm and easy. Downtown has an Arts District, the Innovation Quarter reuses old factory space, and Yadkin Valley wineries are just outside town. Greensboro is about 30 miles away and Charlotte about 85. Living costs run a bit below the national average and housing is reasonable, though prices have been rising. Violent crime is above average in parts of the northeast and east, with police reporting declines in 2024, and car break-ins are the common visitor problem. Summers are hot and humid, and ice storms occasionally hit in winter.
Cities with a similar character, anywhere on the site.
Out of 10. Open any score to see how it’s worked out. “Data-based” scores come from published figures; “Hey! En Route estimate” scores are worked out from what we know about the city; “Hey! En Route rating” scores were set by our editors.
- Known as
- Twin City; Camel City; The Dash; W-S; The 336; City of Arts and Innovation
- Founded
- 1766 Salem settled by Moravians; 1849 Winston founded; 1913 cities merged
- Languages
- English; Spanish (about 18 percent Hispanic population); some Vietnamese, Hmong and other languages
- Airports
- Piedmont Triad International (GSO) in Greensboro about 30 miles east, main commercial airport with 10+ US destinations; Smith Reynolds Airport (INT) in the city for general aviation and charter only; Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) about 85 miles south; Raleigh-Durham (RDU) about 90 miles east
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20% for table service; bars $1-2 per drink; rideshare and taxi 15-20%; hotel housekeeping $3-5 per night; bellhop $1-2 per bag; valet $2-5; salon and spa 18-20%; brewery tap rooms tip on bar tabs or $1 per beer
