Winston-Salem

City in northern central North Carolina, USA, 220 km/140 mi northeast of Charlotte; population (1996 est) 153,500. It developed as the commercial and processing centre of a fertile tobacco-growing region, and the manufacture of cigarettes and flat plug tobacco remains a major industry. Medical equipment, textiles, clothing, and furniture are also produced. It was created in 1913 from two towns: Winston (established in 1849) and Salem (laid out in 1766), and is now the second-largest city in the state.

Salem was settled by Moravian colonists in 1753, and planned in 1766. Its name derives from the Hebrew shalom, meaning ‘peace’. Nearby Winston was named after Joseph Winston, an American military leader in the War of Independence.

Educational institutions include Salem College (1772), Wake Forest University (1834), Winston-Salem State University (1892), and the Bowman Gray School of Medicine. Historic Bethabara is a restoration of Salem's earliest Moravian community. The city is also home to the annual National Black Theatre Festival established in 1989.