The North Carolina city of Winston-Salem is situated within the Piedmont Triad, that is an economic region that consists of the cities of High Point and Greensboro. The city of Winston-Salem serves as the seat of Forsyth County. Located approximately 100 miles west of the state capital, Raleigh, the city of Winston-Salem sits about 80 miles northeast of Charlotte. The city is serviced by U.S. Routes 421 and 52, State Highway 8 and Interstate I-40.
The town of Salem was established in the year 1766, initially serving as a congregational site for the Moravian church. The town rapidly grew into a center for entrepreneurial activity and trading. The adjacent Winston town was founded in 1849 and named in tribute to a local Revolutionary War hero, Joseph Winston. Both Winston and Salem became famous centers within the newly created Forsyth County, with booming enterprises in the furniture, textile and tobacco markets. By the late 1850s, the two towns were connected to form Winston-Salem. Amongst the world's largest tobacco firms, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, started in the city of Winston-Salem in 1874. Since that time, the Reynolds family has played an important part in the city's development. During the early twentieth century, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts opened its very first store in Winston-Salem and Piedmont Airlines established head office there.
Medical research is now a major business in Winston-Salem City. The city's largest employer is Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Other business headquarters situated in the city comprise Branch banking and Trust Company, TW Garner Food Company, Reynolda manufacturing Solutions, Hanes Brands Inc., Lowes Foods Stores, Southern Community Bank and ISP Sports. The city of Winston-Salem is part of the Piedmont Triad Research Park where numerous information technology and biomedical research and development facilities are situated. Finance and banking are important to the city's economy as well.
Winston-Salem has several post-secondary institutions, including Salem College, Wake Forrest university and Winston-Salem University.
The city of Winston-Salem is notable for establishing the vary first local arts council in the country during 1949. Therefore, and because of the number of art-related attractions, it is referred to as "City of the Arts." Winston-Salem City is home to Winston-Salem Alliance, Twin City Stage, the Piedmont Opera Theater, the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Stevens Center for the Performing Arts, the Sawtooth Center for Visual Arts and University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Art fans could visit many galleries within the art district of the city at Trade and Sixth streets. Each and every year, many tourists visit for the many excellent film and performance festivals, like for instance the heavy rebel Weekender Music Festival, the national Black Theater Festival, the RiverRun International Film Festival, the Revolve Film and Music Festival and the Reynolda Film Festival. The city's music scene is enlivened by its various music traditions and the presence of a grassroots art organization, the Carolina Music Ways. The Werehouse is the best place to check out the 'Indie' music and art scenes.