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Salem (IPA: ) is the capital of the state of Oregon in the United States of America, and county seat of Marion County. The district of West Salem lies in Polk County. It is located in the mid-Willamette Valley, between Portland and Eugene, in one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. As of July 1, 2005 * it had a population of 147,250, with a metro area population of nearly 400,000, making it the second largest city, and second largest metropolitan area in Oregon (after Portland). "Salem" is derived from the Hebrew word "Shalom", and the Arabic word "Salam" both meaning "peace". Historically, Salem has been nicknamed the "Cherry City", because of the importance of the local cherry growing industry *.
History The Native American name for the area was Chemeketa, which means "meeting or resting place". The name "Chemeketa" is preserved as the name of the local community college. The first European settlement in the area was the Jason Lee mission in 1840. In 1842, the missionaries established the Oregon Institute (the forerunner of Willamette University) in the area that was to become the first townsite of Salem. In 1844, the mission was dissolved and the townsite established. According to Oregon Geographic Names, it is uncertain who chose the name for the town, but it is believed to be one of two people: Trustee David Leslie from Salem, Massachusetts, or W. H. Willson who in 1850-1851 filed the plats for the main part of the city. In 1851, Salem became the state capital after it was moved from Oregon City. The capital was moved briefly to Corvallis in 1855, but was moved back to Salem permanently that same year. A two-story state house, which had been occupied for only two months, burned to the ground in December of 1855. Salem was incorporated as a city in 1857. Oregon's second capitol building was completed in 1876 on the site of the original. The Greek revival-style building was based in part on the U.S. Capitol building. The building received its distinctive copper dome in 1893. Tragically, fire claimed the second Oregon capitol building on April 25, 1935. The third and current Oregon State Capitol was completed on the same site in 1938. It is recognizable by its distinctive gold-plated pioneer statue atop the capitol dome. The first cherry festival in Salem was held in 1903. In the following decades, the event briefly became an annual event, with parades and the election of a cherry queen, but was disbanded after World War I. It was revived briefly as the Salem Cherryland Festival for several years in the late 1940s. * Economy The city's focus is primarily governmental, but it serves as a hub for the area farming communities and is one of the largest centers of food processing in the nation. It lies along the I-5 corridor and is within an hour's drive of Oregon's largest city, Portland. In a bid to diversify its economic base, Salem attracted a number of computer-related manufacturing plants in the 1990s. In November 2003, the Sumitomo Mitsubishi Silicon Group (SUMCO), one of these arrivals, announced it would be closing its two silicon wafer plants at the end of 2004, eliminating 620 jobs, and moving production to other plants. * In June 2006, SUMCO announced that its last facility in the city, a technology center, would close by the end of the year. * The top private employer in Salem is the Salem Hospital with over 2,700 employees. Others include the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde's Spirit Mountain Casino west of Salem, the T-Mobile Calling Center, GE Security (Formerly Supra Products Inc.), Norpac Foods Inc. and Roth's Family Markets. The largest public employer in Salem is the Department of Human Services which employs over 4,000 people. Condominium projects Numerous projects are underway to increase the supply of housing in the downtown core. These projects will provide upscale, low and high rise condominium and office space. Transportation Salem-Keizer Transit ("Cherriots"), an independent government agency, * provides fixed route bus service, rideshare matching, and paratransit/lift services for the disabled, within the urban growth boundary. Cherriots' fixed bus routes radiate from the R.G. Andersen-Wyckoff Transit Mall at Courthouse Square downtown between High and Church Streets, or the West Salem Transfer Station between Glen Creek and Taybin Roads. Bus 25 links the two stations *. Greyhound Lines has a bus station at 450 Church St. NE *, with North-South service, and connecting carrier service to Bend, Oregon. Amtrak has a train station at 500 13th St. SE *, with North-South service via the Cascades and Coast Starlight trains, and Thruway bus service that also serves the Greyhound station. HUT Airport Shuttle * provides transportation from 3301 Market St. NE to Portland International Airport. HUT also serves Corvallis with a second stop at Oregon State University, Albany, and Woodburn. McNary Field (Salem Municipal Airport) is owned and operated by the City of Salem. It serves primarily private aviation and the Oregon Army National Guard - Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF). Geography Salem is located at (44.931109, -123.029159). The 45th Parallel (halfway between the North Pole and the Equator) passes through Salem's city limits. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 120.1 km² (46.4 mi²). 118.4 km² (45.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (1.35%) is water. Neighborhoods Salem has 19 established neighborhoods: * Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 136,924 people, 50,676 households, and 32,331 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,156.1/km² (2,994.0/mi²). There were 53,817 housing units at an average density of 454.4/km² (1,176.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.07% White, 1.28% African American, 1.51% Native American, 2.41% Asian, 0.47% Pacific Islander, 7.90% from other races, and 3.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.59% of the population. There were 50,676 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.10. In the city, the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $38,881, and the median income for a family was $46,409. Males had a median income of $34,746 versus $26,789 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,141. About 10.5% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over. Points of interest
Events From May through October, Salem hosts a Saturday Market. Located north of the Capitol, the market exhibits an emphasis on local products including crafts, baked goods, produce, meat, and other items. * In addition to the Saturday Market, there is a Wednesday Farmers' Market hosted downtown in Courthouse Square during the summer, as well a Holiday Gift Market in December. The annual World Beat Festival *, held in June, is sponsored by the nonprofit Salem Multicultural Institute. The event lasts for two days and is held at the Riverfront Park. It features international crafts, music, dance, food, and folklore from every continent, and in recent years has held a Dragon Boat race similar to the ones held during the Rose Festival in Portland. The Salem Art Association * sponsors the annual Salem Art Fair & Festival, which takes place at Bush's Pasture Park during the summer. Its displays, interactive exhibits, food, and performances attract thousands of visitors each year, making it the largest juried art festival of its kind in the state. The Bite of Salem, held in July at the Riverfront Park, is an event similar to others such as the Bite of Oregon in Portland. The event consists of a weekend of local restaurants in Salem offering samples of their menus to patrons in a festival atmosphere, with live entertainment and benefiting local charities. The Oregon Symphony, based in Portland, presents approximately ten classical and pops concerts each year in Salem *. The Salem Chamber Orchestra * includes professional area musicians as well as students. The Salem Armory Auditorium * * has hosted touring bands including Korn and Phish. The Salem Stampede of the International Basketball League play their home games at the Armory. The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a minor league baseball team, play their home games in the city of Keizer, which adjoins Salem on the north. The largest event in Salem is the Oregon State Fair * at the end of Summer (August 25 to September 4 in 2006). Located in the Oregon State Fairgrounds in North Salem, the fair offers the usual exhibits, competitions and carnival atmosphere of a traditional state fair in addition to big-ticket concerts. Other events such as concerts, horse shows and rodeos take place at the Oregon State Fair and Expo Center * throughout the year. The Salem Repertory Theatre * presents shows at the Reed Opera House. Pentacle Theatre is located in West Salem. * Public Salem-Keizer Public Schools comprise the following: High schools Middle schools Charter schools Elementary schools There are 45 neighborhood elementary schools and several alternative and online high school programs (Roberts, and SK Online) Alternative schools Private Colleges and universities Media Sister cities Salem has four sister cities. According to *, only the Japanese exchange program is currently active: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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