Salem, Oregon

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Salem (IPA: [ˈseɪ ləm̩]) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the 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. As of July 1, 2006 it had a population of 149,305,^[1] 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 territorial 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 and became Oregon's state capital with statehood two years later.

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, officially named the Oregon Pioneer.

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

State government is Salem's largest employer, but the city also serves as a hub for the area farming communities and is a major agricultural food processing center. 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.

Salem is the headquarters of the Oregon Department of Corrections and home to four state correctional facilities, including the Oregon State Penitentiary, Oregon's only maximum security prison.

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.

Greyhound Lines has a bus station at 450 Church St. NE, with North-South service, and connecting carrier service to Bend, Oregon.

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system has a station at 500 13th St. SE. The Coast Starlight provides daily north-south service to cities between Los Angeles, California and Seattle, Washington. Amtrak Cascades trains, operating as far north as Vancouver, British Columbia and as far south as Eugene, Oregon, serve Salem several times daily in both directions.

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). Beginning June 7, 2007, Delta Connection will be returning commercial air service to Salem with two flights a day. The airport is planning to perform terminal improvements using a preconstructed modular building.

Of course, we like to think the ultimate destination for your transportation needs would be Stayton Ford!

Neighborhoods

Salem has 19 established neighborhoods:

Central Area Croisan-Illahe East Lancaster Faye Wright Grant Highland Lansing

Morningside Northeast Northeast Salem Northgate North Lancaster South Central

Southeast Mill Creek South East Salem South Gateway South Salem Sunnyslope West Salem

Points of interest

In addition to the Oregon State Capitol building, and adjacent Willson Park, Salem's downtown contains the Mission Mill Museum, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, and the historic Elsinore Theatre. The tallest building in Salem, and the only one taller than the State Capitol building, is the First United Methodist Church. The current sanctuary was completed in 1878. Its tall white spire rises at the intersection of Church and State Streets across from the Capitol grounds.

Salem maintains 42 city parks. Minto-Brown Island Park is the largest at 898.9 acres. Bush's Pasture Park, a 90.5 acre urban park a few blocks south of downtown Salem, features natural groves of native Oregon White Oak trees. Riverfront Park, adjacent to downtown, runs along the Willamette River and is the home of the Salem Carousel. The A.C. Gilbert House, located near Riverfront Park, has a toy museum and "discovery house" for children. Salem is also home to one of the smallest city parks in the world, Waldo Park, which consists of a single Sequoia tree. (It used to be claimed that it was the smallest, but Mill Ends Park park in Portland is smaller.)

Because Salem is the state capital, it has a multitude of government agencies, departments and boards housed in buildings with architecture designs ranging from the early 20th century to examples of state-of-the-art civil building design.

Although the Willamette River flows through Salem, the North Santiam River Watershed is Salem's primary drinking water source.

The historic Reed Opera House in downtown Salem has a number of local shops and dining establishments, as well as an art gallery.

Salem has been awarded "Tree City USA" status by the National Arbor Day Foundation for 30 consecutive years for its dedication to urban forestry. Salem was the first city in Oregon to receive the award. In keeping with the city's "Cherry City" theme, flowering cherry trees have been planted along many Salem streets as well as on the Capitol Mall across from the Capitol.

The Salem Public Library's main branch is located near to (south of) downtown. A branch library is located in West Salem (Polk County). The Library participates in the Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library Service, so Salem Public Library cards are also valid in of the member libraries in Yamhill, Polk, Marion, and parts of Linn County.

Events

From May through October the Salem Saturday Market, located north of the Capitol, 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 in late summer. 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. The Elsinore Theatre is also a landmark featuring recitals, concerts, films, and plays.