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Salem is the capital of the state of Oregon in the United States of America, and county seat of Marion County. Part of the city is also in Polk County. It is located in the mid-Willamette Valley, between Portland and Eugene, in one of the ... more »
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Neighborhood Salem is the capital of the state of Oregon in the United States of America, and county seat of Marion County. Part of the city is also 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, making it the second largest city in Oregon (after Portland).
"Salem" is derived from the Arabic word "Salam" and the Hebrew word "Shalom", both meaning "peace". Historically, Salem has been nicknamed the "Cherry City", because of the importance of the local cherry growing industry.
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In addition to the Oregon State Capitol building, Salem is the home of Willamette University, the Mission Mill Museum, the historic Elsinore Theatre, and the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a minor league baseball team.
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.)
The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) operates Chemawa Indian School, a Native American boarding school near Salem.
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 along the western side of 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. It also includes an art gallery, and the Salem Repertory Theatre presents shows in its Cyrus Reed Ballroom.
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, Chemeketa 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.
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