The Winston-Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area, commonly known as part of the Piedmont Triad, is located in the North-Central portion of North Carolina. The city itself is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and the fourth largest city in the state.

Winston-Salem is called the "Twin City" for its dual heritage and "City of the Arts and Innovation" for its dedication to fine arts and theater and technological research.

Although the economy of the Winston-Salem metro area and that of the surrounding Piedmont Triad has traditionally been centered around the textile, tobacco, and furniture industries, many of the old industries in the area began to die out. In response, Winston-Salem is transforming itself to be a leader in the nanotech, high-tech and bio-tech fields. Medical research is a fast-growing local industry. A portion of downtown Winston-Salem has been designated as the Piedmont Triad Research Park, a highly interactive, master-planned innovation community developed to support biomedical and information technology research and development.

Total Population: 659,330

(An increase of 2.92 % in the past 5 years.)

Census Data

• Foreign Born - 44,727
• Language Spoken at Home - 65,613

[Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Foreign Born and Language Spoken at Home]

Quick Facts

• Many locals refer to the city as "Winston" in informal speech. "The Dash" is referenced from the hyphen between Winston and Salem and was popularized by the nickname of the local minor league baseball team, the Winston-Salem Dash.


• The Triad occupies a prominent place in the history of the American Civil Rights Movement.


• In 2012, the city was listed among the 10 best places to retire in the U.S. by CBS MoneyWatch.


• The area is served by Piedmont Triad International Airport.


• Salem Square and "God's Acre", the Moravian Graveyard, since 1772 are the site each Easter morning of the world-famous Moravian sunrise service, which attracts thousands of worshipers each year.


• A popular destination for those relocating from the Americas, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia.


• Winston-Salem maintains a "sister city" relationship with five cities around the world (Ungheni, Moldova; Kumasi, Ghana; Nassau, Bahamas; Shanghai, China; Buchanan, Liberia) in order to foster international friendship and cooperation.