Best Web Design in Winston-Salem, NC (2026)

Web Design for Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston-Salem is a Piedmont Triad city born from the 1913 merger of Moravian Salem and the industrial town of Winston, and it grew rich on tobacco and textiles as the home of R.J. Reynolds and Hanes. Today it markets itself as the 'City of Arts and Innovation,' pivoting from cigarettes to health care, biotech research, and a nationally recognized arts scene while keeping its Moravian roots on display at Old Salem.

AppWT works with Winston-Salem, NC businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Winston-Salem

Also known as. Twin City. Camel City. City of Arts and Innovation. The Dash City.

History. Salem was founded in 1766 by members of the Moravian Church; the first Moravian settlers had arrived in the Wachovia tract in 1753. The town of Winston was established in 1849 as the Forsyth County seat and renamed in 1851 for Revolutionary War hero Joseph Winston. Winston and Salem officially consolidated into Winston-Salem in 1913. By the 1920 census Winston-Salem was the largest city in North Carolina, with 48,395 residents. R.J. Reynolds founded R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1875; it introduced Prince Albert pipe tobacco in 1907 and Camel cigarettes in 1913. Despite being about 200 miles inland, the city became a designated federal port of entry (by 1916) because Reynolds imported so much tobacco and cigarette paper.

Local economy. Historically dominated by tobacco (R.J. Reynolds) and textiles (Hanes), which together employed roughly 60% of the city's workforce by the 1940s. Reynolds tobacco employment fell from around 16,000 jobs to a few thousand as the industry declined, prompting a pivot to health care and research. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist is the largest employer (roughly 11,750 workers), followed by Novant Health. Other major employers and companies include Reynolds American, HanesBrands, Wells Fargo, and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Home to the Innovation Quarter (formerly Piedmont Triad Research Park), one of the largest urban research parks in the country, focused on biomedical and technology firms. Wachovia Bank, founded here in 1879/1911, was a major financial institution before being acquired by First Union (2001) and then Wells Fargo (2009).

Culture and community. The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, founded in 1949, was the first arts council in the United States. Hosts the National Black Theatre Festival, a major biennial gathering of Black theater artists. The RiverRun International Film Festival is a prominent annual film event. The Carolina Classic Fair (formerly the Dixie Classic Fair) draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Food heritage includes Moravian sugar cookies and thin spice cookies (baked here since the 1700s), Texas Pete hot sauce (introduced 1929 by T.W. Garner Foods), and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Home to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, plus Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University, and Salem College.

What makes Winston-Salem distinct. The city is nicknamed the 'Camel City' after Reynolds' Camel cigarettes, not after any actual camels. Each Advent season a giant Moravian star (roughly 31 feet) is hung on the side of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center tower, among the largest such stars in the world. Winston-Salem was a federal port of entry despite sitting about 200 miles from the ocean. Krispy Kreme, now sold nationwide, started as a single Winston-Salem doughnut shop in 1937. Texas Pete hot sauce, despite the name, is made in North Carolina, not Texas.

Winston-Salem is the county seat of Forsyth County and one of North Carolina's largest cities, known as the Twin City for the 1913 merger of Winston and Salem

Winston-Salem Landmarks and Local Life

• Old Salem Museums & Gardens - Restored 1766 Moravian settlement and open-air living-history museum
• Reynolda House Museum of American Art - American art museum in the former R.J. Reynolds estate northwest of downtown
• Historic Bethabara Park - Site of the first Moravian settlement in North Carolina, founded 1753
• Tanglewood Park - Large county park on the Yadkin River with golf, gardens and the annual Festival of Lights
• Salem Lake - City reservoir with a roughly seven-mile trail for hiking, biking and fishing

Winston-Salem at a Glance

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.

• Median household income: About $57,673
• Adults with a bachelor degree or higher: About 37.2%
• Housing: About 54.6% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied
• Housing: Roughly 61.3% of housing units are single-family detached homes