Welcome to West Salem ...
The village of West Salem is located in Edwards County<1>.
The pronunciation of West Salem: SAY-luhm<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of West Salem, you might consider that their post office opened in 1855.
A typical abbreviation for West Salem: W. Salem
From the Census Estimates for 2019, West Salem has a population of 851 people<3> (see below for details).
West Salem is 520 feet [158 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: West Salem lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Note: If you travel east from West Salem (for example, toward Decker (IN)), you will leave Central Time and cross into the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT).
The area code for West Salem: (618)
The ZIP code for West Salem: 62476<5>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, West Salem had an population of 851 people. This is a decrease of 5.13% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 14.99% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, West Salem had a population of 897 people (which is 13.35% of the total population of Edwards County). This makes West Salem the county's 2nd most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 897 people, the population of West Salem decreased 10.39% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 1,001 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for West Salem.
Communities Also Named West Salem ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 4 communities that are also named West Salem - they are located in North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Salem.
Communities near West Salem ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near West Salem.
- Olney
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olney
- Olney is located in Richland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,667 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olney <6>
- Mount Carmel
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Mount Carmel is located in Wabash County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,813 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Carmel <6>
- Sumner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sumner have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumner
- Sumner is located in Lawrence County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,961 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sumner <6>
- Albion
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albion have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Albion is located in Edwards County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,889 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albion <6>
- Bridgeport
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Bridgeport is located in Lawrence County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,677 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bridgeport <6>
- Grayville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grayville have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayville
- Grayville is located in White County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,543 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grayville <6>
- Noble
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noble have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble
- Noble is located in Richland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 643 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noble <6>
- Allendale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allendale
- Allendale is located in Wabash County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 463 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Allendale <6>
- Bellmont
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellmont have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellmont
- Bellmont is located in Wabash County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellmont <6>
- Bone Gap
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bone Gap
- Bone Gap is located in Edwards County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bone Gap <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around West Salem. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for West Salem.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of West Salem. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Salem.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around West Salem. Our list includes 6 papers. See our Newspapers Page for West Salem.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for West Salem ...
Looking for more information about West Salem? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to West Salem, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for West Salem.
Adding West Salem to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of West Salem in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for West Salem was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the West Salem post office opened in 1855.
We also found West Salem in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).
For more details, see References and Mentions for West Salem.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Salem. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Edwards, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for West Salem. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for West Salem. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around West Salem - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a village (such as West Salem). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether West Salem or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |