Welcome to Salem ...
The city of Salem is located in Harrison County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Salem, you might consider that their post office opened in 1884.
When the people of Salem refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Salemite<2>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Salem has a population of 1,525 people<3> (see below for details).
Salem is 1,180 feet [360 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Salem lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area codes for Salem: (304) & (681)<5>
The ZIP code for Salem: 26426<6>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Salem had an population of 1,525 people. This is a decrease of 3.85% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 23.98% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Salem had a population of 1,586 people. This makes Salem the county's 6th most populous community.
The population of Salem represents 0.09% of the total population of West Virginia (which has 1,852,994 people), making it the state's 73rd most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 1,586 people, the population of Salem decreased 20.94% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 2,006 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Salem.
Communities Also Named Salem ...
While we believe that this Salem is located in Harrison County, we know of another 2 West Virginia communities named Salem. Those communities are located in the following counties: Fayette and Preston County.
Beyond West Virginia, there are 122 communities that are also named Salem - they are located in Alabama (4), Arkansas (5), Connecticut, Florida, Georgia (8), Idaho, Illinois (2), Indiana (4), Iowa, Kansas (7), Kentucky (4), Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan (2), Mississippi (6), Missouri (4), Montana, Nebraska, New Brunswick (2), New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina (8), Nova Scotia, Ohio (7), Oklahoma (3), Ontario (6), Oregon, Pennsylvania (4), South Carolina (4), South Dakota, Tennessee (7), Texas (8), Utah, Virginia (5), Wisconsin (2) and Wyoming.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Salem.
Communities near Salem ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Salem.
- Clarksburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksburg
- Clarksburg is located in Harrison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,424 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarksburg <7>
- Bridgeport
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bridgeport have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Bridgeport is located in Harrison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,782 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bridgeport <7>
- Weston
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weston have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Weston is located in Lewis County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,797 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weston <7>
- Shinnston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shinnston
- Shinnston is located in Harrison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,096 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shinnston <7>
- Stonewood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east) - Nutter Fort
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nutter Fort have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutter Fort
- Nutter Fort is located in Harrison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,501 people
- Lumberport
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumberport
- Lumberport is located in Harrison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 835 people
- West Union
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Union have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
- West Union is located in Doddridge County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Union <7>
- Anmoore
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anmoore have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anmoore
- Anmoore is located in Harrison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 732 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anmoore <7>
- West Milford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milford
- West Milford is located in Harrison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 609 people
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 Salem. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Salem.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of 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 Salem.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Salem. See our Newspapers Page for Salem.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Salem ...
Looking for more information about 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.
In addition to the Tourism page for Salem, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Salem.
Adding Salem to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of 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 Salem was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<9>
From that list, the Salem post office opened in 1884.
We also found Salem in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Salem.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Salem. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Harrison County: www.harrisoncountywv.com/
The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of West Virginia's counties, including Harrison, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Salem refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a city's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Salem may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Salem. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Salem - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | Area code (681) is an overlay for area code (304). |
| <6> | 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 city (such as Salem). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Salem or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <8> | 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. |
| <9> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |