Salem, Oregon

Salem
State capital city
Downtown Salem Oregon State Capitol Willamette University Hallie Ford Museum of Art Riverfront Park
Flag Logo
Nickname:  Cherry City
Location within Marion County and Polk County in Oregon
Salem Location within the United States Show map of Oregon Salem Salem (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 44°55′23″N 123°01′28″W / 44.92306°N 123.02444°W / 44.92306; -123.02444
Country	United States
State	Oregon
Counties	Marion and Polk
Founded	1842; 182 years ago (1842)
Government
• Type	City Council – City Manager
• Mayor	Chris Hoy (D)
• City Manager	Keith Stahley[1]
Area [2]
• City	49.45 sq mi (128.08 km2)
• Land	48.91 sq mi (126.67 km2)
• Water	0.55 sq mi (1.41 km2)
Elevation [3]	177 ft (54 m)
Population  (2020)[5]
• City	175,535
• Rank	US: 147th
• Density	3,589.09/sq mi (1,385.74/km2)
• Urban	268,331 (US: 152nd)[4]
• Urban density	3,691.8/sq mi (1,425.4/km2)
• Metro	433,353 (US: 125th)
Demonym	Salemite[6][7]
Time zone	UTC−8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP Codes	97301–97306 and 97308–97314
Area codes	503 and 971
FIPS code	41-64900
GNIS feature ID	2411764[3]
Website	cityofsalem.net

Salem (/ˈseɪləm/ SAY-ləm) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood of West Salem is in Polk County. Salem was founded in 1842, became the capital of the Oregon Territory in 1851, and was incorporated in 1857.

Salem had a population of 175,535 at the 2020 census,^[8] making it the 3rd most populous city in the state after Portland and Eugene. Salem is the principal city of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan area that covers Marion and Polk counties^[9] and had a combined population of 433,353 at the 2020 census.^[10] This area is, in turn, part of the Portland–Vancouver–Salem Combined Statistical Area.

The city is home to Willamette University, Corban University, and Chemeketa Community College. The State of Oregon is the largest public employer in the city, and Salem Health is the largest private employer. Transportation includes public transit from Cherriots (legally known as Salem Area Mass Transit District), Amtrak service, as well as limited commercial and non-commercial air travel at McNary Field.^[11] Major roads include Interstate 5, Oregon Route 99E, and Oregon Route 22, which connects West Salem across the Willamette River via the Marion Street and Center Street bridges.