Salem, OR

Salem is a city in the northwestern section of Oregon in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.http://www.travelmath.com/city/Salem,+OR It is the third-largest city in Oregon behind Portland and Eugene and is the capital of the state.http://web.oregon.com/towns/population_alpha.cfm It is also the seat of Marion County, although part of the city is in Polk County.http://www.naco.org/counties/pages/naco_findacounty.aspxhttp://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/41/4164900.html

The Salem region was first home to the Kalapuya Native American tribe, hunters and gathers who lived along the Willamette River.http://www.salemhistory.net/brief_history/brief_history.htm The first European settlers were employees of fur trading companies who set up housing near the Willamette River at Astoria.http://www.salemhistory.net/brief_history/brief_history.htm

State, county and local government is the largest source of employment in Salem, with the city having more than 40,000 jobs in the government sector. http://www.cityofsalem.net/Pages/CommunityProfile.aspx Willamette University is also located in Salem.http://www.cityofsalem.net/Pages/AboutSalem.aspx The school was founded in 1842 and is the oldest university on the West Coast. http://www.salemhistory.net/brief_history/brief_history.htm

The first American settlement of Salem came in 1840 and 1841, when Methodist missionary Jason Lee moved his mission from a site upstream along the Willamette River to a location Mill Creek in what is now downtown Salem.http://www.oregonlink.com/about_salem.htmlhttp://www.salemhistory.net/brief_history/brief_history.htm Voters in Oregon named Salem the state’s capital in 1864, five years after the state was voted into the United States.http://www.salemhistory.net/brief_history/brief_history.htm The statehouse was destroyed twice by fire: once in 1855 and a second time in 1935. http://www.leg.state.or.us/html_tour/capitol.htm

The arrival of the steamboat Hoosier in 1851 helped establish Salem as a transportation hub, carrying passengers, freight and goods along the Willamette River to miners participating in the California Gold Rush.http://www.salemhistory.net/brief_history/brief_history.htm Early town founder Henderson Lewelling would import cherry trees from Iowa to Salem and develop cherry varieties including Bings, Black Republicans and Lamberts.

Salem is located at longitude 44° 56'N and latitude 123° 02'W.http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=221 Its city limits take up an area of 48 square miles, while the total metropolitan area is 68 square miles.http://www.cityofsalem.net/Pages/CommunityProfile.aspx It is 44 miles south of Portland and 187 miles south of Seattle.http://www.travelmath.com/cities-near/Salem,+OR

Salem is part of the Willamette River Valley, which includes green pastures, orchards, vineyards and fields of wild flowers. http://www.cityofsalem.net/Pages/CommunityProfile.aspx The Willamette Valley has summers that are five to nine degrees warmer than the coast, with monthly temperatures in June and July averaging 82F.http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/sunsetzn.htmhttp://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USOR0304

• Oregon State Fairgrounds: Home to the annual Oregon State Fair, which was first held in Salem in 1862. The state fair was canceled during World War II, as the grounds were used to house military personnel.http://www.oregonstatefair.org/about-the-fair/fair-history
• Bush House Museum: The Victorian Era home of former Oregon Statesmen editor Asahel Bush II is a living history museum showing life in Salem during the 19th century.http://salemart.org/?page_id=629
• Bush Barn Art Center: The free art museum exhibits works by local, national and international artists along with houses an art sales office and gift shop.http://salemart.org/?page_id=83
• Oregon State Capitol Building: The current center of state politics was built in 1938 after two previous capitols had burned in fires.http://www.leg.state.or.us/html_tour/capitol.htm
• Reed Opera House: The 19th century opera house has been renovated and turned into a commercial space with restaurants, shops and art galleries.http://www.reedoperahouse.com/

• Curt Coleman: Major League Baseball playerhttp://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colemcu01.shtml
• John Fahey: Musicianhttp://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-fahey-p37917/biography
• Scott Hatteberg: Major League Baseball playerhttp://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hattesc01.shtml
• Jon Heder: Actorhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm1417647/bio
• Mike Walter: National Football League playerhttp://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WaltMi20.htm