West Salem is a neighborhood in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, located in the far northwest part of the city. West Salem is the only part of the city that is located in Polk County. The neighborhood is separated from the rest of Salem by the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...

, which serves as West Salem's southeast border. The business districts of West Salem are located on Edgewater Street and Wallace Road. , the portion of Salem within Polk County had a population of 34,148.

History

In 1889 a

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

for West Salem was filed, and the city incorporated in 1913. In 1949, the city was officially merged with Salem. West Salem post office was established in 1938 and ran until 1952. The former West Salem City Hall (now housing private offices) was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1990.National Register of Historic Places
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Education

West Salem is served by the Salem-Keizer School District, which includes West Salem High School, Walker Middle School, Straub Middle School, Brush College, Myers, Harritt, Chapman Hill, and Kalapuya elementary schools. Straub Middle School and Kalapuya Elementary School opened in the fall of 2011, and were funded by the Salem-Keizer School District construction bond.

Transportation

The neighborhood is connected to the rest of Salem by the Marion Street Bridge and Center Street Bridge that carry

Oregon Route 22 Oregon Route 22 is an Oregon state highway that runs between the Oregon Coast community of Hebo, Oregon, Hebo, to a junction with U.S. Route 20 in Oregon, U.S. Route 20 near Santiam Pass in the Cascade Mountains. OR 22 traverses several hi ...

over the

. The Union Street Railroad Bridge also crosses the Willamette, but carries pedestrians and bicycles instead of trains. Oregon 22 and Oregon Route 221 (Wallace Road) are the two state highways in West Salem.

Distinction

Locals of West Salem commonly refer to their area as "West Salem" rather than just "Salem" in everyday conversation. This distinction is supported by West Salem’s unique zip code, local high school, and specific weather reporting. Known for its relative affluence, West Salem has a median home price of $538,000. The area is also recognized for its modern infrastructure, with homes, schools, and roads often maintained to a higher standard of cleanliness and modernity than other parts of Salem.

References

External links

West Salem history from Salem Public LibrarySalem NeighborhoodsMap
Neighborhoods in Salem, Oregon Former cities in Oregon 1889 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1889 1949 disestablishments in Oregon 1913 establishments in Oregon Populated places on the Willamette River {{PolkCountyOR-geo-stub