Electricity Rates in Salem, OH

History of Salem

Salem was founded by a New Jersey clockmaker, Zadok Street, and a Pennsylvanian potter, John Straughan, in 1806. The city was named after Salem, New Jersey, Street's native community. The name Salem itself is a biblical derivative of Jerusalem in the Middle East, which means "city of peace". The city's early settlers included the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, which the local school district's sports teams honor by referring to themselves collectively as the Salem Quakers. Salem was incorporated in 1830.Salem was a center of abolitionist and suffragist activity in the 19th century. The Anti-Slavery Bugle, an abolitionist newspaper, was published in Salem beginning in 1845. A local group of the Progressive Friends, an association of Quakers who separated from the main body partly to be freer to work for such causes as abolitionism and women's rights, formed in Salem in 1849. The local school board at that time was composed entirely of abolitionists. Salem was the site of an annual conference, the Anti-Slavery Fair, whose purpose was to raise money for anti-slavery activities. The Daniel Howell Hise House and John Street House were stops on the Underground Railroad.In April 1850, Salem hosted the first Women's Rights Convention in Ohio, the third such convention in the United States (the first two being the Seneca Falls Convention and Rochester Women's Rights Convention of 1848).

Salem by the Numbers

Population

25,289

Median Age

43.3 yrs

Median Household Income

$59,882/yr

Median Home Value

$153,200

Homeownership Rate

72%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)