[9] Around the beginning of the common era, the existence of a culturally and economically advanced society in Salem two thousand years ago is evident from the discovery of silver coins of the Roman Emperor Tiberices Claudices Nero (37–68 CE) in Koneripatti of Salem in 1987.

A mosque in the city is believed to have been built by Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore Kingdom in the present-day state of Karnataka.

[11] It was part of the Vijayanagara Empire before being captured by Hyder Ali during the early 18th century, after the Mysore-Madurai war.

January and February are generally pleasant; the hot summer begins in March, with the year's highest temperatures during April.

[32] The functions of the municipal corporation are divided into six departments: general administration and personnel, engineering, revenue, public health, city planning and information technology (IT).

In Salem district, 34,000 hectares (130 sq mi) of land are devoted to cassava and 650 industrial units are engaged in tapioca processing.

[45][46] The Salem region is rich in mineral ores, with some of the largest magnesite and bauxite deposits in India.

Sugavaneshwarar Temple is dedicated to Shiva, and according to mythology the sage Sugha Brahmarishi is worshiped there.

Arunagirinadhar sang a song about Muruga in the temple, which was built during the 13th century by Mamannan Sundara Pandiyan.

[58] Kottai Perumal Temple, Skandhashram,[59] Jamia Masjid is Salem's oldest mosque and lies on the southern bank of the Thirumanimutharu River in the heart of the city.

Mookaneri (Kannankurichi) lake within the city limits is a popular tourist place and bird watching destination.

[68][69][70] Yercaud, a major hill station in Tamil Nadu is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Salem City.

The ghat road is a picturesque spot and attracts a lot of early morning walkers and joggers.

Yercaud is also a famous weekend getaway for the people of Salem and nearby districts and states.

Thattu vadai Set (or simply called as settu) is a savory snack and popular street food, which originated in Salem and is now available in other cities in Tamil Nadu like Chennai.

The sandwich consists of two crunchy thattai discs with fillings such as crispy beetroot, carrot and other vegetables smeared with green and red chutneys.

Salem has a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian hotels which offer good food at a reasonable price.

The Anna Flyover is the oldest in the city, and the Trumpet Interchange was built in the realignment of NH 544 to ease traffic towards Coimbatore.

This includes a bypass road to connect the Ayothiapattinam area of the city with the bus port.

Salem Airport (IATA SXV, ICAO VOSM) is located on the Salem-Bengaluru Highway (NH44) in Kaamalapuram about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the city.

Kingfisher Airlines flew from Chennai but ended its service in October 2011 due to low occupancy.

Trujet started services to Chennai in March 2018 as a part of the Udaan scheme by Government of India as well as Air Odisha gives connectivity to Bengaluru and Pondicherry from June 2018.

Gandhi Stadium, built originally for cricket, also hosts athletic meets, football, Volleyball and basketball.

The Green Valley Sports club Cricket ground is on the outskirts of Salem city.

[91][92] The state chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurated the Salem Cricket Foundation Stadium with international standards on 10 February 2020 in the presence of former cricketer Rahul Dravid and former ICC and BCCI president N. Srinivasan built at a cost of ₹3 crore (US$350,000) in Karivepilapatti near Vazhapadi.

[95][96] T. Natarajan, who hails from Salem, made his international debut for the India cricket team in December 2020[97] He plays in the Indian Premier League for Sunrisers Hyderabad and is nicknamed as "Yorker King" for his accurate Yorkers at death overs in T20 games.

He represented India in the 2016 Summer Paralympic games held in Rio de Janeiro in the men's high jump T-42 category, winning the gold medal in the finals.

[100] Salem has several educational institutions with Arts and Science colleges affiliated to Periyar University founded in 1997.