[6] Salisbury is the largest city in the state's Eastern Shore region, with a population of 33,050 at the 2020 census.

[9] Salisbury also had a role in the American Civil War, as it served as a location where Union forces encamped in order to search for sympathizers from the South.

[11] In 1968, protests occurred in Salisbury after a police officer fatally shot a deaf and mute African-American man.

[13] Today, Salisbury attracts a wide variety of different businesses in addition to the county, state, and federal government offices.

[14] Adding to the diversity of Salisbury, the City is host to a wide variety of events celebrating local culture and the arts.

Salisbury's location on the Atlantic Coastal Plain in Maryland gives it a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa),[19] with hot, humid summers and, on average, cool to mild winters.

The monthly daily average temperature at nearby Wicomico Regional Airport ranges from 36.8 °F (2.7 °C) in January to 77.9 °F (25.5 °C) in July;[20] on average, there are 30 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs annually and 7 days where the high fails to rise above freezing.

[20] On average, Salisbury annually receives around 47.49 in (1,210 mm) of precipitation,[20] with 8.0 in (20.3 cm) of snowfall per year.

[29] He was hung next to the courthouse after he reportedly shot Herman Kenney, a 22-year-old white man with a revolver after arguing with him.

After being taken to Peninsula General Hospital, a 300-man white mob threw Williams from a second-floor window to the crowd below, where he was stabbed, tied to a truck and dragged three blocks to the county court house.

The mob paraded Williams' body through the black part of Salisbury for intimidation, and mutilated and burned him.

A 2018 documentary film (The Sign)[34] was produced, documenting and unraveling the complexities of this conflict, "exposing deep wounds from the complicated history of the Eastern Shore."

In January 2020, Mayor Jake Day announced the formation of a Lynching Memorial Task Force[35] which was tasked with "coordinating with the Equal Justice Initiative's Community Remembrance Project to facilitate the creation of a permanent monument in honor and solemn remembrance of the three American citizens who lost their lives at the hands of lynch mobs in Wicomico County.

"[36] On July 5, 2023, a mass shooting occurred during a block party just outside of the city limits, leading to the death of a 14-year-old child and seven other injuries.

[37] Following an investigation involving the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office and the Salisbury Police Department, the suspected shooter was arrested on September 11.

In this form, executive functions are vested in a popularly elected mayor who serves a four-year term; currently John 'Jack' R.

[44] The Mayor is the chief executive officer and the head of the administrative branch of the city government.

[49] During times of extended absence, a mayor may delegate the majority of their duties to the City Administrator, such in 2020 when Mayor Jacob R. Day was deployed to Africa as an information operations officer with the 110th Information Operations Battalion of the Maryland Army National Guard.

Mayor Day said "City Administrator Julia Glanz will take over executive duties for the duration of the deployment".

[52] The City received the award for three projects: According to the US Conference of Mayors, the Salisbury MD-DE Metropolitan Statistical Area had the 7th fastest rate of job growth in the nation in 2016, with a 4.2% increase in employment.

Other industries in Salisbury include healthcare, accommodation and foodservice, electronic component manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, and agriculture.

[55] Museums and other historic facilities include: Salisbury University Arboretum, Salisbury Zoo, Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Chipman Cultural Center, and Poplar Hill Mansion.

[58] Naylor Mill Forest Trail, at over 92 acres, contains the largest conservation easement inside a municipality, in the State of Maryland.

[64][65] These centers provide recreational opportunities in addition to arts & crafts, poetry & creative writing, music, and homework assistance for youth and continuing education courses for adults through a partnership with Wor-Wic Community College.

The Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame is housed at the Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

The city is also served by Maryland Route 12, a rural highway that connects Salisbury to the town of Snow Hill, and Maryland Route 349, a rural highway that connects Salisbury to Nanticoke and Quantico.

[92] The city is served by daily scheduled American Eagle service to both Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Charlotte, North Carolina at the Wicomico Regional Airport.

Additionally, the Port of Salisbury offers respite for recreational boaters and commercial tug boats.

[93] Salisbury's navigable stop on the Wicomico River is the second largest and second busiest commercial port in Maryland.

From this stop, direct service is provided to various locations including the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, Wilmington, Delaware, the Baltimore Greyhound Terminal in Baltimore, Norfolk, Virginia, and Richmond, Virginia.