[7][8] Located 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolitan area, the town has attracted a growing population.

Salisbury is the oldest continually populated colonial town in the western region of North Carolina.

Soft drink producer Cheerwine and regional supermarket Food Lion are located in Salisbury and Rack Room Shoes was founded there.

The deed is dated February 11, 1755, when John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville conveyed 635 acres (257 ha) for the "Salisbury Township".

[9] It became the principal city of the Salisbury judicial and militia districts in the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War.

On July 9, 1861, six weeks after North Carolina declared secession from the Union, the Confederate government asked Governor Henry T. Clark if the state could provide a place to hold prisoners of war (POWs).

[12] The Salisbury National Cemetery was established on a portion of the former prison site, starting because of thousands of Union soldiers who died while imprisoned.

[13] Owing to its Confederate history, Salisbury long retained pride in a deep local culture of Confederate apologism, thanks in part to Rowan County being the home of Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon Bob Jones, whose impact on Salisbury was featured in a PBS documentary film called Klansville, USA.

[14] Confederate re-enactments are also a popular activity in Salisbury,[15] including annual re-enactments at the Josephus Hall House, an antebellum manse in downtown Salisbury that was home to Dr. Josephus Hall, who was the surgeon at the Confederate prison.

[16] In the antebellum period and after the American Civil War, Salisbury was the trading city of an upland area devoted to cultivation of cotton as a commodity crop.

[18] The industry owners moved their jobs and mills offshore in the late 20th century, to areas with cheaper labor costs.

According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2010, the city has a total area of 22.14 square miles (57.3 km2), all land.

[19] Salisbury is located in the Central Piedmont of North Carolina in the Charlotte metropolitan area.

Because of the decline in the textile industry and the rise of suburban malls, the downtown area still has vacant buildings.

[24][25][26][27] Major employers in Salisbury include the headquarters of Food Lion, a regional grocery chain that is one of the US subsidiaries of Ahold Delhaize;[28] the W.G.

In 2019, the pet food retailer Chewy announced it would build a 700,000 square foot facility employing 1,200.

[33] The City of Salisbury offers a variety of incentive grants to historic homeowners and downtown business owners to defray the cost of repairs and rehabilitation projects.

[34] A walking tour begins at the Rowan County Convention and Visitor's Bureau and winds through the history of Salisbury and the state's Piedmont Region.

Structures from the 19th century, as well as artifacts, such as the desk that President Andrew Jackson used when he studied law in Salisbury, are viewable.

The city has a growing population of professional and amateur artists drawn from many disciplines, with support from local patrons and foundations.

The Rail Walk Arts District, located near the restored Salisbury railroad depot, features an array of artists and galleries.

Bell Tower Green, a park which takes up most of the block bounded by Innes, Church, Fisher and Jackson Streets and named for the bell tower that was part of the former building of First Presbyterian Church, officially opened October 1, 2021 after more than two years of construction, funded primarily with more than $13 million in donations.

The other city council members include: mayor pro tempore Tamara Sheffield, David Post, Anthony Smith, Harry Mclaughlin.

WSAT, "Memories 1280", is an AM radio station whose programming consists largely of older pop music.

It serves Rowan County, including Salisbury, Granite Quarry, Rockwell, Faith, China Grove and Cleveland.

Amtrak's Crescent, Carolinian, and Piedmont trains connect Salisbury with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans.

The City of Salisbury's Transit System (STS) provides public transportation and offers three routes.

Novant Health Rowan Medical Center and affiliated doctors' offices provide a majority of the city residents' healthcare.