The name "Salvo" allegedly stems from the American Civil War, during which a passing Union vessel spotted the settlement, which was not marked on their maps.

The commanding officer ordered an attack, and a sailor marked the site on his map with the word "Salvo."

The Salvo post office, ZIP code 27972, one of the smallest postal facilities in the United States, was damaged by an arsonist in 1992.

On June 24, 2014, a Virginia vacationer became buried alive in beach sand when trying to dig a tunnel, and then died.

The plant hardiness zone in Salvo is 8b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 17.2 °F (-8.2 °C).