Salisbury
City
Main Street in Salisbury
Flag Seal
Motto:  The Comfortable Side of Coastal[1]
Location in Wicomico County in the state of Maryland, USA.
Salisbury Location within the state of Maryland Show map of Maryland Salisbury Salisbury (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 38°21′57″N 75°36′01″W / 38.36583°N 75.60028°W / 38.36583; -75.60028
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Wicomico
Founded	1732
Incorporated	1854
Government
• Type	Strong-mayor
• Mayor	Randolph J. Taylor
• City Council	D'Shawn Doughty (President) Angela Blake (Vice President) Sharon Dashiell Michele Gregory April Jackson
Area [2]
• City	14.28 sq mi (36.97 km2)
• Land	13.79 sq mi (35.70 km2)
• Water	0.49 sq mi (1.27 km2)  3.39%
Elevation	26 ft (8 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	33,050
• Density	2,397.53/sq mi (925.71/km2)
• Urban [3]	98,081
• Metro [4]	373,802
Demonym	Salisburian
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP codes	21801-21804
Area code	410, 443, 667
FIPS code	24-69925
GNIS feature ID	0591221
Website	salisbury.md

Salisbury (/ˈsɔːlzbəri/ SAWLZ-bə-ree) is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, United States.^[5] Salisbury is the largest city in the state's Eastern Shore region, with a population of 33,050 at the 2020 census. Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is the commercial hub of the Delmarva Peninsula, which was long devoted to agriculture and had a southern culture. It calls itself "The Comfortable Side of Coastal".^[1]

History

Salisbury's location at the head of Wicomico River was a major factor in growth. At first, it was a small colonial outpost set up by Lord Baltimore. Salisbury was established in 1732.^[6][7]

Salisbury's location at the head of the Wicomico River was seen to be a convenient location for trading purposes.^[6] Due to the similar physical attributes as well as the nationality of Salisbury's founders, many historians believe that the name was inspired by the city of Salisbury, England, an ancient cathedral city.^[6]

Salisbury was officially incorporated as a city in 1854.^[8]

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. These Union forces also worked to inhibit the movement of contraband to Confederate forces in the South.^{[citation needed]}

Fires struck Salisbury in both 1860 and 1886, burning through two-thirds of the Town.^[8] Despite the fires, Salisbury and the country that surrounded it continued to grow, and Salisbury was considered to be the major town of the county. In 1909, the Humphrey's Dam burst, flooding portions of Salisbury.^[8][9]

In 1867, when Wicomico County was formed out of parts of both Somerset and Worcester Counties, Salisbury became the government seat.^[7]

In 1898 and 1931, three Black men were lynched in Salisbury. Town leaders, including the fire chief and police chief, were allegedly complicit in the lynchings.^[10]

In 1968, protests occurred in Salisbury after a police officer fatally shot a deaf and mute African-American man.^[11] The protests prompted Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew to declare Martial Law and send the Maryland National Guard to Salisbury.^[12]

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

Adding to the diversity of Salisbury, the City is host to a wide variety of events celebrating local culture and the arts. These events include 3rd Friday, an event held in downtown Salisbury on the third Friday of each month, celebrating local music, artists, and nonprofit organizations.

Salisbury is also home to a historical City Park,^[14] the Salisbury Zoo, The Centre at Salisbury shopping mall, and the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center.

The Gillis-Grier House, Honeysuckle Lodge, Sen. William P. Jackson House, Pemberton Hall, Perry-Cooper House, Poplar Hill Mansion, Union Station, and F. Leonard Wailes Law Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[15]

Geography

Salisbury is located at 38°21′57″N 75°35′36″W / 38.36583°N 75.59333°W / 38.36583; -75.59333 (38.365806, −75.593361).^[16]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.87 square miles (35.92 km²), of which 13.40 square miles (34.71 km²) is land and 0.47 square miles (1.22 km²) is water.^[17] The city has a varying elevation of 17 to 45 feet (5.2 to 13.7 m) above sea level.

The nearest major cities to Salisbury are Baltimore 106 miles (171 km); Washington, D.C. 119 miles (192 km), Philadelphia 128 miles (206 km), Norfolk 132 miles (212 km), and Wilmington 96 miles (154 km).

Climate

Salisbury's location on the Atlantic Coastal Plain in Maryland gives it a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa),^[18] 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;^[19] on average, there are 30 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs annually and 7 days where the high fails to rise above freezing.^[19] On average, Salisbury annually receives around 47.49 in (1,210 mm) of precipitation,^[19] with 8.0 in (20.3 cm) of snowfall per year.^[19] Record temperatures range from −10 °F (−23 °C) on January 11, 1942, up to 106 °F (41 °C) on July 21, 1930 and August 7, 1918.^[19] However, temperatures reaching 0 °F (−18 °C) and lower, or 100 °F (37.8 °C) and higher, are rare, having last occurred January 9, 2017 and July 27, 2012, respectively.^[19]