Welcome to Salem ...
The city of Salem is located in Henry County<1>.
The location of Salem has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Salem, you might consider that their post office opened in 1838.
When the people of Salem refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Salemite<3>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Salem has a population of 383 people<4> (see below for details).
Salem is 700 feet [213 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: Salem lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Salem is within the (319) area code.
The ZIP code for Salem: 52649<6>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Salem had an population of 383 people (or a decrease of 17.46% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Salem had a population of 383 people. This makes Salem the county's 5th most populous community.
The population of Salem represents 0.01% of the population of Iowa (which has 3,046,355 people), making it the state's 521st most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 383 people, the population of Salem decreased 17.46% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 464 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Salem.
Communities Also Named Salem ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 122 communities that are also named Salem - they are located in Alabama (4), Arkansas (5), Connecticut, Florida, Georgia (8), Idaho, Illinois (2), Indiana (4), Kansas (7), Kentucky (4), Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan (2), Mississippi (6), Missouri (4), Montana, Nebraska, New Brunswick (2), New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina (8), Nova Scotia, Ohio (7), Oklahoma (3), Ontario (6), Oregon, Pennsylvania (4), South Carolina (4), South Dakota, Tennessee (7), Texas (8), Utah, Virginia (5), West Virginia (3), Wisconsin (2) and Wyoming.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Salem.
Communities near Salem ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Salem.
- Mount Pleasant
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Mount Pleasant is located in Henry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,508 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Pleasant <7>
- New London
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New London have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New London
- New London is located in Henry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,825 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New London <7>
- West Point
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Point
- West Point is located in Lee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 916 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Point <7>
- Keosauqua
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keosauqua
- Keosauqua is located in Van Buren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 911 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keosauqua <7>
- Danville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east) - Donnellson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnellson
- Donnellson is located in Lee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 846 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Donnellson <7>
- Farmington
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- Farmington is located in Van Buren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 623 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farmington <7>
- Birmingham
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Birmingham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Birmingham is located in Van Buren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 423 people
- Bonaparte
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bonaparte have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonaparte
- Bonaparte is located in Van Buren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 405 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bonaparte <7>
- Middletown
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Middletown is located in Des Moines County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Salem. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Salem.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Salem. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Salem.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Salem. Our list includes 6 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Salem.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Salem ...
Looking for more information about Salem? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Salem, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Salem.
Adding Salem to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Salem in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Salem was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Salem post office opened in 1838.
We also found Salem in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (Oct. 1846).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Salem.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Salem. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Henry County: www.co.henry.ia.us/
The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Iowa's counties, including Henry, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Salem refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a city's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Salem may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Salem. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Salem - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <6> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Salem). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Salem or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |