This practice had ended by the American Civil War. For many years only members of the Moravian Church were permitted to live in the settlement. These included the church, a Brethren's House and a Sisters' House for the unmarried members of the Congregation, which owned all the property in town. Salem was a typical Moravian settlement congregation with the public buildings of the congregation grouped around a central square, today Salem Square. On January 6, 1766, the first tree was felled for the building of Salem. The town established on the chosen site was given the name of Salem (from "Shalom", meaning "Peace", after the Canaanite city mentioned in the Book of Genesis) chosen for it by the Moravians' late patron, Count Zinzendorf.
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In 2020, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina, the third-largest urban area in North Carolina, and the 90th most populous city in the United States. Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States.