1347: salem Aug 19, 2018

In the United States, and other places with deep-rooted colonial histories, the names for towns, cities, and other areas come largely from either being named after somewhere older, native names, or being named after the physical geography (e.g. there are as many as 41 places in the US called 'Springfield'). However, there are also 26 Salem's, most notably of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, and the capital of Oregon. While there are places in Europe with this name, these are few and all with small populations. Rather, 'Salem' comes from Genesis, said to be another name for 'Jerusalem' and from the same root as 'shalom': 'peace'. In the mid-19th century, the Baptists and Methodists began using the term to refer to their meeting places, and so the name stuck in a few towns and cities, almost all of which are in America.

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