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 Seats for Forklifts Salem - The city of Salem, Oregon is the capital of the state and is situated along the Pacific Coast. Salem is situated within the Willamette Valley with the Willamette River running directly through it. It serves as the county seat of Marion County. The city of Salem is in both Polk and Marion counties, with the river functioning as the boundary between counties. The city of Salem is a mid-sized city - with 154,637 people, it is the 3rd largest in Oregon State after Portland and Eugene.
The city is the main city in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. This area serves more than 395,000 people. The bigger city of Portland is less than an hour away.
Salem was named the capital of Oregon Territory less than ten years after it was founded officially in the year 1842. The city of Salem took the title of state capital from the city of Oregon, but lost it for nearly a year to Corvallis, before it finally regained its previous status. Salem was incorporated as a city in the year 1857, making it one of the oldest communities within Oregon. The area's original name was Chemeketa, a Native American word which translates to "meeting or resting place".
The original and second capital building within the city both were destroyed by fires. One of the capital buildings was fashioned similar to the U.S. Capitol building and had a copper dome roof. The current Oregon State Capitol building was constructed in the year 1938. Its capital dome is surmounted by a gold-plated pioneer statue, called the Oregon Pioneer.
The city of Salem comprises numerous Educational Institutions, such as Willamette University, Corban University, Chemawa Indian School, Oregon School for the deaf and Chemeketa Community College. The biggest public employer of the city is the State of Oregon. Salem Hospital is the biggest private employer with practically 3,000 workers.
As a main agricultural food processing center, the city of Salem serves as a focal point for the nearby farming communities. Correctional facilities provide a huge number of jobs. In addition to being the home of Oregon State Penitentiary, the only maximum security facility in the state of Oregon, Salem has the head office of the Oregon Department of Corrections and four state correctional facilities.
Businesses which operate within Salem City consist of the T-Mobile Calling Center, GE Security, NORPAC Foods, Inc., Wells Fargo Customer Contact Center, Roth's Family Markets and Sanyo. The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde operate the Spirit Mountain Casino west of Salem.
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