North Ward: Denise D. Adams, Mayor Pro Tempore

Diversity best describes the North Ward. Here you will find recreation, affordable housing, schools, entertainment and a variety of restaurants, hotels, and shopping areas.

Council Member Denise D. Adams represents North Ward residents on the City Council.

Overview

For many years the North Ward was synonymous with the tobacco industry. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company built its sprawling Whitaker Park facility here in 1961 and later built its world headquarters across the street.

The building is now owned by Wake Forest University and is known as University Corporate Center. This 525-thousand square-foot facility lists Aon Consulting, BB and T, and Pepsi as tenants.

Community Services

Community services including a branch of the YMCA, Goodwill of Northwest North Carolina, Senior Services, and Industries for the Blind are here, as well as the central administrative offices of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

SciWorks

On Museum Drive just off Hanes Mill Road is SciWorks, where visitors of all ages enjoy interactive, hands-on exhibits and programs in spacious exhibit halls. Sciworks is supported by the City and County, and through private donations.

Recreation Centers

North Ward residents are served by the Martin Luther King Community Recreation Center, Kimberly Park Pool, and Brown and Douglas Neighborhood Recreation Center. The Hanes Hosiery Center on Reynolds Boulevard was demolished and a new recreation center was built on the site. The ballfields at Hanes have a sports history that dates back 75 years.

Other recreation facilities in the ward include Piney Grove Park and the soccer fields at Hine Park. Historic Bethabara Park is also in the North Ward.

Schools

Schools in the North Ward include Paisley and Northwest Middle Schools, as well as Cook, Julian Gibson, Kimberly Park, and North Hills Elementary Schools.

Cemeteries

The City-owned Woodland Cemetery is off Indiana Avenue. Established in 1905, the narrow paths reflect its original layout to accommodate horse-drawn carriages.

In addition, there is the Historic Landmark, Odd Fellows Cemetery, reputedly established in 1911 by Twin City and Winston Star Lodges, both African-American fraternal organizations. Odd Fellows Cemetery predates the 1913 merger of Winston and Salem. Its social and cultural significance as the largest African-American graveyard dating from the early 20th century is one of Winston-Salem's most treasured historic resources.

Public Services

The City's solid waste landfill and recycling area is just off U.S. 52. Here the City disposes of more than two hundred thousand tons of waste annually.

The City's newest fire station is located in the North Ward on Rural Hall-Bethania Road. It is named for the Koger family, one of several prominent African-American families who lived in this area after the Civil War.

Entertainment

If one area of our City could be called the entertainment capital, it would be here in the North Ward - home of the Lawrence Joel Veteran's Memorial Coliseum Complex. The main coliseum along with the annex, fairgrounds and education building, hosts a wide variety of events during the year from basketball and concerts, to ice skating and craft and trade shows. In the fall, everyone attends the Dixie Classic Fair.

Sports

Across Deacon Boulevard is Wake Forest's Grove Stadium. Adjacent to Grove Stadium is the old Ernie Shore Baseball Stadium, home field for the Demon Deacon baseball team. In 2011, Wake Forest University opened its state-of-the-art tennis complex, built to serve as home to the Wake Forest men's and women's tennis teams. Every August, the complex hosts the Winston-Salem Open, an ATP World Tour 250 event which is the last professional tournament prior to the start of the U.S. Open. It is conveniently located next to the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center.

Extensive landscaping along University Parkway makes an attractive corridor between downtown and the Coliseum complex.

Methodist Children's Home

Seemingly out of place to downtown is the open and tranquil field of the Methodist Children's Home. When it opened in 1909, it was one of the largest farms in the area. Today it remains true to its historical mission of caring for children, through a variety of residential and day programs.

Affordable Housing & Retirement Living

In the North Ward there is an abundance of affordable housing. Gateway Commons, along Northwest Boulevard, is a mixed housing development that replaced Kimberly Park Terrace and offers affordable apartments and single-family homes. Farther out, subdivisions such as Moravian Forest and Mallard Lakes bring country living to the city.

Comfortable retirement settings such as Salemtown are also here....away from the hustle and bustle of commercial areas.

Meetings

City Council Meetings

• 6 p.m.
• 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month (except holidays)
• City Hall
  101 N Main Street
  Room 230
  Winston-Salem, NC 27101

City Council Committee Meetings

• 2nd Monday and Tuesday of every month
• City Hall
  101 N Main Street
  Room 239
  Winston-Salem, NC 27101

All meetings are open to the public.

Agendas & Minutes

Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.

View Most Recent Agendas and Minutes

Representative Council Member

Denise D. Adams, Democrat,  North Ward, Mayor Pro Tempore

Community Assistance Liaison

Zina L. Johnson

Community Assistance Liaison, North Ward
Email Zina L. Johnson
Phone: 336-734-1254
Alternative Phone: 336-462-2426

Additional Information

A Community Assistance Liaison is assigned to each ward and is available to help citizens solve problems and get answers. Read more about the Community Assistance Liaisons.