The town of Salem is the setting for the U.S. soap opera Days of our Lives. It is located in the Midwestern United States, though the state is never mentioned. It was built and named in 1802, since Salem celebrated its 200-year birthday in 2002. Originally set in New England, the vague setting was moved to somewhere in the Midwest in the 1970s. For many years the real Salem, Illinois even held a Salem Days fest, which several members of the cast attended.
While it is constantly referenced as a town, it features more characteristics of a city; for example it is home of the large, multinational corporations Titan Industries and Basic Black, Mythic Incorporated, as well as a full University and an international airport. Despite its otherwise innocuous presence, over the years it has been a hotbed of foreign intrigue, organized crime, and other strange happenings.
Salem has a thriving industrial harbor, leading some fans to believe it is located on the Great Lakes.
Characters often make reference to Chicago being nearby and the 312 Area Code, indicating Salem may be in Illinois. This is however contradicted by characters mentioning going to Illinois and by the licence plates of the cars in Salem. Is notable to mention that some characters are Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs fans, meaning that Salem is probably located in a fictional state that borders Illinois.
However, in a recent episode, The Flag of Missouri is seen in the background of a courtroom, hinting that Salem might be in Missouri.
Zip codes noted in Salem usually begin with 066, which is the Bridgeport, CT USPS Sectional Center.
Famous quotes containing the word salem:
“without luggage or defenses,
giving up my car keys and my cash,
keeping only a pack of Salem cigarettes
the way a child holds on to a toy.
I signed myself in where a stranger
puts the inked-in X’s”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)