Downtown Winston-Salem: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the Downtown Winston-Salem Plan (2023), the City of Winston-Salem’s school zone and parks map layers, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, WSTA’s published schedule data, OpenStreetMap and Zillow Research.

Downtown Winston-Salem is the city center inside the loop formed by Salem Parkway to the south and US 52 to the east. The Downtown Winston-Salem Plan, adopted by the City Council and the City-County Planning Board in 2023, says eight districts make up the downtown core and six outer districts surround it. Homes downtown are apartments, condominiums and townhomes in converted buildings and newer mid-rise blocks, all in ZIP code 27101.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: R.J. Reynolds High for almost all of downtown, 47.2% of state tests at grade level in 2025-26, according to the state’s accountability data. Confirm an address with the district at 336-727-2292.
• Home value: $226,961 in ZIP code 27101 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest freeway exit: Salem Parkway Exit 233A at South Main Street, about 0.3 mile by road.

Part of our Winston-Salem neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The plan names four “core destination districts”: Fourth Street, the Arts District, Industry Hill and the Innovation Quarter. It describes Fourth Street as downtown’s “mixed-use centerpiece district,” running along Fourth Street from Broad to Church streets with parallel sections of Fifth and Third streets. Other core districts include the Government Center, home to City Hall and the Forsyth County Courthouse, and Goler Heights, historically known as Depot Street. Outer districts include Stadium View around Truist Stadium and the East End across US 52.

Two National Register historic districts sit downtown, Downtown North (listed 2002) and the Winston-Salem Tobacco Historic District (2009), according to the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office. Downtown property also pays the business improvement district rate of $0.09 per $100 of value in addition to the city and county rates; see our property tax guide.

Schools

Downtown is in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. We checked 47 evenly spaced points across downtown against the city’s published school zone map layers:

• 41 were zoned for Brunson Elementary and six for Diggs-Latham Elementary.
• 41 were zoned for Wiley Middle, five for Flat Rock Middle and one for Hanes Magnet.
• 46 were zoned for R.J. Reynolds High and one for Parkland High.

Scores are the share of state tests at grade level or above in 2025-26 and the state’s growth rating, from the accountability data.

The district average was 52.4% and the state’s 59.2%. The district also runs magnet and choice programs; more in our schools guide.

Home values

Zillow publishes no figure for downtown alone. The Zillow Home Value Index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price.

ZIP code 27101 also takes in East Winston and the West End. Trends are on our home prices page.

Parks and trails

From the city’s parks map layer:

• Merschel Park, 115 W. Third St., opened in 2023, according to the downtown plan.
• Corpening Plaza, 231 W. First St., a 2.4-acre plaza with fountains.
• Winston Square Park, 310 N. Marshall St.
• Second Street Park, 649 W. Second St.
• Spring Park, 650 N. Broad St., on the edge of the West End.

The Twin City Trail and the Long Branch Trail run through and beside downtown, as mapped on OpenStreetMap. The Forsyth County Central Library is at 660 W. Fifth St. More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• Salem Parkway: Exit 233A at South Main Street is about 0.3 mile by road from Fourth Street; Exit 233B at Marshall and Cherry streets is about 0.7 mile.
• US 52: Exit 110B at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive is about 0.8 mile.
• Piedmont Triad International Airport: about 23.6 miles by road.
• Buses: The Winston-Salem Transit Authority’s transit center is at 100 W. Fifth St., and all 21 fixed routes in WSTA’s current schedule data, which took effect with the Aug. 30, 2026, route changes, stop downtown. Route maps are on wstransit.com.

Distances were measured with the OSRM routing engine on OpenStreetMap roads. They are distances, not drive times. Parking rules are in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

OpenStreetMap lists no full-size supermarket in the downtown core. The downtown plan says there is “particular demand” for a full-service grocery store in and around Stadium View. The nearest stores are about a mile out:

• Supermarkets: Compare Foods, North Cleveland Avenue; Food Lion, North Graham Avenue; Guru Market, 635 Peters Creek Parkway.
• Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy, 589 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

How we built this page

Districts come from the 2023 Downtown Winston-Salem Plan. School zones come from the city’s published map layers, checked at evenly spaced points; the layers may lag the district’s own assignment changes, and a home near a zone line can differ, so confirm with the district at 336-727-2292. The city keeps a voluntary neighborhood association registry, which it says is not a legal record; we found no public list of homeowners associations for downtown, so this page does not describe them.

Frequently asked questions

What ZIP code is downtown Winston-Salem?

Downtown is in ZIP code 27101. Zillow’s Home Value Index for 27101 was $226,961 in August 2026, down 0.9% from August 2025.

What schools serve downtown Winston-Salem?

Of 47 points we checked across downtown on the city’s school zone maps, 41 were zoned for Brunson Elementary and Wiley Middle and 46 for R.J. Reynolds High. Confirm an address with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools at 336-727-2292.

Where do city buses leave from downtown?

The Winston-Salem Transit Authority’s transit center is at 100 W. Fifth St. All 21 fixed routes in WSTA’s current schedule stop downtown.

Is there a grocery store in downtown Winston-Salem?

OpenStreetMap lists no full-size supermarket in the downtown core. The nearest are Compare Foods on North Cleveland Avenue and Food Lion on North Graham Avenue, each about a mile east.