Salisbury is a city in Rowan County in North Carolina, a state of the United States of America. The population was 26,462 in 2000. It is the county seat of Rowan County. Salisbury is the home to famed North Carolina soft drink, Cheerwine, and the regional supermarket Food Lion. Salisbury is the birthplace of former US Senator Elizabeth Dole, financier and philanthropist Julian H. Robertson and retired NBA player Bobby Jackson. Salisbury is the site of a noted prisoner of war camp during the American Civil War and has a large historic home district with many large mansions, several of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. Salisbury also has a strong record of historic preservation.