Simplify the following text for a Grade 4 native English-speaking person.
Original: Salem annexed South Salem in 1953 and also an eastern tract in 1960 , giving it a population of 16,058 - making it Virginia 's largest town at the time . Salem officially became a city on December 31 , 1967 , to avoid the possibility of annexation into the city of Roanoke .
Simplified: Salem is a city of Virginia in the United States .