Selma is a town in Liberty Township, Delaware County,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 747. It is part of the Muncie, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Selma was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1852 when the railroad was extended to that point. The Selma post office was established in 1853. Affected by the

Indiana Gas Boom The Indiana gas boom was a period of active drilling and production of natural gas in the Trenton Gas Field, in the US state of Indiana and the adjacent northwest part of Ohio. The boom began in the early 1880s and lasted into the early 20th cent ...

, gas and oil were the primary industries of Selma in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Selma was incorporated as a town in 1907. On March 14, 2024, Selma was hit by a strong EF2 tornado, which mainly hit northern areas of Selma.

Selma High School

Selma High School was built 1904 and was razed in 1976. It became a middle school from 1967–1975.

Geography

Indiana State Road 32 runs along the northern edge of the town. According to the 2010 census, Selma has a total area of , of which (or 99.78%) is land and (or 0.22%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 747 people, 313 households, and 91 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 345 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.4% Native American or

Alaskan Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlin ...

, 0.1% Asian, 0.1%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.2% from other races, and 5.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population. There were 313 households, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 28.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 11.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 9.7% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.07. 38.6% of the population had never been married. 47.1% of residents were

married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

and not separated, 5.4% were

widowed A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjective for ...

, 7.7% were

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...

d, and 1.2% were separated. The median age in the town was 35.5. 4.8% of residents were under the age of 5; 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 74.6% were age 18 or older; and 11.7% were age 65 or older. 6.3% of the population were

veterans A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

. The most common language spoken at home was

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

with 99.1% speaking it at home, 0.4% spoke

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

at home and 0.4% spoke another

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

language at home. 0.4% of the population were

foreign born Foreign-born (also non-native) people are those born outside of their country of residence. Foreign born are often non-citizens, but many are naturalized citizens of the country in which they live, and others are citizens by descent, typically ...

. The median household income in Selma was $48,036, 14.5% less than the median average for the state of

. 21.6% of the population were in poverty, including 24.8% of residents under the age of 18. The poverty rate for the town was 8.7% higher than that of the state. 18.4% of the population was

disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physica ...

and 9.2% had no

healthcare Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

coverage. 50.0% of the population had attained a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

or equivalent degree, 23.5% had attended

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

but received no degree, 6.9% had attained an

Associate's degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree. ...

or higher, 10.0% had attained a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

or higher, and 0.6% had a graduate or

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

degree. 9.0% had no degree. 58.6% of Selma residents were employed, working a mean of 35.4 hours per week. The median gross rent in Selma was $611 and the homeownership rate was 65.5%. 32 housing units were vacant at a density of .

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 866 people, 337 households, and 239 families living in the town. The

was . There were 377 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.2%

, 0.7%

, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2%

, 0.1% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 337 households, of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were

living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.1% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age in the town was 39 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 14.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 880 people, 336 households, and 250 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 349 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.84%

, 0.57%

, 0.34% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00%

, 0.11% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 0.34% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 336 households, out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were

living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,423, and the median income for a family was $50,357. Males had a median income of $35,333 versus $23,625 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $18,361. 4.7% of the population and 4.5% of families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. Out of the total population, 7.1% of those under the age of 18 and 3.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Notable People

Jeremy Hazelbaker Jeremy Philip Hazelbaker (born August 14, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks, and in the KBO League for the Kia Tigers. Prof ...

, professional baseball player

References

External links

Official website
{{Delaware County, Indiana Towns in Delaware County, Indiana Towns in Indiana 1852 establishments in Indiana Populated places established in 1852