Selma is a town in

Johnston County, North Carolina Johnston County, officially the County of Johnston, is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 215,999. Its county seat is Smithfield. Johnston County is included in the Raleigh-Cary, N ...

, United States. In

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, its population was 6,073, and as of 2018 the estimated population was 6,913. Selma is part of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary combined statistical area. The area has a population over 1.7 million residents, though the town of Selma is able to maintain its rural character. The Everitt P. Stevens House, located in Selma, was the site of the last Grand Review of the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

held on April 6, 1865, after its defeat at the

Battle of Bentonville The Battle of Bentonville (March 19–21, 1865) was fought in Johnston County, North Carolina, near the village of Bentonville, as part of the Western Theater of the American Civil War, Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was the last ...

History

On May 1, 1867, lots were sold around a newly established station on the

North Carolina Railroad The North Carolina Railroad is a state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina, to Charlotte. The railroad carries over 70 freight trains operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway and eight passenger trains (Amtrak's ...

. From those lots, the town was built and considered a railroad town for many decades. Selma was officially chartered as a town on February 11, 1873. The town recently renovated its 1924 passenger depot, which has

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

service. The town is also home to the Mitchener Station, which was built in 1855, and is thought to be the oldest surviving train station in North Carolina. After

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

was built in the late 1950s, the town experienced growth due to its location next to the interstate. Today, many hotels and restaurants are located in the area due to the traffic from I-95. The Downtown Selma Historic District, Noah Edward Edgerton House, Richard B. Harrison School, Nowell-Mayerburg-Oliver House, William E. Smith House, Everitt P. Stevens House, Selma Union Depot, and West Selma Historic District are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Selma is located in central Johnston County and is bordered to the southwest by Smithfield, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, and to the northwest by Wilson's Mills. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town of Selma has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,317 people, 2,311 households, and 1,480 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the 2000

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 ...

, 5,914 people, 2,254 households, and 1,480 families were residing in the town. The population density was . The 2,515 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 47.09% White, 40.33% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 9.89% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 19.02% of the population. Of the 2,254 households, 31.9% had children under 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 21.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were not families. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.17. In the town, the age distribution was 27.9% under 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $23,856 and for a family was $32,430. Males had a median income of $26,886 versus $21,453 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 $12,101. About 23.1% of families and 30.0% of the population 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 ...

, including 45.9% of those under 18 and 22.1% of those 65 or over.

Religion

About 36% of people in Selma are affiliated with a religion. The predominant religion in Selma is

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, with the largest numbers of adherents being

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

(15.64%) and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

(6.02%). Others include

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

(4.02%),

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

(2.52%), and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

(1.46%).

Law and government

Selma operates under a council-manager government. The town council consists of the mayor and four council members, who are elected at-large.

Transportation

Air

Johnston County Airport is a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airport located around 7 miles west of Selma, in Smithfield.

Raleigh-Durham International Airport The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Anchored by the cities of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh an ...

is the region's primary airport, located roughly 40 miles northwest of Selma, between

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

and Durham.

Designated routes and highways

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

** ** * U.S. Highways: ** ** (named Pollock Street) * North Carolina Highways: ** **

runs along the southern edge of the town, with access from Exit 97 ( U.S. Route 70) and Exit 98 (Pine Level–Selma Road). I-95 leads northeast to Rocky Mount and southwest to Fayetteville. U.S. Route 301 (Pollock Street) runs through the center of Selma, leading northeast to Wilson and southwest to the center of Smithfield. US 70 runs along the southwestern edge of Selma, leading northwest to Raleigh and southeast to Goldsboro. North Carolina Highway 96 leads north from the center of Selma to Zebulon.

Passenger rail service

's ''Palmetto'' and ''Carolinian'' passenger trains stop at the historic Selma Union Depot. They offer service to Charlotte, New York City

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

, and intermediate points.

Commercial rail service

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

Public transit

The Johnston County Area Transit System is a coordinated transit system that provides transportation services in Selma and throughout Johnston County.

Education

Selma is home to two schools within the Johnston County School District: * Selma Elementary School * Selma Middle School Mitchner University Academy is a private, nontraditional school offering kindergarten to grade-12 education.

Culture

Museums

* Historic Union Station * Max G. Creech Selma Historical Museum

Media

Television

Selma is part of the Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville designated market area. WNGT-CD has broadcast facilities in the city.

Newspapers

Several newspapers and periodicals serve the city: * ''

The News & Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the '' Charlotte Observer''). The paper has be ...

'', daily * '' Johnstonian News'', weekly

Radio stations

Selma is part of the Raleigh-Durham Arbitron radio market. WTSB (1090 AM) transmits from the city.

Notable people

* Myrtle Cagle, pilot and member of Mercury 13 female astronaut programWeitekamp, Margaret A. ''Right Stuff, Wrong Sex: America's First Women in Space Program'' * Seby B. Jones, former mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina * Drique London (born Madrique Sanders), rapper and hip-hop artist *

Lunsford Richardson Lunsford Richardson (December 29, 1854 - August 21, 1919) was an American pharmacist from Selma, North Carolina, and the founder of Vick Chemical Company (which became Vicks, Richardson Vicks Inc.). Early life Lunsford Richardson was born in 1 ...

, founder of the Vick Chemical Company, maker of cold remedies such as Vicks Cough Drops

References

External links

Town of Selma official website

Selma visitor information

Selma/Johnston County Visitor Bureau
{{DEFAULTSORT:Selma, North Carolina 1867 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1867 Populated places on the Neuse River Towns in Johnston County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina