Selma, Alabama

Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. About 80% of the population is African-American.

Selma, Alabama
City of Selma
From top, left to right: St. James Hotel and Water Avenue; Edmund Pettus Bridge; National Voting Rights Museum and Institute
Nickname(s): 
Queen City of the Black Belt, Butterfly Capital of Alabama
Interactive map of Selma
Coordinates: 32°24′59″N 87°1′29″W
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
CountyDallas
Founded1815
Incorporated1820
Government
  TypeMayor–Council
  MayorJames Perkins Jr. (D)
Area
  Total14.40 sq mi (37.30 km2)
  Land13.81 sq mi (35.77 km2)
  Water0.59 sq mi (1.54 km2)
Elevation
135 ft (41 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total17,971
  Density1,301.40/sq mi (502.46/km2)
DemonymSelmarian
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
36701-36703
Area code334
FIPS code01-69120
GNIS ID163940
Websiteselma-al.gov

Selma was a trading center and market town during the antebellum years of King Cotton in the South. It was also an important armaments-manufacturing and iron shipbuilding center for the Confederacy during the Civil War, surrounded by miles of earthen fortifications. The Confederate forces were defeated during the Battle of Selma, in the final full month of the war.

In modern times, the city is best known for the 1960s civil rights movement and the Selma to Montgomery marches, beginning with "Bloody Sunday" in 1965 and ending with 25,000 people entering Montgomery at the end of the last march to press for voting rights. This activism generated national attention for social justice and that summer, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed by Congress to authorize federal oversight and enforcement of constitutional rights of all American citizens.

Due to agriculture and industry decline, Selma has lost about a third of its peak population in the 1960s. The city now is focusing its income on tourism for its major influence in civil rights and desegregation. Selma is also one of Alabama's poorest cities with an average income of $35,500, which is 30% less than the state average. Selma also has a high poverty rate with one in every three residents in Selma living below state poverty line.

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