Why visit Selma
Townapedia lists 2 museums and landmarks, 7 parks and trails, 46 places to eat, 8 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Selma 6 Cinemas, Berry Park and Brentlinger Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 102°F; December lows average 38°F.
Weather in Selma
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Selma
Selma is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 24,674 at the 2020 census, up from 23,319 at the 2010 census and 19,240 at the 2000 census. Selma is located 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Fresno, at an elevation of 308 feet (94 m).
From the Wikipedia article Selma, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks2
Parks, trails and playgrounds7
Restaurants and cafes46
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34 more on the map.
History
Selma owes its beginnings as the second city in Fresno County to farming and to the Southern Pacific Railroad, which began in the 1870s as a branch line of the Central Pacific Railroad. The route of the Southern Pacific through California's Central Valley gave rise to a string of small towns between Sacramento and Bakersfield. Selma was among them.
In 1880, residents of the rural community that would become Selma established the Valley View School District. The first post office opened in 1880. A decade later, four farmers – Jacob E. Whitson, Egbert H. Tucker, George Otis and Monroe Snyder – formed a partnership and developed a townsite along the railroad. They began auctioning lots and just three years later the city of Selma was formally incorporated.
A persistent local legend is that Selma was named after Selma Gruenberg Lewis (c. 1867–1944) by Governor Leland Stanford, who was shown her picture by her father. As Lewis first told the story in 1925, Stanford, also a Director of the Central Pacific Railroad, was so taken that he ordered that the next town on the line be named for her. Lewis often repeated the story with further romantic embellishments, and it came to be accepted as fact despite a lack of documentary evidence. Lewis is buried in Floral Memorial Park in Selma, and her marker repeats the story.
From the History section of Selma, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay8
Churches and places of worship22
Shopping14
Gas and EV charging5
Schools, colleges and libraries50
Healthcare8
Map of Selma
163 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61°F | 38°F | 2.3 in |
| Feb | 67°F | 42°F | 1.9 in |
| Mar | 73°F | 45°F | 2.2 in |
| Apr | 79°F | 49°F | 1.0 in |
| May | 88°F | 56°F | 0.6 in |
| Jun | 96°F | 62°F | 0.2 in |
| Jul | 102°F | 68°F | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 101°F | 66°F | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 96°F | 62°F | 0.1 in |
| Oct | 85°F | 53°F | 0.6 in |
| Nov | 71°F | 44°F | 1.0 in |
| Dec | 61°F | 38°F | 2.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Fresno 5 Ne (14 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Fresno County has had 11 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for floods.
- 2023-04-03: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-03-10: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-14: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-09: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2020-10-16: Wildfires (Fire)
- 2020-09-06: Creek Fire (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 16 miles away.
- Kingsburg 4 mi southeast, about 7 min by car
- Parlier 5 mi northeast, about 8 min by car
- Sanger 9 mi north, about 15 min by car
- Reedley 9 mi east, about 15 min by car
- Dinuba 12 mi east, about 19 min by car
- Hanford 17 mi south, about 27 min by car
- Fresno 18 mi northwest, about 29 min by car
- Clovis 18 mi north, about 29 min by car
- Lemoore 22 mi southwest, about 35 min by car
- Visalia 23 mi southeast, about 37 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Selma Arts Center, Fruitianslip, CC BY-SA 4.0
- California Central Valley South of Fresno, California (21394641018), Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Daniel Lloyd Berry, Selmateacher7, CC0
- Caruthers, California (21591321081), Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- ISS055-E-1035 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS015-E-8841 - View of California, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
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