Welcome to Selma ...
Selma is located in Alleghany County<1>.
The location of Selma has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Selma, you might consider that their post office opened in 1855.
When the people of Selma refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Selmian<3>
Selma is 1,140 feet [347 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Selma lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
The telephone area code for Selma: (540)
Communities Also Named Selma ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two Virginia communities named Selma: This one is located in Alleghany County and the other is located in Staunton City.
Beyond Virginia, there are 30 communities that are also named Selma - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois (2), Indiana, Iowa, Kansas (3), Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan (2), Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri (2), Montana, North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas (2) and Utah.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Selma.
Communities near Selma ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Selma.
- Covington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Covington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covington
- Covington is located in Covington City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,639 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Covington <5>
- Iron Gate
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east) - Haden
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south) - Rich Patch
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Patch
- Rich Patch is located in Alleghany County
- Griffith
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Carloover
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carloover
- Carloover is located in Bath County
- Gala
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gala
- Gala is located in Botetourt County
- Strom
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Healing Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Healing Springs
- Healing Springs is located in Bath County
- Greenwood ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Selma. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Selma.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Selma. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Selma.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Selma. See our Newspapers Page for Selma.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Selma ...
Looking for more information about Selma? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Selma, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Selma.
Adding Selma to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Selma in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Selma was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>
From that list, the Selma post office opened in 1855.
We also found Selma in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Selma.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Selma. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Alleghany County: www.co.alleghany.va.us/
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Virginia's counties, including Alleghany, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Selma refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Selma may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Selma - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |