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Welcome to Selma ...

Selma is located in Van Buren County<1>.



While we don't have a date for the founding of Selma, you might consider that their post office opened  in 1882.

When the people of Selma refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Selmian<2>

Selma is 610 feet [186 m] above sea level.<3>.

Time Zone: Selma lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time

The area code for Selma: (641)

The ZIP code for Selma: 52588<4>

Communities Also Named Selma ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 30 communities that are also named Selma - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois (2), Indiana, Kansas (3), Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan (2), Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri (2), Montana, North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas (2), Utah and Virginia (2).

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.

  • Ottumwa
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Fairfield
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Bloomfield
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Maharishi Vedic City
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maharishi Vedic City have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maharishi Vedic City
    • Maharishi Vedic City is located in Jefferson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,288 people
  • Eldon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eldon have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldon
    • Eldon is located in Wapello County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 915 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eldon <5>
  • Keosauqua
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Agency
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Agency have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agency
    • Agency is located in Wapello County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 641 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Agency <5>
  • Batavia
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Birmingham
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Birmingham have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
    • Birmingham is located in Van Buren County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 423 people
  • Milton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
    • Milton is located in Van Buren County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milton <5>

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.<7>

From that list, the Selma post office opened in 1882.

We also found Selma in the book titled Sixth Biennial Report of the State Mine Inspectors, Two Years Ending June 30, 1893.

For more details, see References and Mentions for Selma.

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 State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Iowa's counties, including Van Buren, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>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.
<3>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Selma - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<4>ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Selma). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Selma or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<5>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<6>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.
<7>A copy of their list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 10 Mar 2024