Selma

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 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 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. It is one of Alabama's poorest cities with an average income of $35,500, which is 30% less than the state average. The name Selma, meaning 'high seat' or 'throne', came from the Ossianic poem The Songs of Selma. The area of present-day Selma had been inhabited for thousands of years by various warring tribes of Native Americans. The Europeans encountered the historic Native American people known as the Muscogee (also known asthe Creek), who had been in the area for hundreds of years. The French explorers and colonists were the first Europeans to explore this area in 1732.

History

Selma is the primary city name, but also Valley Grande are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Selma. Selma was one of the South's main military manufacturing centers, producing many supplies and munitions, and building Confederate warships such as the ironclad Tennessee. The city was named after the Ossianic poem The Songs of Selma. Selma was fortified by three miles of earthworks that ran in a semicircle around the city, anchored on the north and south by the Alabama River. The iron works and foundry was considered the second-most important source of weaponry for the South, after the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia. During the Civil War, the US military planned to take the city. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman first made an effort to reach it, but after advancing from the west as far as Meridian, Mississippi, within 107 miles (172 km) ofSelma, his forces retreated back to the Mississippi River. On March 30, 1865, Union General. James H. Wilson detached Gen. John T. Croxton's brigade to destroy all Confederate property at Tuscaloosa. Wilson's forces captured a Confederate courier, who was found to be carrying dispatches from Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest describing his scattered forces. Forrest had hoped to bring his entire force to bear on Wilson. Delays caused by flooding, plus earlier contact with the enemy, resulted in Forrest's mustering fewer than 2,000 men, many of whom were not war veterans but home militia consisting of old men and young boys. The outnumbered and outgunned fought for an hour as reinforcements of Union cavalry and artillery were deployed. Forrest was wounded and killed with his charge.

Geography

Selma is located at 32°2426N 87°116W, west of Montgomery.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37 km²) of which 13.9 square miles is land and 0.6 sq miles (1.6km²) is water. Selma is a member of the Alabama African American Heritage and Culture Council. The city's motto is: "Selma, the City of the African American Heart". Selma has a reputation for being a hot-button issue in the state. It has been the site of several high-profile incidents, including the shooting of two police officers and the attempted murder of another officer. The town has a history of racial segregation. It is also known as the birthplace of Alabama's first African-American president, George H.W. Bush, and his son, George W. Bush. It also has a long history of civil rights activism, particularly in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when the city was known as Selma. It was also the site in which the first black president, Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated. The current mayor, Robert Rector, is a former mayor of Selma, and served as president of the NAACP in the early 1990s. He was elected to a second term in 2008. The mayor's office is located in the city's downtown area, which has a population of 4,000. The area has an area of 13.3 square miles.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 20,756 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 70.68% Black or African American, 28.77% White, 0.10% Native American, and 0.56% Asian. The city's population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 16. 3% who were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.10. In the city, the median income for a household was $21,261, and the medianincome for a family was $28,345. About 26.9%. of families and 31.7%. of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.8%. of those under age 18 and 28.0% of those age 65 or over. The per capita income for the city is $13,369. The U.S. Census estimates the city will have a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census, up from 20,512 in the 2000 census. It has a population density of 1,479.6 square miles (3,832 km²), with 9,264 housing units at an average density of 668.3 per square mile (258.0/km²) The city is located on the Mississippi River.

Economy

Industries in Selma include International Paper, Bush Hog (agricultural equipment), Plantation Patterns, American Apparel, and Peerless Pump Company (LaBour), Renasol, and Hyundai. The city and rural region have struggled economically, as agriculture does not provide enough jobs. There was a downturn after restructuring in industry that had done well into the 1960s. Civil rights tourism has become a new source of business.:146 million people live in the city of Selma and its surrounding areas. There are more than 100,000 people living in rural areas of the city and the surrounding region. There is a population of 1.2 million people in the Selma area, which is one of the largest cities in the U.S. and the third largest city in the state of Alabama. The population of the region is 1.4 million people, with the majority living in the rural areas. It is the most populous city in Alabama, followed by the town of Birmingham. It has the highest percentage of African-American residents in the United States, with more than 80% of the population living in urban areas. Selma is home to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which was established in the 1930s. It was the first museum in the country to be dedicated to African-Americans. The museum is located in the historic Selma neighborhood. It dates back to the early 20th century, when Selma was the largest city on the Mississippi River.

Arts and culture

Selma boasts the state's largest contiguous historic district, with more than 1,250 structures identified as contributing. Area attractions include the Old Town Historic District, Old Live Oak Cemetery, Paul M. Grist State Park, and Old Cahawba Archaeological Park. In 2000 sections of Highway 80 leading into Selma were renamed in honor of leaders in the Selma Voting Rights Movement: F.D. Reese, Marie Foster, and Amelia Boynton. The Selma-Dallas County Public Library serves the city and the region with a collection of 76,751 volumes. It was established as a Carnegie library in 1904, receiving matching funds for construction. The 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) library is in downtown Selma. In August 2012, plans were announced to build a larger monument, more resistant to vandalism, to Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Many African Americans object to it because of his established history as a postwar leader with the KKK and his earlier involvement in the massacre of black Union troops at Fort Pillow. A monument to Forrest was torn down in 2012, reflecting the continuing controversy about him. The city is home to the National Voting Rights Museum and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Street Historic Walking Tour. It is also home to Sturdivant Hall, the National voting Rights Museum, Historic Water Avenue, and the Joe Calton Bates Children Education and History Museum. It has been named one of the top ten cities in the U.S. by the American Institute of Architects.

Government

The city government of Selma consists of a mayor and a nine-member city council, elected from single-member districts. The current mayor is James Perkins Jr. The city council members are: William Warren Young, City Council President; Troy Harvill, Ward 1; Christie Thomas, Ward 2; Clay Carmichael, Ward 3; Lesia James, Ward 4; Samuel L. Randolph, Ward 5; Atkin Jemison, Ward 6; Jannie Thomas,Ward 7; Michael Johnson, Ward 8. The mayor's office is located in downtown Selma, on the corner of Main Street and Main Street East.

Transportation

Craig Field (SEM) is located four nautical miles (4.6 mi, 7.4 km) southeast of the central business district of Selma. U.S. Highway 80 is the main highway through the city. State Route 14 is the state's main road through Selma and the city's main north-south highway. State routes 41, 140, 140 and 219 are the main east-west routes. State Routes 219 and 220 are the major north-west and south-east routes. The city's airports are located at Craig Field and Selma International Airport, which is located at 4.6 miles (7.4 kilometers) from the city center. The airport has two runways, one of which is named after Craig Field, a former Selma airport. The other is named for Selma's first airport, which was named after the town's first post office, which opened in 1881. It is the only airport in the state to be named after a former post office in Selma, the first one being opened in 1886. The current post office was established in 1891 and is called Selma Airport, after the first Selma post office. It was named for the Selma Post Office, which closed in 1883. The town's name is derived from the name of its first postmaster, William "Bill" Craig, who was born in 1875. The first Selmma postmaster was William "William" Craig (1876-1883).

Education

Selma City Schools operates the city's public schools. Selma has four private K12 schools: John T. Morgan Academy, Meadowview Christian School, Ellwood Christian Academy, and Cathedral Christian Academy. Wallace Community College Selma is located at the edge of the city limits near Valley Grande, Alabama. Concordia College Alabama, a private Lutheran university, operated in Selma from 1922 to 2018. Daniel Payne College, an institution of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, operated from 1889 to 1922. The city has eight elementary schools and eight middle schools. The public high school is Selma High School. The school district has a budget of $1.6 million. The district has an enrollment of 1,856. The state has a population of 1.2 million, and the state has an unemployment rate of 4.7%. The city's population is 1,788. The county has aPopulation of 2,071. The town has a poverty rate of 2.1%. The state's unemployment rate is 4.8%. The county's poverty rate is 5.1 percent. The local school district's budget is $1 million. the state's poverty rates are 5.2 percent. the city has a unemployment rate at 5.7 percent. It has a Poverty Rate of 3.7 per cent and a poverty Rate of 6.1 per cent. It is the largest city in the state with a poverty level of 6 per cent, and a Poverty Reduction Rate of 7.2 per cent in the county.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Selma, Dallas County, Alabama = 89. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 100. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 91. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Selma = 5.3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 17,971 individuals with a median age of 37 age the population dropped by -8.90% in Selma, Dallas County, Alabama population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,301.40 residents per square mile of area (502.46/km²). There are average 2.33 people per household in the 7,792 households with an average household income of $24,287 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 21.40% of the available work force and has dropped -12.61% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by -6.62%. The number of physicians in Selma per 100,000 population = 135.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Selma = 52.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.3 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 98. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 215. 92 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 38.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 26, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Selma, Dallas County, Alabama which are owned by the occupant = 44.64%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 44 years with median home cost = $66,330 and home appreciation of -1.07%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $3.43 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,176 per student. There are 16.6 students for each teacher in the school, 298 students for each Librarian and 417 students for each Counselor. 5.75% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 10.92% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.61% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).