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Old 01-20-2015, 09:13 PM
 
Location: denton tx
30 posts, read 49,410 times
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so i was wondering i have read that selma al is losing population and the town is a dump how can a town with so much history go down hill
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Old 01-21-2015, 08:44 AM
 
28,896 posts, read 53,965,887 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by musiclover12 View Post
so i was wondering i have read that selma al is losing population and the town is a dump how can a town with so much history go down hill
In a word? It was a Black Belt farming town that lucked into an air force base in 1940. Once the base shut down in the late 70s, it became a Black Belt farming town once again.

There's just not a lot to recommend it in terms of a diversified economy. It's not close to an interstate. It's not on a major rail line. There's no waterway that's navigable to barge traffic. It's not situated close to any significant mineral deposits. And it's too close to cities such as Meridian, Tuscaloosa, and Montgomery to act as a major commercial center. The city's sole claim to fame is that, fifty years ago, civil rights marchers were clubbed by Alabama state troopers in one of this country's darkest days.
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Old 01-21-2015, 10:36 AM
 
23,533 posts, read 69,968,609 times
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"how can a town with so much history go down hill"
<shrug>
Look at Detroit. Very few towns can survive on history alone.
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Old 01-21-2015, 01:04 PM
 
Location: Alabama!
6,048 posts, read 18,343,610 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpg35223 View Post
The city's sole claim to fame is that, fifty years ago, civil rights marchers were clubbed by Alabama state troopers in one of this country's darkest days.
It also has some historic antebellum homes.
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Old 01-21-2015, 01:27 PM
 
Location: Birmingham
11,787 posts, read 17,653,233 times
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Well yeah, its got some Civil War history and cred but it is tough to parlay that into income for the whole town and its residents.
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Old 01-21-2015, 01:53 PM
 
Location: Birmingham
779 posts, read 1,003,297 times
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I don't think there ever was much to Selma, was there? I mean, it does have some history with significance in the civil right era and during the civil was. However, I don't think the city really ever when anywhere or had much promise.

Losing population and industry in Selma? Not that surprising. Losing so much in a city like Detroit is completely different. Those two don't really compare at all. However, even Detroit isn't really that surprising.
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Old 01-22-2015, 10:36 AM
 
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Essentially, the die was cast on Selma's economic future when the interstate routes were decided.

For Selma to have any hope, there will have to be the extension of I-85 from Montgomery to I20/59 at the Mississippi line. Until that happens, nada.
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Old 01-22-2015, 10:52 AM
 
2,327 posts, read 2,899,574 times
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It looks pretty bad when streetviewing it but not quite as bad yet as Detroit or Camden, so maybe there is still hope. There are some boarded up homes, empty stores, roads in need of repair but it doesn't seem to have completely decayed yet. Really sad to see this happening to cities all over the US, it is really becoming a huge nationwide problem.

Why is this town called Selma? It is a girls name over here.
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Old 01-22-2015, 11:27 AM
 
Location: Birmingham
11,787 posts, read 17,653,233 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drro View Post
Why is this town called Selma? It is a girls name over here.
A girl's name would be just as good as any other reason, why does that matter?

But since you asked..

History of Selma

and from the wiki page...

Quote:
The city was planned and named as Selma by William R. King, a politician and planter from North Carolina who was a future Vice President of the United States. The name, meaning "high seat" or "throne", came from the Ossianic poem The Songs of Selma
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Old 01-24-2015, 03:47 PM
 
2,327 posts, read 2,899,574 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tourian View Post
A girl's name would be just as good as any other reason, why does that matter?

But since you asked..

History of Selma

and from the wiki page...

The city was planned and named as Selma by William R. King, a politician and planter from North Carolina who was a future Vice President of the United States. The name, meaning "high seat" or "throne", came from the Ossianic poem The Songs of Selma
Well, it seems Selma has fallen from the throne by now. But thanks for the explanation. I hope she will revive.
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