| Weather | | How much crime? | | What are the neighborhoods like? | | What are the people like? |
| Selma, like most North Carolina small towns(that are not in the mountains), is generally hot in the summer with temperatures getting up in the hundreds, but 90-94 is the norm. The winters can be cold but they rarely reach freezing temperatures for long periods of time(maybe a week at a time but not for much longer than that). We normally looked forward to temperatures above 32 but below or around 60. It rarely snows or floods in Selma. We had been very fortunate to be in a place that hurricanes did not blow through and when they did there was no real damage. However Johnston County gets a lot of tornado warnings. While living there I never saw or heard of one touching down though. | | While living in Selma I never saw or was a victim of crime. I heard about motorcycles being stolen and the LoJack being taken out. Apparently some had been found in the woods just beyond some trees and all the ones that had had Lojack had the system removed. We were going to buy an old house that was on W Anderson St. and, it had been empty for quite a while, some people broke in the backdoor and stole a lot of stuff. The criminals were caught but most of the furniture had been sold already. Other than those things I have seen moonshine and drug related crimes being committed. A friend of mine was shot in Selma over drugs. I would say I am personally an upstanding citizen and rarely break any laws but it was easy for me to become friends with a drug dealer and come into contact with a burglarized house, that was right up the street from us. While looking at another house that was for sale we discovered someone had broken into the home, which was empty. My husband reported it to the Realtor. When we came back to officially view the house, which was in Smithfield, we were told by an officer checking up on the place that some teens had done it on a break from school. | | The best part of Selma, as it seems for most small towns, was what we called Main St.(it was actually E. Anderson) which ran into W. Anderson St were all of the historical homes are. The homes around and on W. Anderson were all at least 90 to 100 years old. However, literally across the tracks there was a lot of unsavory things going on. This was up Buffalo Road to Pollock St and down S. Massey St. There were a lot of people hanging out late at night, drinking, and smoking especially on the weekends. This was around S. Massey St. Literally, N. Massey St, across the tracks, was a good neighborhood. Around S.Massey St was an okay neighborhood but you were more likely to find drugs and trouble if you really wanted it. | | People in Selma are generally nice and inviting. Selma is another farming and blue collar community where there are a great deal of the elderly. It isn't called the Antique Capital for nothing. If you are an older retired person who bought a house on W. Anderson you will definitely be in a good place. If you are a young person with a good education in IT who wants cheaper land or housing you can possibly find a job at SYSCO Food's Raleigh on off of Buffalo road and you would be a good fit. |
| Downtown Area | | Restaurants | | Schools | | Single life |
| As previously stated there a a ton of shopping opportunities in the Selma/Smithfield area. Within walking distance of Massey St there is (Main St)E. Anderson St and Raiford St. Around there you will find boutiques, theaters, the post office, and all the antique shops Selma is famous for. Within a 30 minute drive you have the Carolina Outlets with restaurants like Texas Steak house and Golden Corral. You have White Oak Shopping center where there are yet more restaurants. You can find a Gold's Gym and even a smoothie place,Juiced Up, out that way. | | The best restaurant I have been to in Selma was Uncle Bills sandwich shop. It is a greasy spoon but they have good food. The atmosphere is redneck/blue collar and it feels like someone might live there because of all the owners familial pictures on the walls. The owners are a married couple and they are nice people. | | I did not go to the public schools there. What I heard was that the schools, especially the one that used the Aquadics center, were decent. I did not hear of drugs or bomb threats in the schools like in Henderson. | | I feel there are infinitely more opportunities for singles in Selma because of Clayton and Smithfield so close. There are restaurants, stores, gyms,bars,clubs and the open air mall where you can meet people. Since people are closer together you could even find someone through your local friends. |
| Noise | | town comparison vs. | | Best hospital | | Tourist attractions |
| Since Selma has an Amtrak stop in the town you will hear the train coming through at night and during the day. However it was a convenience some people liked. From S. Massey Street you could bike to the Amtrak station. | | Selma is a small town but compared to some other places I have lived it is actually pretty diverse, business and people wise . Opposed to a place like Warrenton,Selma is booming. Compared to Raleigh, Selma is a slow paced town. Selma amazed me because you are within half an hour from the city limits there is White Oak shopping center(Garner), and Carolina Premium Outlets that has food like Outback Steakhouse and Cold Stone Creamery, you can exercise and swim at the Aquatics Center and bike on the Smithfield Greenway(Smithfield), you can go to Tucker Lake for a "beach day"(Benson), or you could see what Garner has to offer. Warrenton in comparison is also a farm community but you don't have so many choices so close to you. You can even find a couple of clubs and bars nearby, Joco and the Little Brown Jug. Raleigh has more of things close enough for you to walk to ,in some places, and a bus system to get you there if you want. Warrenton probably has less people but Raleigh has more than the Selma and Smithfield areas. Also there are a lot more antique stores in Selma than in Warrenton and maybe even Raleigh. | | Johnston County Memorial hospital is on Brightleaf BVLD. I have never heard any one complain about it and I have never had to go. | | The nicest place in the area to go is the Smithfield Greenway. It is nice to take your bike to in the summer, fall, and spring. Most of the path is shaded by leaves when they are still on the trees. You can bike or walk from the Aquatics center or you can start behind the Little Brown Jug or behind the Howell Theater which is more in the heart of Smithfield. The path is 3 miles one way. It is well kept and beautiful. The Aquatics Center also had a frisbee golf course, a soccer field, a baseball field, and a play ground. |
| General comments | | | | | | |
| This town feels like it is growing into something bigger but it feels like it will still be a small town. It feels like a farm town that actually made it through all of the issues farmers had when all their young left for bigger cities. I think it feels that way because Smithfield is minutes away and Smithfield is where all the fun stuff is. I get the feeling that Selma is a good place to live if you want to be close to a lot of shopping places. I also feel like you could get into big trouble if you are looking for it but there is anywhere. Selma, surprising, is a good place to soak up culture, history, and get into shape. | | | | | | |
