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An Editorial Opinion of The Selma Times-Journal

When most folks think about Selma, you might not think about it being a hub for many industries, but it is.

Earlier this year, Site Selection magazine listed Selma in the Top 40 micropolitans in the country. Just so that you know, that publication defines a micropolitan as cities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000 that cover at least one county.

Selma fits into that category. Just so that you know, other Alabama micropolitans were ranked in this study. Cullman was ranked No. 2. LaGrange, which covers both Alabama and Georgia, was ranked 16th.

What made Selma garner a top 40 ranking was the fact that there were three projects that were completed last year. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but the work to bring in three new companies and getting them set up is tremendous. 

You might not believe it, but Selma has 35 distributors or manufacturers in the county. There are four industrial parks. And there were seven announcements made last year.

Sure there are some issues the city needs to work on, especially when it comes to its public image and quality of life issues. One thing that is not a problem has been having plenty of workforce jobs

Our annual Salute to Industry magazine will be coming out in a few weeks, and we will be highlighting those great successes we have seen. The magazine will expand on some of the numbers we’ve shared with you today. 

Having this information should be a great foundation for the city to build on. The foundation is there, but it will require the city coming together as a team to build Selma into the city it can be.