Town file
Selma, North Carolina
Selma, North Carolina (Johnston County, North Carolina) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 740, "Stormy, Deadly Night" (2 October 2026). Selma is a small town in Johnston County in east central North Carolina, about 35 minutes from Raleigh, with a population of 6,317.
- Town
- Selma
- County
- Johnston County
- State
- North Carolina
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 740
- Approximate location
- 35.540, -78.292
Episode 740 / 2 October 2026 / 76 min / express
Stormy, Deadly Night
"this is in Selma, North Carolina; this is in Johnston County" about 0:06:02
The case: Murder of Leland Grice (May 1, 1989). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 6,317
- Median household income
- $25,421
- Median home value
- $245,100
History, in brief
- May 1st, 1867: lots were sold all around a newly established station on the North Carolina Railroad, and the town existed because of the railroad. about 0:07:56
- The town was officially chartered in 1873. about 0:08:14
- Electric lights and a water system arrived around 1913. about 0:08:24
- Nice spacious houses were built that are still standing in the downtown area. about 0:08:42
- The town grew cotton first, then switched to tobacco when cotton prices sank during the Depression. about 0:08:53
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Loves the town, has lived there since birth, calm place with good experiences and helpful friends."about 0:09:22
3 stars
"Believes it is a great area but old and worn in places, with too little for the youth to keep them in school and off the streets."about 0:09:55
2 stars
"Small town where the areas furthest from the township are the best place to live, quaint country life and quite a few Wi-Fi accessible locations, written in 2021."about 0:10:27
2 stars
"Melanie Barbee says it is a very small town with minimum opportunities, that she has lived there 18 years, that the best part is knowing everything that goes on and that it needs more parks and family things to do."about 0:11:17
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Cary, North Carolina34 miles
- Clinton, North Carolina37 miles
- Raeford, North Carolina65 miles
- Washington, North Carolina70 miles
- Red Springs, North Carolina71 miles
- Burlington, North Carolina76 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.