California note
Selma still carries its Raisin Capital farm roots
Selma’s old nicknames tell you a lot about the city. Its economic profile points back to roots as “A Peach of a City” and the “Raisin Capital of the World.”
Those names do real work. They point to a farm economy built around fruit, vineyards, packing, and the larger Fresno County food landscape. Even as Selma grows and adds new business activity, that agricultural identity is still part of how the city presents itself.
The local color matters because many Highway 99 towns can blur together from the road. Selma’s farm names give it a sharper shape. Peaches and raisins are everyday foods, but here they also point to labor, fields, weather, packing seasons, and families who built lives around crops.
Start downtown and then notice how close the agricultural land still feels. Selma’s story sits between town blocks, packing-house memory, and farm rows.
Where to see it
Selma's downtown and farm country in southern Fresno County.
Sources
Sources for this story
Reviewed July 1, 2026
Public sources for the places, events, and details above.
Connected places
Open the local directory
Related notes
Related California notes
The Clovis Rodeo keeps the farm-town week on the calendar
The Clovis Rodeo grew from a 1914 community festival with horse races, picnics, games, and a parade into one of Fresno County's signature western events.
Read next →Firebaugh began with a ferry, a stage stop, and a road west
Firebaugh's early story runs through Andrew Firebaugh's San Joaquin River ferry, the Butterfield stage route, Pacheco Pass, and a small historic jail.
Read next →Kerman's first story is a water stop, a robbery, and farms
Kerman grew from a Southern Pacific water stop named Collis into an irrigated farm town with one of the valley's memorable train robbery stories.
Read next →