Selby Avenue

The street was named after Jeremiah W. Selby, who owned a farm on St. Anthony Hill, the present location of the Cathedral of Saint Paul.

[3] Henry Mower Rice scoffed at Selby buying a plot of land so removed from Downtown Saint Paul, swampy and inaccessible due to the river bluff.

[3] Construction of the tunnel significantly decreased travel time and caused a sudden increase in development of the neighborhood along the line.

[2] Saint Paul's Jewish population briefly settled along Selby Avenue after becoming more successful before moving to Highland Park.

When businesses found they could no longer get insurance for their properties on Selby Avenue they moved leaving vacant storefronts.

[18] Saint Paul City Council member Bill Wilson attempted to rename the street after Roy Wilkins in the fall of 1982.

[12] The City of Saint Paul owned the lots on southwest and northeast corners of Selby and Dale in 1988 and was actively trying to sell them to a developer.

[1] The two empty lots on Selby and Dale were not filled in until the late 1990s with the construction of a co-op grocery store, Mississippi Market, and restaurants opening on the other corner.

[20][21][22] The present day East end of Selby Avenue is home to a number of thriving businesses, including cafes, restaurants, gastropubs and boutiques, and renewed efforts to push this development West of Dale.

The corridor from downtown Saint Paul to Uptown, Minneapolis via Selby Avenue and Lake Street is currently undergoing study for improved bus service as the METRO B Line.

Significant congestion can occur from traffic traveling between I-94 and I-35E via Snelling, Selby, and Ayd Mill Road.