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| District of \'Selby' shown within North Yorkshire | |
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Selby is a town in North Yorkshire, England, located at at 53°48'00" North, 01°04'00" West (53.8000, -1.0667)1. The population of the town in 1997 was 12,000, and according to the 2001 UK census that of the district was 76,468. The local authority, Selby District Council, is based in the town and provides services to an area which includes Tadcaster and a host of villages.
Selby boasts an abbey which was founded by Benedict in 1069 and subsequently built by the de Lacy family. Much of the historical wealth of the town is based upon its position upon the banks of the tidal River Ouse. It has had in the past a shipbuilding industry, as well as a strong mining industry in the area. That has all now disappeared and the main income for the area is derived from arable farming and the travel to work areas of Leeds, Wakefield, York and Goole.
Since the City of York was removed from North Yorkshire, Selby has been rather isolated from the rest of North Yorkshire. It is expected that if a regional assembly for Yorkshire and the Humber is introduced and North Yorkshire County Council abolished, then Selby will be annexed to the East Riding of Yorkshire.