Selfoss is a town in southern Iceland on the banks of the Ölfusá river.
It is part, and seat, of the municipality Árborg. The Ring Road (Icelandic: Hringvegur) runs through the town on its way between Hveragerdi and Hella. It is a centre of commerce and small industries of 6,512 inhabitants (2011), which makes it the largest residential area in South Iceland.
The town is located on the southwestern coast of Iceland, 50 km from Reykjavík. It is the major town and the administrative seat of the Southern Region. The closest towns are Stokkseyri, Eyrarbakki and Hveragerdi.
Although "foss" means waterfall in Icelandic, there are no waterfalls in the town.
Selfoss was settled by Þórir Ásason sometime after 1000; however, the Icelandic sagas mention that Ingólfur Arnarson was here during the winter of 873-74 under the mountain Ingólfsfjall, which is west of the Ölfusá.
In the summer of 1891, due to the lobbying of Tryggvi Gunnarsson, a member of the Alþing, the first suspension bridge was built over the Ölfusá. This was a major undertaking for Icelandic infrastructure. The bridge made the town a logical centre for services for the surrounding agricultural region. The current bridge was built in 1945 after the original structure collapsed.
In 1900 there were only 40 inhabitants, but by 2006 the population had climbed to 6000.
In 1931 the dairy firm Mjólkurbú Flóamanna and general store Kaupfélag Árnesinga were established. These two companies were the main employers in the area for several decades. During World War II the British stationed troops at Selfoss to guard the strategic bridge.
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