Cotton scene, public square, Greenville, Texas (postcard, c. 1908)
Greenville was founded in 1846. The city was named after Thomas J. Green, a significant contributor to the establishment of the Texas Republic. He later became a member of the Congress of the Texas Republic.
As the Civil War loomed, Greenville was divided over the issue of secession, as were several area towns and counties. Greenville attorney and State Senator Martin D. Hart was a prominent Unionist. He formed a company of men who fought for the Union in Arkansas, even as other Greenville residents fought for the Confederacy. The divided nature of Greenville and Hunt County is noted by a historical marker in "The SPOT" Park at 2800 Lee Street in downtown Greenville. In the post-Civil War era, Greenville's economy became partly dependent on cotton, as the local economy entered a period of transition.[12]
With a population of 12,384 in the 1920 census, the city was the 20th-largest city in Texas at the time.
Greenville was notorious for a large sign, installed on July 7, 1921, over Lee Street, the main street in the downtown district, between the train station and the bus station in the 1920s to 1960s. The sign read: "Welcome to Greenville, The Blackest Land, The Whitest People."[13][14] According to history teacher Paul E. Sturdevant of Greenville, the original intent behind "the whitest people" was to define "the citizens of Greenville as friendly, trustworthy, and
helpful was sincere, and it was meant to include all citizens, regardless of race."[14] In pre-civil rights America, the phrase "That's mighty White of you" meant that you were honest, not like suspect Blacks. The sign thus acquired racial overtones, and the original sign was taken down and placed into storage on April 13, 1965, possibly at the urging of Texas Governor John Connally, who had made a visit to the town weeks before.[14] In 1968, Greenville's Sybil Maddux had the sign reinstalled, with the wording modified to read "The Greatest People"; the original sign is in the collection of the Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum.[14]
In 1957, Greenville annexed the small town of Peniel, which had been founded in 1899 as a Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene community centered around Texas Holiness University. The annexation was approved by the citizens of Peniel, which at the time had a population around 157.[15]
On May 12, 2011, a white buffalo was born near Greenville during a thunderstorm on the ranch of Arby Littlesoldier, who identified himself as a great-great-grandson of Sitting Bull. A public naming ceremony and dedication was held on June 29, 2011, during which the male calf was officially given the name "Lightning Medicine Cloud".[16] However, on August 21, 2012, Lightning Medicine Cloud died. The sheriff's department declared it had died from a bacterial infection,[17] but the owners disagree, claiming that the buffalo was allegedly skinned by an unknown party.[18]
Geography
Panoramic map of the city in 1886 with list of landmarks
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Greenville has a total area of 33.4 square miles (86.6 km2), of which 32.6 square miles (84.5 km2) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2), or 2.46%, is covered by water.[7] The Cowleech Fork of the Sabine River flows through the northeastern part of the city.
Climate
Greenville has a humid subtropical climate. Due to its location on the Northeast Texas prairies, its weather is typically humid with mild precipitation.
Climate data for Greenville, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1900–present)
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 28,164 people, 10,454 households, and 6,602 families residing in the city.
Economy
The Hunt County cotton exhibit at the Audie Murphy American Cotton MuseumThe Northeast Texas Farmers Co-op Sabine Valley Feeds mill in Greenville
In early years, Hunt County was known as the cotton capital of the world. The world's largest inland cotton compress was located in Greenville until it was destroyed by fire in the mid-1900s.
Currently, the largest industry is L3Harris[25] Mission Integration Division (MID, formerly L3, E-Systems, Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems (RIIS, IIS)) a major U.S. defense contractor located at Majors Airport. This airport, created in 1942 and initially financed by the local Rotary Club, was used as a training base for P-47 Thunderbolt fighter pilots in World War II, and since then has served as a focal point for economic growth in Greenville.
Tourism is playing an increasing role in the local economy, with attractions such as Splash Kingdom Water Park located on Interstate 30, and the redeveloping historic downtown featuring Landon Winery and the restored vintage Texan Theater, which opened in 2014. Greenville is also known for its saddlemaking industry.[citation needed]
Greenville Municipal Auditorium in August 2015
According to the city's 2017–2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[26] the top employers in the city are:
Entertainment includes multiple concerts at the Greenville Municipal Auditorium; the DSO Concert Series, which brings the world-famous Dallas Symphony Orchestra to Greenville for three concerts and an additional children's concert per year; and community theatre productions from Greenville Family Theatre and Greenville Theatre Works. The historic Texan Theatre brings in multiple concerts each year, and local clubs with musical entertainment, live theater in nearby Commerce, local art shows, a movie theater and a bowling alley offer year-round entertainment.
Tourism draws include the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum and the historic downtown area, which includes wineries, antique malls, public gardens, boutique shopping, and regular events at the 1,400-seat Greenville Municipal Auditorium. The Lee Street Jamboree is held the third weekend each September and includes the Cotton Patch Challenge Bicycle Ride. Each year the community and city sponsor a Christmas Parade and Veteran's Day Parade. In November each year the Bob Wills Fiddle Festival is held downtown and at the Greenville Municipal Auditorium. Other annual events include the Hunt County Festival of the Arts, the Hunt County Fair, Lit-Con, the Bottle Rocket Bash on July 4, and multiple local events sponsored by community groups and churches.
Greenville is served by Dallas/Fort Worth television stations on local cable and also regular programming.
KGVL radio serves the city of Greenville. KETR in Commerce also serves the city of Greenville due to the proximity of the two cities.
In addition to The Dallas Morning News, which serves the entire Dallas/Fort Worth area, Greenville is served by a local daily newspaper, the Herald-Banner.
Education
Paris Junior College in Greenville
Primary and secondary education of Greenville is provided by Greenville Independent School District along with private institutions such as Greenville Christian School.
Greenville Police and Courts building in August 2015
According to the city's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Fund Financial Statements, the city's various funds had $19.9 million in revenues, $21.7 million in expenditures, $10.1 million in total assets, $1.8 million in total liabilities, and $1.4 million in investments.[27]
The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:[28]
Department
Director
City manager
Summer Spurlock
City attorney
Daniel Ray
City secretary
Carla Oldacre
Police chief
Chris Smith
Fire chief
Jeremy Powell
Community development director
Steve Methven
Venue & Tourism manager
Micah McBay
Finance director
GP Ippolito
Human resources director
Sheri W. Wells
Public works director
Vacant
Library director
John Hayden
Parks and recreation director
Brett Quarles
Greenville is a voluntary member of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the purpose of which is to coordinate individual and collective local governments and facilitate regional solutions, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and enable joint decisions.
Commercial and residential developments line the interstate from Monty Stratton Parkway through Lamar Street. The frontage roads have recently been converted to one-way for safety due to increased traffic.
U.S. highways
U.S. Highway 67 (Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway)[35] runs concurrent with Interstate 30 through Greenville.
U.S. 69 (Joe Ramsey Boulevard) serves as a partial loop through Greenville. It connects with Celeste, Leonard, and Denison to the north and with Lone Oak, Mineola, and Tyler to the south. U.S. 69 is a four-lane divided highway from U.S. 380 / Texas Highway 302 to just past Business U.S. 69 (Moulton Street).
Business U.S. 69 follows several local streets which serve the northern, downtown, and southern areas of the city. It starts and ends at U.S. 69. The local street names are Rees Street (through Peniel), Sockwell Street (north of downtown), Stonewall Street / Johnson Street (couplet through downtown, where Stonewall is southbound and Johnson is northbound), Park Street (east of downtown), and Moulton Street (south of downtown and over Interstate 30).
Texas Highway Spur 302 (Lee Street / Washington Street) serves as an east–west route through Greenville. It starts at U.S. 69 / U.S. 380 at the west end and ends at Interstate 30 at the east end. The route, mostly on Lee Street, goes through downtown as a couplet, where Lee Street goes eastbound and Washington Street goes westbound.
"The Connection" serves Greenville and all of Hunt County. The transit system operates Monday through Friday from 7 am to 7 pm. Reservations have to be made one day in advance. The charge is $2 ($4 round trip) if the passenger is traveling to a place within the same community or city, and $3 ($6 round trip) if the passenger is traveling from one city or community to another within Hunt County. The Connection will take Hunt County residents to Dallas, on a round-trip only basis: passengers are charged $34, and a minimum of three passengers is required.[39]
Maud Crawford, first woman to practice law in Camden, Arkansas; disappeared in 1957 amid international attention; born in Greenville in 1891[40]
Kay Granger, a Republican politician representing Texas' 12th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives
Dean E. Hallmark, pilot in the Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942, on Tokyo; captured and executed by Japanese; member of first Greenville High School football team to reach state playoffs in 1931
Earl Thomas, former wide receiver of NFL's Chicago Bears, St. Louis Cardinals, and Houston Oilers
Jimmy Thomas, former running back of NFL's San Francisco 49ers
Mike Thomas, NFL running back for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers; won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1975 and went to Pro Bowl after 1976 NFL season
Francia White, opera singer, radio and television personality during 1930s and 1940s
^Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[23][24]
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