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Greenville, Texas

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Template:Other places Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Greenville (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, located in Northeast Texas approximately Template:Convert northeast of Dallas, Texas and Template:Convert northwest of Canton, Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Hunt County.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,164.

Greenville was named for Thomas J. Green,<ref name="ThomasGreen">Template:Cite web</ref> a significant contributor to the founding of the Texas Republic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

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File:Cotton scene, public square, Greenville, Texas.jpg
Cotton scene, public square, Greenville, Texas (postcard, Template:Circa)

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.<ref>"Greenville, Texas" Template:Webarchive, found in the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities</ref>

With a population of 12,384 in the 1920 census, the city was the 20th-most populous city in Texas at the time.

In World War II, the Mexican Escuadrón 201 was stationed in Greenville while training at nearby Majors Field.

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."<ref>Peter Carlson, "In a Bethesda Bookstore, the Prints of Propaganda", Washington Post (May 16, 2004), D01.</ref><ref name="Sturdevant">Paul E. Sturdevant, "Black and White With Shades of Gray: The Greenville Sign", East Texas Historical Journal, Vol. 42, Iss. 1, pp. 25–33.</ref> 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.<ref name="Sturdevant"/> 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.<ref name="Sturdevant"/>

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.<ref>Brian Hart, Peniel, TX, in Handbook of Texas Online (uploaded June 2010).</ref>

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".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, on August 21, 2012, Lightning Medicine Cloud died. The sheriff's department declared it had died from a bacterial infection,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but the owners disagree, claiming that the buffalo was allegedly skinned by an unknown party.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

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File:Old map-Greenville-1886.jpg
Panoramic map of the city in 1886 with list of landmarks

Greenville is located in Northeast Texas in central Hunt County, in the heart of the Texas blackland prairies, Template:Convert northeast of Dallas and approximately Template:Convert south of the Texas/Oklahoma border, on the eastern edge of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, and the western edge of East Texas.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Greenville has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert, or 2.46%, is covered by water.<ref name="Census 2010" /> The Cowleech Fork of the Sabine River flows through the northeastern part of the city.

Climate

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Greenville has a humid subtropical climate. Due to its location on the Northeast Texas prairies, its weather is typically humid with mild precipitation.

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Demographics

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Template:US Census population

<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Greenville racial composition as of 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
(NH = Non-Hispanic)Template:Efn
Race Number Percentage
White (NH) 14,525 51.57%
Black or African American (NH) 3,892 13.82%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 142 0.5%
Asian (NH) 368 1.31%
Pacific Islander (NH) 40 0.14%
Some Other Race (NH) 108 0.38%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) 1,207 4.29%
Hispanic or Latino 7,882 27.99%
Total 28,164

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 28,164 people, 10,454 households, and 6,602 families residing in the city.

Economy

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File:Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum July 2015 32 (Hunt County cotton exhibit).jpg
The Hunt County cotton exhibit at the Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum
File:Greenville August 2015 42 (Northeast Texas Farmers Co-op Sabine Valley Feeds feed mill).jpg
The 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<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 saddle making industry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Greenville August 2015 23 (Greenville Municipal Auditorium).jpg
Greenville Municipal Auditorium in August 2015

According to the city's 2022–2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 L3Harris 6,500
2 Hunt Regional Medical Center 1,100
3 Greenville Independent School District 844
4 McKesson 500
5 Hunt County 350
6 Solvay 350
7 City of Greenville 301
8 Masonite International 250
9 Walmart Supercenter 250
10 Cytec Engineered Materials 225
11 Weatherford International 225
12 Innovation First 225
13 Raytheon 200
14 West Rock 130
File:Greenville August 2015 48 (Hunt Regional Medical Center).jpg
Hunt Regional Medical Center

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 also home to the Hunt Regional Medical Center.

Media

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File:KGVL.jpg
KGVL radio station in Greenville

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

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File:Paris Junior College Greenville Center.jpg
Paris Junior College in Greenville

Primary and secondary education of Greenville is provided by Greenville Independent School District along with a charter school, Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy, and private institutions such as Greenville Christian School.

Postsecondary education is offered through Paris Junior College-Greenville Center. East Texas A&M University, a major university of over 12,000 students, is located Template:Convert northeast in Commerce.

Government

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Local government

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File:Greenville August 2015 33 (Police & Courts).jpg
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.<ref>City of Greenville 2009 CAFR Retrieved 2010-11-16</ref>

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.

State government

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Greenville is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Angela Paxton, District 8, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Brent Money, District 2.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Greenville District Parole Office in Greenville.<ref>"Parole Division Region I Template:Webarchive." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.</ref>

Federal government

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Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are Texas's U. S. Senators. Before the 2020 redistricting cycle, Greenville was represented by Texas's 4th congressional district for several decades. Since 2021, Greenville has been represented by Republican Keith Self who represents Texas's 3rd congressional district.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The United States Postal Service operates the Greenville,<ref>"Post Office Location – GREENVILLE Template:Webarchive." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.</ref> Greenville Finance,<ref>"Post Office Location – GREENVILLE FINANCETemplate:Dead link." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.</ref> and Rolling Hills post . offices.<ref>"Post Office Location – ROLLING HILLS Template:Webarchive." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.</ref>

Transportation

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Roads

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Interstate 30

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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

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  • File:US 67.svg U.S. Highway 67 (Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway)<ref name=HB2005/> runs concurrent with Interstate 30 through Greenville.
  • File:US 69.svg 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).
  • File:US 380.svg U.S. 380 (Joe Ramsey Boulevard/Lee Street) heads west out of Greenville through Farmersville, McKinney, and Denton. U.S. 380 is a four-lane divided highway. Within Greenville city limits it runs mostly concurrent with U.S. 69 along Joe Ramsey Boulevard.
  • File:Business plate.svg
    File:US 69.svg 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).

State highways

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Farm-to-Market roads

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Airports

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The nearest airports with passenger air service are Dallas Love Field (55.4 miles)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (70.0 miles).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Majors Airport is a municipal airport located in Greenville.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Public transportation

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File:Connection Bus.jpg
A Connection bus in Greenville

"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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable people

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See also

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Notes

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References

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Further reading

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  • Babb, Milton. (2010). "Hunt County, An Illustrated History." Historical Publishing Network. Template:ISBN
  • Huey, Brenda. (2006). The Blackest Land The Whitest People. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. Template:ISBN
  • Mathews, Paul. (2001). I Remember... Personal Reflections on Greenville and Hunt County, Texas. Henington Publishing. Template:ISBN
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