For other places with the same name, see Greenville.

Greenville, Texas
Location of Greenville, Texas
Coordinates: 33°7′34″N 96°6′35″W / 33.12611, -96.10972
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Hunt
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2000)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	75401-75404
Area code(s)	903
FIPS code	48-309202
GNIS feature ID	13777553

Flag of Greenville

Greenville is a city in Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 23,960. It is the county seat of Hunt County⁶.

Greenville was named for Thomas J. Green, a general in the Texas Army in the war for independence from Mexico. He later became a member of the Congress of the Republic of Texas. The city narrowly escaped being named “Pinckneyville” in honor of James Pinckney Henderson, the first Governor of Texas.

Geography

Greenville is located at 33°7′34″N, 96°6′35″W (33.126004, -96.109703)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 89.9 km² (34.7 mi²). 87.8 km² (33.9 mi²) of it is land and 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (2.30%) is water.

Entertainment includes the Kenneth Threadgill Concert series, which brings well-known Texas performers to the Municipal Auditorium stage in three concerts per year; the Greenville Entertainment Series, a subscription concert series featuring artists from a variety of musical genres; the Symphony Festival Series, which brings the world-famous Dallas Symphony Orchestra to Greenville for three concerts and an additional children's concert per year; and the Greenville Follies, a musical review showcasing local talent every other year. Local clubs with musical entertainment, live theater in nearby Commerce, local art shows, a movie theater, a bowling alley and year-round celebrations and special events offer additional entertainment.

History

Greenville is infamous for a banner that hung over Lee Steet in the downtown district between the train station and the bus station from the 1920's to 1960's . The banner read "Welcome to Greenville, The Blackest Land, The Whitest People".[1] The same sentiment was also printed on the city water tower.[2] An image of the sign was available as a postcard.[3] From the 1960's to the 1970's the sign was replaced by one that read "The Blackest Land, The Greatest People". Subsequently the sign was taken down entirely. The banner is now displayed in the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 23,960 people, 9,156 households, and 6,171 families residing in the city. The population density was 272.8/km² (706.5/mi²). There were 9,977 housing units at an average density of 113.6/km² (294.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.71% White, 18.86% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 8.19% from other races, and 2.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.65% of the population.

There were 9,156 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,606, and the median income for a family was $41,808. Males had a median income of $31,556 versus $22,373 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,231. About 11.3% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.8% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

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 L3 Communications Integrated Systems, 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. Greenville is known internationally for its saddle making industry.

Famous residents

• Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier of World War II, spent many of his early years in Greenville. The Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum contains memorabilia related to both Audie Murphy and the history of the cotton industry in Texas in and around Hunt County.
• Monty Stratton, a famous major league baseball pitcher from the 1930's.
• Robert Neyland, Hall of Fame Football Coach at Tennessee and decorated officer in the U.S. Army .
• Ben Kweller, American Rock Musician
• Wade Wilson, Former NFL and Dallas Cowboy Quarterback
• Duane Thomas, Former NFL and Dallas Cowboy Running Back
• Bart Millard, Lead singer of the contemporary Christian band MercyMe.

References

• Romero, Simon. "A Texas Town Nervously Awaits a New Neighbor", New York Times, August 21, 2005.

Further Reading

• Huey, Brenda. (2006). The Blackest Land The Whitest People. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1425944247

External links

City in 1886

• City of Greenville – Official site.
• Greenville Chamber of Commerce
• Friends of Main street

Coordinates: 33.126004° N 96.109703° W

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