Greenville

Greenville, Texas
—  City  —
Flag
Location of Greenville, Texas
Coordinates: 33°7′34″N 96°6′35″W / 33.12611°N 96.10972°W / 33.12611; -96.10972
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Hunt
Area
- Total	34.7 sq mi (89.9 km2)
- Land	33.9 sq mi (87.8 km2)
- Water	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2)
Elevation	541 ft (165 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	23,960
- Density	706.5/sq mi (272.8/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	75401-75404
Area code(s)	903, 430
FIPS code	48-30920[1]
GNIS feature ID	1377755[2]

Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County,^[3] Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 23,960.

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 was almost 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 / 33.12611°N 96.10972°W / 33.12611; -96.10972 (33.126004, -96.109703).^[4]

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

History

City in 1886

Greenville was founded in 1846. The town was famous (or infamous) for a sign that hung over Lee Street, the main street in the downtown district, between the train station and the bus station from the 1920s to 1960s. The banner read "Welcome to Greenville, The Blackest Land, The Whitest People".^[5] The same sentiment was also printed on the city water tower.^[6] An image of the sign was available as a postcard.^[7] From the 1960s to the 1970s 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.

Cotton brought the railroads to Greenville and with them growth and prosperity. The “cotton capital of the world,” Greenville soon boasted the world’s largest inland cotton compress, a population of several thousand and six railway lines. During the harvest season, cotton brought a “snowfall” to the downtown square as tufts of white pulled from bales for examination by cotton buyers floated into drifts around the courthouse.

In 1957 Greenville annexed Peniel, Texas, which had been founded in 1899 as a religious community. ^[8]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 23,960 people, 9,156 households, and 6,171 families residing in the city. The population density was 706.5 people per square mile (272.8/km²). There were 9,977 housing units at an average density of 294.2/sq mi (113.6/km²). 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 L-3 Communications Missions Integration (formerly E-Systems, then 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. Greenville is known internationally for its saddle making industry.

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.

Greenville is also home to the Hunt Regional Medical Center.

Notable residents and natives

• Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier of World War II, spent many of his early years in Greenville, lived in Farmersville. 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.
• Dean E. Hallmark, command pilot of aircraft #6^[9] on the famous Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942, spent much of his childhood and adolescent years in Greenville^[10]. VFW Post 4011 in Greenville is named in his honor.^[11]
• Monty Stratton, a famous major league baseball pitcher from the 1930s portrayed by Jimmy Stewart in the movie "The Stratton Story".
• 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 Cowboys quarterback and assistant coach.
• Bart Millard, Lead singer and founder of the contemporary Christian band MercyMe.
• Collin Raye, an American country music singer.
• Mack Harrell, noted operatic baritone; father of world-renowned cellist Lynn Harrell
• John Boles, noted movie and stage actor of the early 20th Century.
• Fletcher Warren, a former United States Ambassador to Nicaragua, Paraguay, Venezuela and Turkey.
• Haldor Lillenas, prolific hymnwriter and Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee, was pastor of the Church of the Nazarene from 1920-1923
• Francia White, American opera singer and radio and television personality during the 1930s and 1940s.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/1425944248 Amazon.com
6. ^ http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2005/08/a_texas_town_ne.php Amren.com
7. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30177-2004May15.html '"Washingtonpost.com
8. ^ http://www.greenvillenazarene.org/images/6153/Peniel%20Historical%20Marker.jpg
9. ^ http://www.doolittletokyoraiders.com/doolittle_crew06.htm
10. ^ http://www.doolittleraider.com/raiders/hallmark.htm
11. ^ http://www.vfwwebcom.org/tx/post4011

• 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

• Mathews, Paul. (2001). I Remember... Personal Reflections on Greenville and Hunt County, Texas. Henington Publishing. ISBN 0-9709068-0-3

External links

• City of Greenville – Official site.
• Greenville Chamber of Commerce
• Friends of Main Street
• Community's newspaper

• Greenville, Texas is at coordinates 33°07′34″N 96°06′35″W / 33.126004°N 96.109703°W / 33.126004; -96.109703 (Greenville, Texas)Coordinates: 33°07′34″N 96°06′35″W / 33.126004°N 96.109703°W / 33.126004; -96.109703 (Greenville, Texas)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Hunt County, Texas County seat: Greenville Cities Caddo Mills | Campbell | Celeste | Commerce | Greenville | Hawk Cove | Josephine‡ | Lone Oak | Quinlan | Royse City‡ | Union Valley | West Tawakoni | Wolfe City Town Neylandville Unincorporated communities Cash | Floyd | Merit Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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