| Official Name: | Greenville, Texas |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Motto: | "Rich Heritage, Vibrant Future"[1] |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Texas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Hunt |
| Government Type: | Council-Manager |
| Leader Title: | City Council |
| Leader Name: | Mayor Jerry Ransom Place 1 Vacant Place 2 Al Atkins Place 3 Kristen Washington Place 4 Tim Kruse Place 5 Ben Collins Place 6 Kenneth Freeman[2] |
| Leader Title1: | City Manager |
| Leader Name1: | Summer Spurlock[3] |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Established Date: | [4] |
| Named For: | Thomas J. Green |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [5] |
| Area Total Km2: | 85.75 |
| Area Land Km2: | 83.62 |
| Area Water Km2: | 2.12 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 33.11 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 32.29 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.82 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [6] |
| Population Total: | 28164 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation M: | 165 |
| Elevation Ft: | 541 |
| Coordinates: | 33.1261°N -96.1097°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 75401–75404 |
| Area Code: | 903, 430 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 48-30920[7] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1377755[8] |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Texas#USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within Texas##Location within the United States |
| Pushpin Label: | Greenville |
Greenville is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, approximately northeast of Dallas, Texas and northwest of Canton, Texas. It is the county seat and largest city of Hunt County.[9] As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,164.
Greenville was named for Thomas J. Green,[10] a significant contributor to the founding of the Texas Republic.[11]
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.
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."[13] [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]
Greenville is located in Northeast Texas at (33.126004, −96.109703),[19] in central Hunt County, in the heart of the Texas blackland prairies, northeast of Dallas and approximately 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 86.6km2, of which 84.5km2 are land and 0.2km2, or 2.46%, is covered by water. The Cowleech Fork of the Sabine River flows through the northeastern part of the city.
Greenville has a humid subtropical climate. Due to its location on the Northeast Texas prairies, its weather is typically humid with mild precipitation.
| 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 |
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[21] 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.According to the city's 2017–2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[22] the top employers in the city are:
| Employer |
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L3Harris | 6,500 | |
| 2 | Hunt Regional Medical Center | 1,100 | |
| 3 | Greenville Independent School District | 800 | |
| 4 | McKesson | 500 | |
| 4 | Hunt County | 500 | |
| 6 | Cytec Engineered Materials | 350 | |
| 6 | Walmart Supercenter | 350 | |
| 8 | Masonite International | 300 | |
| 8 | Weatherford International | 300 | |
| 10 | Raytheon | 200 |
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.
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.
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. Texas A&M University-Commerce, a major university of over 12,000 students, is located northeast in Commerce.
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.[23]
The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:[24]
| 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 represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Bob Hall, District 2,[25] and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Bryan Slaton District 2.[26]
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Greenville District Parole Office in Greenville.[27]
Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are Texas's U. S. Senators. Since 2021 Republican Pat Fallon has represented Texas's 4th congressional district, including Greenville. (John Ratcliffe’s 2020 appointment as Director of National Intelligence had left the seat vacant.)
The United States Postal Service operates the Greenville,[28] Greenville Finance,[29] and Rolling Hills post offices.[30]
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.
The nearest airports with passenger air service are Dallas Love Field (55.4 miles)[32] and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (70.0 miles).[33]
Majors Airport is a municipal airport located in Greenville.[34]
"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.[35]