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City of Greenville
City
Official seal of City of Greenville
Seal
Nickname(s): 
The Spirit of the East, The Emerald City, G-Vegas
Location of Greenville shown within North Carolina
Location of Greenville shown within North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°36′6″N 77°22′21″W / 35.60167°N 77.37250°W / 35.60167; -77.37250
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina
CountyPitt
Settled1771
Founded1774 (Martinsborough)
Founded1786 (Greenville)
Government
 • MayorAllen M. Thomas
Area
 • City26.3 sq mi (68 km2)
 • Land25.6 sq mi (66.3 km2)
 • Water0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2)  2.59%
 • Urban
44.9 sq mi (72.3 km2)
Elevation
56 ft (17 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • City84,554
 • Density2,364.6/sq mi (912.8/km2)
 • Urban
117,798
 • Metro
192,690
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
27834, 27858
Area code252
FIPS code37-28080[1]
GNIS feature ID1023721[2]
Websitegreenvillenc.gov

Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County, principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area, and the 10th largest city in the state of North Carolina. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina. The city's official population as of the 2010 United States census is 84,554 residents [3] while the Greenville Metropolitan Area includes 192,690 people.[4] In January 2008 and January 2010, Greenville was named one of the nation's "100 Best Communities for Young People" by the America's Promise Alliance.[5][6] In March 2008, Greenville was ranked in the top ten of the nation's "Best Places For Business And Careers" by Forbes Magazine.[7] In 2010 Greenville was ranked twenty-fourth in mid-city business growth and development by Forbes Magazine. In 2004, Greenville was named Sportstown USA for the state of North Carolina by Sports Illustrated and the National Parks & Recreation Association.[8] The city is also known as "BMX Pro Town USA",[9] as it is home for many top professional BMX riders. Greenville is the home of East Carolina University, the third-largest university and fastest-growing campus in the University of North Carolina system, and Vidant Medical Center, the flagship hospital for Vidant Health and the teaching hospital for the Brody School of Medicine.

History edit

Founding edit

Greenville was founded in 1771 as "Martinsborough," after the Royal Governor Josiah Martin. In 1774 the town was moved to its present location on the south bank of the Tar River, three miles (5 km) west of its original site. In 1786, the name was changed to Greenesville in honor of General Nathanael Greene, the American Revolutionary War hero, and later shortened to Greenville.[10]

19th century edit

During Greenville's early years, the Tar River was a navigable waterway; and by the 1860s there were several established riverboat lines transporting passengers and goods. Cotton was the leading agricultural crop, and Greenville became a major cotton export center. Before the turn of the century, however, tobacco surpassed cotton and became the leading money crop. Greenville became one of the state's leading tobacco marketing and warehouse centers.[10]

20th century edit

For over a century, Greenville was recognized only for being an important tobacco market and the home of a small state-supported college, charted by the Legislature in March 1907 and named East Carolina Teacher's Training College, a co-ed institution. By the mid 1960s, East Carolina College had become the third largest state-supported college, and enrollment approached 8,000 students — twice the 1960 enrollment figure. In 1967, it became East Carolina University. ECU Medical School admitted its first four-year class in 1977. At the turn of the century, enrollment at ECU topped the 18,000 mark, and now exceeds 27,500 students.[11]

Greenville's current economic development began in 1968 when Burroughs Wellcome, a major pharmaceutical research and manufacturing firm, chose Greenville as its home. The site is now owned by DSM Pharmaceuticals, which employs approximately 1,400 people. The city and Pitt County have also become home to many other major industries and businesses including Harper Brush, NACCO Materials Handling Group, Grady-White Boats, and ASMO. Greenville is also home to The HammockSource, the worlds largest hammock manufacturer.[10]

 
Tar River flooding homes after Hurricane Floyd

Hurricane Floyd edit

Main article: Hurricane Floyd

In September 1999, Hurricane Floyd made landfall in eastern North Carolina, dropping nearly 17 inches (430 mm) of rain during the hours of its passage. Many residents weren’t aware of the flooding until the water came into their homes. Most localized flooding happened overnight, and the Tar River suffered the worst flooding, exceeding 500-year flood levels along its lower stretches.[12]

An additional 20+ inches of rain had fallen prior in the month from the two passes of Hurricane Dennis.

Damages in Pitt County alone were estimated at $1.6 billion (1999 USD, $1.87 billion 2006 USD).[13] Some residents in Greenville had to swim six feet underwater to reach the front doors of their homes and apartments. Due to the heavy flooding in downtown Greenville, the East Carolina Pirates were forced to relocate their football game against #9 Miami to N.C. State's Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh where they beat the Hurricanes 27-23.[14]

Geography edit

Greenville is located at 35°36′6″N 77°22′21″W / 35.60167°N 77.37250°W / 35.60167; -77.37250 (35.601613, -77.372366).[15]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.3 square miles (68 km2), of which, 25.6 square miles (66 km2) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) of it (2.59%) is water.

Demographics edit

Historical populations
Census
year		 Population
1970 29,063
1980 35,740
1990 44,972
2000 60,476
2009 81,926
2010 84,554


As of the census[1] of 2007, there are 182,473 residents in the Greenville MSA, 130,204 households, and 110,997 residents residing within five miles (8 km) of the city limit. The population density was 2,364.6 people per square mile (912.8/km²). There are 130,204 housing units at an average density of 1,100.4 per square mile (424.8/km²). The racial composition of the city is: 60.20% White, 32.14% African American, 5.06% Hispanic or Latino American, 1.82% Asian American, 0.80% native american, 0.04% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 1.01% some other race, and 1.29% two or more races.

There were 25,204 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.8% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.4% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the age distribution of the population shows 18.8% under the age of 18, 28.7% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 15.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,648, and the median income for a family was $44,491. Males had a median income of $31,847 versus $26,324 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,476. About 15.6% of families and 26.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government edit

The Mayor and City Council are the governing body of the city. The Mayor acts as the official head of the government and spokesperson for the Council. The Mayor presides at all City Council meetings and signs all documents authorized by the Council. The Mayor Pro-Tem is selected by each newly-elected council. This person assumes mayoral duties in the absence of the Mayor. The Mayor and City Council are responsible for establishing general policies for the operation of the City as well as appointing the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and members of the volunteer Boards and Commissions. The Council enacts ordinances, resolutions and orders; adopts the annual budget; approves the financing of all City operations; and authorizes contracts on behalf of the City.[16]

A mayor and six council members are elected by Greenville residents every two years. Five of the council members serve individual districts and the sixth is elected by the entire city and serves at-large, much like the mayor.

2011-2013 Greenville City Council edit

  • Mayor Allen Thomas (at-large)
  • Councilman Dennis Mitchell (at-large)
  • Councilwoman Kandie Smith (District 1)
  • Councilwoman Rose Glover (District 2)
  • Councilwoman Marion Blackburn (District 3)
  • Councilman Calvin Mercer (District 4)
  • Councilman Max Joyner Jr. (District 5) [16]

Economy edit

# Employer [17] Product Employment
1 Vidant Health Health Care 6,483
2 East Carolina University Education 5,455
3 Pitt County Public Schools Education 2,754
4 DSM Pharmaceuticals 1,500
5 NACCO Materials Handing Group Lift Trucks 1,000
6 Pitt Community College Education 953
7 County of Pitt Government Administration 930
8 City of Greenville Government Administration 743
9 Physicians East Medical Care 535
10 Greenville Utilities Commission Public Utilities 435
11 ASMO Greenville of North Carolina Small Electric Motors 410
12 Wal-Mart Department Store 400
13 Convergys Customer Service Center 400
14 Attends Healthcare Products Adult Incontinence Products 335
15 Metrics, Inc. Pharmaceuticals 300
16 Grady-White Fiberglass Boats 250


The city's industry historically was centered around the sale and processing of tobacco, but today the major industries are health care, education and manufacturing. The largest employer is Vidant Health, with East Carolina coming in second. The education industry employs approximately 8,600 people. The health care industry is second with approximately 7,000.

Religion edit

As with most of North Carolina, Greenville is predominately Protestant Christian, with large concentrations of Baptists, Methodists, and various other evangelical groups. Presbyterians, and Disciples of Christ also constitute a significant portion of the population.

The Roman Catholic community in Greenville has seen steady growth over the years with the migration of Hispanic workers to the area along with significant numbers of people from the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States who work for East Carolina University, the Vidant Health, and other employers. St. Peter's Catholic Church in Greenville supports a day school for grades K-8. Pope John Paul II Catholic High School supports grades 9 - 12.

Over the years, Greenville's Jewish community has seen continued growth. Congregation Bayt Shalom, a congregation affiliated with both Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism, has around 80 member families and was previously led by the first African-American female rabbi in the United States, Alysa Stanton.

The growth and diverse nature of the city's population has also resulted in the addition of an Islamic Mosque and Hindu Temple within the last decade.

Education edit

All Greenville schools fall under the Pitt County Schools (PCS) administration. PCS formed in 1985 when Pitt County Schools and Greenville City Schools merged. The 12 member Board of Education oversee all Greenville and Pitt County schools. There are currently 13 elementary schools, five middle schools, four high schools and the Health Sciences Academy in Pitt County. There are also ten private schools.

Elementary schools edit

  • Ayden Elementary School (K-5)
  • Belvoir Elementary School (K-5)
  • Chicod School (K-8)
  • Eastern Elementary School (K-5)
  • Elmhurst Elementary School (K-5)
  • Falkland Elementary School (K-5)
  • Grifton School (K-8)
  • Lakeforest Elementary School (K-5)
  • Northwest Elementary School (K-5)
  • Pactolus Elementary School (K-8)
  • Sadie Saulter Elementary School (K-5)
  • South Greenville Elementary School (K-5)
  • Wahl-Coates Elementary School (K-5)
  • Wintergreen Primary School (K-2)
  • Wintergreen Intermediate School (3-5)

Middle schools edit

  • AG Cox Middle School (6-8)
  • C.M. Eppes Middle School (6-8)
  • E.B. Aycock Middle School (6-8)
  • Hope Middle School (6-8)
  • Wellcome Middle School (6-8)

High schools edit

Higher learning edit

Private schools edit

  • Brookhaven Christian School (K-8)
  • Calvary Christian Academy (K-12)
  • Christ Covenant School (PK-8)
  • Community Christian Academy (K-6)
  • Greenville Christian Academy (K-12)
  • St. Peter's Catholic School (PK-8)
  • Pope John Paul II Catholic High School (9-12)
  • The Oakwood School (PK-12)
  • Trinity Christian School (K-12)
  • Victoria Christian Academy Christian Academy (K-12)

Health care edit

The health care community in Greenville is one of the largest in the state of North Carolina. Vidant Medical Center is one of four academic medical centers in North Carolina and serves as the teaching hospital for The Brody School of Medicine. The hospital hosts over 1700 licensed medical providers and serves over 1.2 million residents of the region. Many medical offices and clinics along with the hospital and university teaching facilities lie on Greenville's west side, comprising what is locally known as the Medical District.[18] The East Carolina Heart Institute is open and has added 250 jobs at the hospital along with a state-of-the-art six floor facility.[19]

Culture edit

 
J.Y. Joyner Library clock tower

Greenville is home to a wide range of cultural events on and off the East Carolina University campus. East Carolina University offers musical concerts, theatrical and dance productions, travel films, and lectures. The Greenville Museum of Art contains local art, as well as rotating exhibitions. Annually over 3,000 children participate in programs offered by the Museum and over 12,000 people visit the museum.[20]

Theater is beginning to emerge in Greenville as well. Local groups such as the Greenville Theater Project[21] and the Magnolia Arts Center[22] offer outlets for both performers and audiences alike. Smiles and Frowns Playhouse[23] produces children's theatre. Additionally, student groups such as SWASH Improv offer entertainment at the university and local establishments.[24]

Many restaurants and nightclubs offer live entertainment on the weekends. Uptown Greenville has a district that includes numerous venue options including. In the old Five Points area (in the newly renovated parking lot at Evans and Fifth Streets) every Wednesday in warm months, an Uptown Umbrella Market features local growers and producers plus crafts people. This is also the venue for "Freeboot Friday" on Fridays in the fall when there is a Staurday ECU home football game. It is an "Alive-At-Five" style pep-rally with live music, ECU cheerleaders, exhibits, children's activities, food samplings, and a beer and wine garden. The downtown area is known for its large annual Halloween street party and live music bars. Considering the size of the city, Greenville has a large number of bars and nightclubs located downtown, due in large part to the location of ECU's campus which is immediately adjacent to downtown. In January 2012, a refurbished weekend GLBT nightclub reopened.

Shopping edit

Greenville is the regional shopping destination for the Inner Banks area since many big-box retailers and specialty shops are located in the city. Large centers include University Commons, Lynncroft and Arlington Village. Greenville Grande, Carmike Cinemas, a mix of cafes, restaurants, shops, and a fourteen screen movie theater recently opened. A new development called 11 Galleria, on the site of the former Carolina East Mall, will feature a number of big-box retailers. Already present are Sears, Kohl's, and the Fresh Market, with Dicks Sporting Goods under development. This new shopping center will contain a total of 400,000 sq ft (37,000 m2). In December of 2012, a second Wal Mart will open on Highway 33 east along with additional restaurants and retail space.[25]

Sports edit

Main article: East Carolina Pirates

ECU's sports teams, nicknamed the Pirates, compete in NCAA Division I-A as a full-member of the 12 team Conference USA.[26][27] Facilities include the 50,000 seat Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for football, the 8,000-seat Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum for men's and women's basketball, and the Clark-LeClair Stadium, with a seating capacity of 3,000 (max capacity of 6,000+ when including outfield "Jungle" areas) for baseball. In 2010 a state of the art, Lady Pirates softball stadium with a seating capacity of 1,500 has been completed, neighboring a new ECU track and field facility and soccer stadium plus an Olympic sports coach's offices and team rooms facility are in varying stages of completion all along Charles Boulevard, the main entry way for all Pirate sports.

Olympic gold medalist Mark Lenzi coached the East Carolina University Pirate Men's and Women's diving teams until his death in 2012.

Greenville has a strong tradition in Little League Baseball. Greenville Little Leagues was founded in 1951 and has two leagues; North State and Tar Heel. In 1998, a team from Greenville represented the South Region in the Little League World Series. They made it to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual champion, Toms River, New Jersey.

Along with Little League success, Pitt-Greenville softball teams have won multiple world series titles. Since 2006, Greenville has sent Babe Ruth baseball teams to Southeast Regional competition each year in two different age groups, with two teams reaching the Babe Ruth World Series; the '06 15 yr. old team, and the '08 13 yr. old team. The 2006 team became the first Greenville Babe Ruth team to reach the World Series in 30 years, along with becoming the first Babe Ruth team to ever win a World Series game, defeating Clifton Park, New York 12-0.

Greenville is also home to one of the six gyms of Cheer Extreme All Stars.

Greenville is home to two major running groups, GoRun (Greenville Organization of Runners) and Greenville Running group.

Transportation edit

Several major U.S. and state highways converge in the area to provide easy access to the interstate highway system. Major highways that run through the area include US 264(Martin Luther King Jr. Highway), NC 11(Memorial Drive), US 13, NC 33, NC 43, and NC 903. Greenville is North Carolina's largest city without a major interstate; however, Interstate 95 is located 29 miles (47 km) to the west of the city. Greenville is currently widening lanes on Memorial Drive. Greenville's busiest roads are along Memorial, Greenville Boulevard, Arlington, and Fire Tower. Greenville is the most congested city in Eastern NC. Greenville is expected to complete the southwest bypass in 2018. It stems from the 264 intersection on Statonsburg Rd. It has currently been stalled due to funding cost.[citation needed]

Greenville is also served by railroads. CSX Transportation moves the northern and southern parts of Greenville, Norfolk Southern Railway serves the eastern and western parts of Greenville.

Air service is available through Pitt-Greenville Airport with scheduled flights daily to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport via USAirways. The airport and local officials are in discussion with United Airlines and its regional partner, Colgan Air, to provide 2 daily flights between PGV and Washington Dulles.[28]

The City of Greenville operates a mass transit bus system called Greenville Area Transit or GREAT.

Greenville is in the process of building a more comprehensive system of greenways for bicycle and pedestrian transportation. The first section of the South Tar River Greenway opened in late 2009; the second section, linking a small and large dog run park with East Greenville was completed and dedicated in June 2011. The third section, uniting the Town Common (Uptown Greenville area) with the East Carolina University Schools of Allied Health, Dentistry, Medicine and Nursing, plus the Vidant hospital complex is now in the paid for and planning stage.[29][30]

Media edit

Newspapers and publications edit

The Daily Reflector serves as the main daily newspaper and is Greenville's oldest business.[31] Other notable newspapers that serve the city include G-Vegas Magazine, The Greenville Times, The East Carolinian, Her Magazine, The Minority Voice and Viva Greenville.

Radio stations licensed in Greenville edit

  • 1070 AM: - WNCT Beach, Boogie & Blues
  • 1250 AM: - WGHB local sports talk
  • 1570 AM: - WECU Gospel
  • 1340 AM: - WOOW gospel
  • 91.3 FM: - WZMB East Carolina University
  • 103.7 FM: - WTIB talk radio
  • 107.9 FM: - WNCT oldies

Television stations licensed in Greenville edit

Other television stations serving Greenville edit

Voice of America/IBB edit

Main article: International Broadcasting Bureau Greenville Transmitting Station

Greenville is one of the major transmitter sites for Voice of America shortwave broadcasts under the auspices of the U.S. government's International Broadcasting Bureau. Both transmitters and a large antenna 'farm' are located just outside Greenville.[32] The Greenville Transmitting Station provides shortwave broadcasts for U.S. government-funded, non-military, international broadcasting and serves as a standby, alternate gateway for the Satellite Interconnect System to use to uplink programming, should the Washington, D.C., SIS gateway become unavailable. The station is also a backup facility for uplinking programming to the Atlantic Ocean Region satellite and serves as the primary return link of that satellite. For the VOA, the main target areas for the station's shortwave broadcasts are Latin America, Cuba, the Caribbean, and Africa. Three complexes, one for management, distribution, and monitoring, and the other two for actual transmitting, form an approximate nineteen mile (30 km) equilateral triangle around Greenville. At one time, these formed the largest international broadcasting site in the world.[33]

Notable people edit

See also: List of East Carolina University people

References edit

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ "City Manager's Office?". City of Greenville, North Carolina. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  4. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011 (CBSA-EST2011-01)" (CSV). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. April 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-27.
  5. ^ America's Promise Alliance - 2010 100 Best Winners List[dead link]
  6. ^ America's Promise Alliance - Past 100 Best Winners List[dead link]
  7. ^ "Forbes Magazine - 2008 Best Places For Business And Careers". Forbes.com. 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  8. ^ :: Greenville is Sportstown USA ::[dead link]
  9. ^ "Greenville, NC: BMX "Pro Town USA"?". VisitNC.Com. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  10. ^ a b c "City of Greenville, NC". Greenvillenc.gov. 2010-07-26. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  11. ^ "East Carolina University, North Carolina". Usjournal.com. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  12. ^ Bales, Jerad D. "USGS: 1999 North Carolina Flooding: Summary". Pubs.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  13. ^ Tom Ross & Neal Lott. "NCDC: Climate-Watch, September 1999". Lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  14. ^ "Pirates' big win helps city cope with aftermath of Floyd". CNN. 1999-09-29. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
  15. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  16. ^ a b greenvillenc.gov
  17. ^ "Locate In Carolina".
  18. ^ Maps & Directions; Greenville North Carolina NC[dead link]
  19. ^ About University Health Systems[dead link]
  20. ^ "Greenville Museum of Art". Gmoa.org. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  21. ^ "Home". The Greenville Theater Project. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  22. ^ "Magnolia Arts Center". Magnolia Arts Center. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  23. ^ "Smiles and Frowns Playhouse". Smilesandfrowns.org. 2010-11-12. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  24. ^ The Swash Improv[dead link]
  25. ^ "Shopping Center Business". Shopping Center Business. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  26. ^ "East Carolina". Conference USA. 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  27. ^ Myatt, Al (2004). "Bingo! Search mission accomplished". Bonesville.net. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
  28. ^ "Aviation Photos & Video". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-05-04.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)[dead link]
  29. ^ http://www.froggs.org/
  30. ^ "City of Greenville, North Carolina". Greenvillenc.gov. 2005-04-20. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  31. ^ The birth of a newspaper: From weekly to daily[dead link]
  32. ^ North Carolina Office of Archives & History. "Voice of America, Historical Marker".
  33. ^ "Voice of America Homepage". VOA News. 2009-08-20. Retrieved 2010-12-09.

External links edit

Category:Cities in North Carolina Category:County seats in North Carolina Category:Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area Category:Populated places established in 1774 Category:University towns in the United States Category:1774 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies

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