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Greensboro redirects here. For other uses, see Greensboro (disambiguation) . Greensboro, North Carolina ( of North Carolina . It is the largest city in Guilford County and the largest in the Piedmont Triad region. As of the 2000 Census , the city population was 223,891, making it the third most populous city in North Carolina. Its estimated 2006 population is 240,955. It is located at the intersection of two major interstate highways ( I-85 and I-40 ) in the Piedmont ("foot of the mountains") region in central North Carolina. In 1808, Greensborough (as it was spelled before 1895) was planned around a central courthouse square to replace Guilford Court House as the County Seat . This act moved the county courts closer to the geographical center of the county, a location more easily reached by a greater number of the county's citizens. In 2003, the previous Greensboro - Winston-Salem - High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was re-defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget resulting in the formation of the Greensboro-High Point MSA and the Winston-Salem MSA. The 2006 population estimate for the Greensboro-High Point MSA was 685,378. The Greensboro - Winston-Salem - High Point Combined Statistical Area (CSA), popularly referred to as the Piedmont Triad , had an estimated population of 1,513,576 in 2006. ''Source: US Bureau of the Census, Released April 2007'' HISTORY ]] Early history The city was named for Major General slowed Cornwallis ' British forces enough to allow the Americans to prepare to defeat them at the Battle Of Yorktown , where the British were forced to surrender on October 19 , 1781 , after a 20-day siege, thus ending the American Revolution . Historian David McCullough considers Nathanael Greene to be "the best general" in the American military during the Revolution, including George Washington.http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=10804&x=27&y=4 Greensboro was established near the geographic center of Guilford County, on land that was "an unbroken forest with thick undergrowth of huckleberry bushes, that bore a finely flavored fruit."Stockard, Sallie W. The History of Guilford County, North Carolina. Knoxville, Tennessee, 1902. p. 37 Property for the future village was purchased for $98, and three north-south streets (Greene, Elm, Davie) were laid out intersecting with three east-west streets (Gaston, Market, Sycamore).Arnett, Ethel Stephens. Greensboro, North Carolina; the County Seat of Guilford. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1955. pp. 171-174. p. 21 The courthouse stood at the center of the intersection of Elm and Market streets. By 1821, the town contained 369 residents. In the early mills, which grew up with their own mill villages around the city. Many of these businesses remained in the city until the 21st century, when many of them went bankrupt, reorganized, and/or merged with other companies. Greensboro remains as a major textile headquarters city with the main offices of International Textile Group (Cone, Burlington Industries), Galey & Lord, Unifi, and VF Corporation ( Wrangler , Lee , North Face, Vanity Fair ). Rail traffic continues as Greensboro is a major North Carolina freight hub, and four Amtrak passenger trains stop in Greensboro daily on the main Norfolk & Western line between Washington and New Orleans by way of Atlanta . Though the city developed slowly, early wealth generated from cotton trade and merchandising led to the construction of several notable buildings. The earliest building, later named Blandwood Mansion And Gardens , built in 1795. Additions to this residence in 1846 designed by Alexander Jackson Davis of New York City made the house an influential landmark in the nation as America's earliest Tuscan Villa. Blandwood, A national Historic Landmark, website Other significant estates followed, including "Dunleith" designed by Samuel Sloan, Bellemeade, and the Bumpass-Troy House (now operated as an inn). Civil War and Reconstruction The city played an important role in politics at the end of the Civil War. During the closing days of the conflict, the Confederate Cabinet had evacuated the Confederate Capital, Richmond, Virginia on their way south. The group reassembled in Greensboro on , 1865 , the capital of North Carolina was temporarily maintained in Greensboro.Arnett, Ethel Stephens. Greensboro, North Carolina; the County Seat of Guilford. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1955. p395Weatherly, A. Earl. The First Hundred Years of Historic, Guilford County, 1771-1871. Greensboro: Greensboro Printing Company, 1972, p.177 Governor Vance proclaimed the North Carolina Surrender Declaration on April 28, 1865.Weatherly, A. Earl. The First Hundred Years of Historic, Guilford County, 1771-1871. Greensboro: Greensboro Printing Company, 1972, p.182 Later, Vance turned himself over to Union officials in the parlor of Blandwood Mansion. In the words of historian Blackwell Robinson, "Greensboro witnessed not only the demise of the Confederacy but also that of the old civil government of the state" of North Carolina. Robinson, Blackwell P., and Alexander R. Stoesen. The History of Guilford County, North Carolina, U.S.A. to 1980, A.D. Edited by Sydney M. Cone, Jr. 1981, p. 101 Industrialization and growth In the 1890s, the city continued to attract attention from northern industrialists, including Moses and Ceasar Cone.Arnett, Ethel Stephens. Greensboro, North Carolina; the County Seat of Guilford. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1955. pp. 171-174. The Cones, of Jewish faith from Baltimore, established large scale textile plants, growing Greensboro from a village to a city within a decade. By 1900, Greensboro was considered a center of the Southern textile industry, with large scale factories producing denim, flannel, and overalls.Fripp, Gayle Hicks. Greensboro, a Chosen Center. Woodland Hills, Calif.: Windsor Publications, 1982. p. 59 Prosperity brought to the city through textiles resulted in the construction of notable twentieth century civic architecture, included the Guilford County Courthouse, West Market Street Methodist Church by S. W. Faulk, several buildings designed by Frank A. Weston, and UNCG 's Main Building designed by Orlo Epps. During the twentieth century, Greensboro expanded in wealth and population. Rapid growth led to construction of grand commercial and civic buildings many of which remain standing today, designed by hometown architects Charles Hartmann and Harry Barton. Other notable industries became established in the city, including Vicks Cemical Co, Carolina Steel Corporation, and Pomona Terra Cotta Works. Robinson, Blackwell P., and Alexander R. Stoesen. The History of Guilford County, North Carolina, U.S.A. to 1980, A.D. Edited by Sydney M. Cone, Jr. 1981, p. 220 During this period of growth, Greensboro experiences an acute housing shortage. Builders sought to maintain a construction goal of 80 to 100 affordable housing units per year in order to provide homes for workers. Robinson, Blackwell P., and Alexander R. Stoesen. The History of Guilford County, North Carolina, U.S.A. to 1980, A.D. Edited by Sydney M. Cone, Jr. 1981, p. 209 Greensboro's real estate was considered "the wonder of the state" during the 1920s. Growth continued through the Great Depression , as Greensboro added an estimated 200 families a year to its population.Robinson, Blackwell P., and Alexander R. Stoesen. The History of Guilford County, North Carolina, U.S.A. to 1980, A.D. Edited by Sydney M. Cone, Jr. 1981, p. 210 The city earned a reputation as a well-planned community, with a strong emphasis on education, parks, and a profitable employment base. As Greensboro evolved into one of North Carolina's chief cities, changes began to occur within its traditional social structure. On February 1 , 1960 , Four Black College Students from North Carolina Agricultural And Technical College sat down at an all-white Woolworths lunch counter, and refused to leave when they were denied service. Hundreds of others soon joined in this Sit-in , which lasted for several months. Such protests quickly spread across the South, ultimately leading to the Desegregation of Woolworths and other chains. The original Woolworths counter and stools now sit in the Smithsonian , but a Sit-In Museum is being built in the old Woolworths building where the event actually occurred. (As of May 2007, efforts to finally open the International Civil Rights Museum have been postponed due to budget constraints.) Prosperity brought new levels of development involving nationally and internationally known architects. , and George Matsumoto both brought designs to the city that challenged North Carolinians with modernist architectural concepts and forms. In spite of this period of progress, old wounds had yet to heal. On November 3 , 1979 , members of the Communist Workers Party were holding an anti- Ku Klux Klan rally, when a group of KKK and Neo-Nazis caravanned into the Morningside Heights neighborhood in which the rally was being convened and ambushed the protest. Four local TV stations filmed the event as it happened. The Klansmen/Nazis (members of the recently created United Racist Front) allegedly were given directions and a parade permit by an undercover agent of the Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco And Firearms who attended Klan meetings and, it is believed, acted as the final impetus toward a showdown. The alleged actions of the BATF agent, as well as the evidence of other government informers who worked with the Klan at the time, have led to allegations of city/state/federal wrongdoing by members of the CWP. Although a pistol was probably fired by a CWP organizer (allegedly into the air) and the Klan caravan was beaten with sticks prior to stopping, only anti-Klan protesters were hurt. Five CWP members were killed and seven were wounded and television footage of the event was shown across the nation. This event is known as the Greensboro Massacre . The Klansmen/Nazis were all acquitted by an all-white jury in two separate criminal trials. In 1985, a civil suit found the five police and two individuals liable for $350,000 in damages, to be paid to the Greensboro Justice Fund. NEIGHBORHOODS See Also: Greensboro neighborhoods Greensboro's earliest neighborhood is College Hill, located between West Market Street and Spring Garden Street in and around Greensboro College. The Aycock and Fisher Park neighborhoods followed, established in 1895 and 1901 respectively. The Aycock neighborhood features large Queen Anne residences of the turn-of-the-twentieth century, as well as foursquares, Craftsman, and Colonial Revival styles. Irving Park, developed in 1911 around the golf course of the Greensboro Country Club, was modelled on nearby Pinehurst by designer John Nolan. The prestigious neighborhood includes large homes on ample lots, and remains popular today. Urbanization in Greensboro during the early twentieth century was heavily influenced by the popularity of the automobile, which enabled citizens to live far from the city core in surroundings that were remarkably rural in character. A series of "streetcar suburbs" were established, including Latham Park, Sunset Hills, Lindley Park, Hamilton Lakes, Starmount, Rankin, O. Henry Oaks, and Glenwood. Some of these neighborhoods include public neighborhood parks, others include private parks or no parks at all. Recent additions to the city include sprawling large-scale planned unit developments such as Adams Farm, Lake Jeanette, The Cardinal, New Irving Park, and Reedy Fork Ranch. SISTER CITIES Greensboro enjoys " Sister City " status with two cities to foster international friendship and cooperation. North Carolina sister cities
GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE Greensboro is located at (36.079868, -79.819416). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 283.0 Km&2 (109.2 Mi&2 ). 271.2 km&2 (104.7 mi&2) of it is land and 11.8 km&2 (4.5 mi&2) of it (4.16%) is water. Greensboro enjoys gently rolling hills and is midway between the mountains of North Carolina and its beaches to the east. A view of the city from its highest building—the Lincoln Financial tower—reveals that the town is populated with large numbers of green trees, giving perhaps another dimension to its name. The town is well-situated in terms of travel, with Interstates 40, 85, and the soon-to-be-built I-73 passing through its borders. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 223,891 people, 92,394 households, and 53,958 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 825.6/km&2 (2,138.3/mi&2). There were 99,305 housing units at an average density of 366.2/km&2 (948.4/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 55.49% White , 37.40% Black or African American , 0.44% Native American , 2.84% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 2.08% from Other Races , and 1.71% from two or more races. 4.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 92,394 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% were Married Couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.94. The age distribution is 22.3% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,661, and the median income for a family was $50,192. Males had a median income of $34,681 versus $26,797 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $22,986. About 8.6% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the Poverty Line , including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over. Asians About 4,000 Vietnamese have resettled in the Greensboro area since 1979 as refugees or secondary migrants. They are a diverse population culturally, ethnically, and religiously, and not organized through any broad based structure. The Montagnards (French for "mountain people") are people from a number of different tribes from the Highlands of Vietnam . They had been isolated mountain farmers and hunter-gatherers until the Vietnam War when the US government recruited them as front line soldiers for the US Army Special Forces. About 5,000 have now settled in Guilford County making it the largest Montagnard community outside Vietnam. Over 1000 live in the Charlotte and Raleigh areas combined. A few hundred Nung, a tribal group from northern Vietnam, have been resettled here too and are often grouped with the Montagnard tribes. The total Montagnard population for the state is approaching 7,000 people. In the early 1980s, the first Cambodian refugees were resettled in Greensboro. A stable community of about 60 large families representing about 500 people are closely affiliated with the Greensboro Buddhist Center. An additional 800 Cambodians live around the Triad including a large concentration in nearby Davidson County . Greensboro was not an initial resettlement site for Laotians. However, since the mid 1980s many families came as secondary migrants from other states, and now the Laotian population is stabilized at about 1000 people. A few families of hill tribe refugees from Laos , mostly Hmong , live in Guilford County plus over 50 college students at UNCG. Other hill tribe populations from Laos in Guilford include approximately 200 Khmu refugees as well as small groups of other tribes. About 2,000 Korean immigrants, many well established, are represented in Guilford County. The local Chinese Association, comprised primarily of mainland Chinese, has a few hundred members. Ethnic Chinese here number in the thousands. An India n immigrant population estimated at 2000 is well established in the Guilford area and has a long history here. Many are connected with university and medical communities and have multiple community organizations. There are an estimated 600 Pakistanis living in Guilford County. There are estimates of over 1,000 Palestinians in the Guilford County area, and additional thousands in the greater Triad. Many came after the war in 1967. A few hundred Israeli nationals have also come to the Triad, particularly in international business positions. Africans There are close to 15,000 people from many of the 54 African nations living in Guilford County, but no official population numbers are available because the census categorizes these people as African-American or Black. They come from Christian, Muslim, and traditional religious orientations and represent numerous tribal affiliations. About 10 percent of Guilford County's African population are refugees. The African Services Coalition, a nonprofit organization composed of representatives from different African communities, seeks to foster cooperation between the various communities. Some communities have roots at NC A&T State University that go back to the sixties when the university was recognized as a valuable educational resource by developing countries. The Nigerian population is an older, well-established community believed to be the largest African community in Guilford County with about 3,500 people, including second and third generations. This group reflects a variety of religious and tribal traditions. Many of the Nigerians in Guilford County first lived in New York, New Jersey or Washington D.C, and settled in Guilford County after obtaining official status. Guilford County has a long-term, multigenerational Ghanaian population consisting of approximately 450 people. The few new arrivals are mostly international students at area universities, or friends and family members of previous residents. A well established population of 800 people of Sierra Leonese ancestry has made Guilford County their home. This population has either stayed the same or decreased because the temporary protective status that used to be available to some immigrants from this area has been ended. The Sudanese population is a diverse population, and most have come to Guilford County within the last five years and are currently more than 2,700 people. Many are fleeing the long-standing war in this largest country of Africa. A group of young Sudanese from the south, commonly referred to as the "Lost Boys", have been recently resettled as refugees. Most Sudanese, however, are Muslims from the north. In the last year, many have become citizens, which has allowed people to bring family members from Sudan, leading to a population increase of several hundred in the last year. There are approximately 400 refugees from Somalia who have arrived in the last six years, including Benadir from the city of Mogadishu and newly arriving refugees from the Bantu tribe. There are an estimated 1,200 Liberians settled in Guilford County. This population includes some refugees who are recent arrivals, and others who have lived in Guilford County for many years. In the last couple of years, a few hundred Liberian refugees who had been living in refugee camps in the Ivory Coast and Ghana have been resettled in Guilford County. Eastern Europeans Settlers have also arrived from Eastern Europe. From the former Yugoslavia (including Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia, and others from former Yugoslavia that have been arriving since 1994 as refugees. There are around 2,000 people who have been resettled here. Greensboro has been a resettlement site in the last few years for approximately 250 Russian and Ukrainian refugees, most of them Jewish. In the last few years a few families totaling less than 200 people have been resettled in Guilford as refugees. Some others have come as secondary migrants. Latin Americans The Hispanic/Latino population poses some of the greatest opportunities and challenges for acculturation. They are at the core of the North Carolina economic boom of the nineties as farm, factory, and construction workers. They now have young children born here who are US citizens, growing up as bilingual and bicultural North Carolinians. According to the 2002 and 2003 estimates of Latino population in Guilford County published by Faith Action Inc, there was a 4% increase in Latino population between those years, and in 2003 the population was 26,981. Though there were not follow up studies using this method, we can estimate that if population continued to increase by 4% annually, the current Latino population would be approximately 29,182. Other studies indicate the rate of increase may be even more. This dramatic Hispanic/Latino increase is sufficient to move Guilford County and much of North Carolina into becoming a bilingual and bicultural state. The predominant immigrant population across North Carolina is a growing and diverse Hispanic/Latino population. Over two thirds of these immigrants are from Mexico, though it is thought that all 26 countries are represented. Most Hispanic/Latinos have arrived since 1990. Growth is expected to continue as long as economic opportunities prevail. For more information on the diversity of Greensboro, visit The Center for New North Carolinians ECONOMY Greensboro is the location of the corporate headquarters of the has its corporate headquarters in Greensboro. Downtown , Triad Stage (Pyrle Gibson Theater), Blandwood Mansion, International Civil Rights Museum , Center-City Park , First Horizon Park , Greensboro Historical Museum, Greensboro Cultural Center, the Greensboro Children's Museum, and the Center City Park. One project under construction is the International Civil Rights Museum, which is to be located in the former space of the Woolworths where the first sit-ins were held. EDUCATION Institutes of higher education
For-profit universities
Boarding schools Private education
Public education See Also: Guilford County Schools High Schools and Middle Colleges
ATTRACTIONS
SHOPPING Greensboro is home to a wide variety of retail options from the best known national chains to local boutiques and galleries. Four Seasons Town Centre , located on the city's southwest side off I-40 , is a three-level regional mall with anchors, Belk , Dillard's , and JCPenney . Friendly Center , located off Friendly Avenue is an open-air shopping center featuring Belk , Macy's , Sears , Barnes & Noble Booksellers, the nation's largest Harris Teeter supermarket, Old Navy , a multi-plex cinema, and over 100 specialty retailers including Banana Republic , J.Crew and Brooks Brothers . Big-box centers are found primarily on the West Wendover corridor near I-40 and on Battleground Avenue on the city's northwest side. Recently, big-box has been developed at the site of the former Carolina Circle Mall on the city's northeast side and on the city's far south near the new I-85 By-Pass. SPORTS ARTS Greensboro is home to an active and diverse arts community for a city of its size. Venues range for the nationally acclaimed Eastern Music Festival and Weatherspoon Art Museum, to the cutting edge performances of Triad Stage.
FAMOUS NATIVES AND RESIDENTS in downtown.]] Born in Greensboro
Residents of Greensboro
Associated with Greensboro
TRANSPORTATION Greensboro is served by Piedmont Triad International Airport , which also serves High Point and Winston-Salem, North Carolina . Amtrak 's Crescent and Carolinian And Piedmont trains connect Greensboro with the cities of New York , Philadelphia , Baltimore , Washington , Richmond , Raleigh , Charlotte , Atlanta , Birmingham and New Orleans . Amtrak trains, taxis, local and long distance buses arrive and depart from the Amtrak Station and Depot located at 236-C East Washington Street, originally constructed during the early 1920s with interior modernization completed 2004. The Greensboro Transit Authority provides bus service throughout the city, including a service called Higher Education Area Transit , or HEAT, which links downtown attractions to the area colleges. Interstate Highways
Interstate 40 and Interstate 85 join together/split in the Greensboro area. The former fork, which is now the Interstate 40/ Business 85 junction is just south of downtown; it forms the western end of a stretch of freeway known as Death Valley , where six federal routes concur. A construction project is currently underway to build the Greensboro Urban Loop , a freeway that when complete will encircle the majority of the city. Sections of this Beltway may form the future alignment of Interstate 73 . U.S. Highway 29 , which goes through the south, east, and north sides of Greensboro and heads northeast to Reidsville, is a major highway in Greensboro, and has major access to the urban parts of the city. MEDIA Citizens media http://thetroublemaker.blogspot.com Newspapers The '' Greensboro News & Record '' is the main daily newspaper in Greensboro. The Business Journal, a member of the American City Business Journals chain of business weeklies, is based in Greensboro and covers business across the Triad region. The ''Carolina Peacemaker'' is a news weekly that covers the African-American community. The '' Rhinoceros Times '' and '' Yes! Weekly '' are free weekly alternative newspapers. The Hamburger Square Post monthly has been published since 1979. Television stations Greensboro makes up part of the Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point television Designated Market Area . These stations are listed by call letters, channel number, network and city of license.
Greensboro is also home to the Triad bureau of News 14 Carolina REFERENCES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS City websites
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