Greenville, Kentucky

Not to be confused with the similarly-named cities of Greenup and Greensburg, Kentucky. The city of Manchester, Kentucky, was also founded as 'Greenville'.

Greenville
City
The courthouse in Greenville.
Flag
Location of Greenville within Kentucky.
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Muhlenberg
Settled	1812
Incorporated	1848
Named for	Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene or nearby forests
Government
• Mayor	Jan Yonts
Area
• Total	4.8 sq mi (12.4 km2)
• Land	4.8 sq mi (12.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	525 ft (160 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	4,312
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP Code	42345
Area code(s)	270 & 364
FIPS code	21-33022
GNIS feature ID	0493344

Greenville is a city in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 4,312 at the 2010 census.

History

The town was settled in 1799 on an estate donated by local landowner William Campbell in order to establish a seat of government for a new county. Greenville was not established by the state assembly until 1812, however. It was incorporated as a city in 1848.

The city was probably named for the Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene, although local lore holds it was named by Campbell's wife after the abundant forests seen from the town's hilltop location.

Geography

Greenville is located at (37.207158, -87.176499).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12 km²), of which 4.8 square miles (12 km²) is land and 0.21% is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	217		—
1870	557		—
1880	866		55.5%
1890	968		11.8%
1900	1,051		8.6%
1910	1,604		52.6%
1920	1,917		19.5%
1930	2,451		27.9%
1940	2,347		−4.2%
1950	2,661		13.4%
1960	3,198		20.2%
1970	3,875		21.2%
1980	4,631		19.5%
1990	4,689		1.3%
2000	4,398		−6.2%
2010	4,312		−2.0%
Est. 2014	4,402		2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,398 people, 1,859 households, and 1,217 families residing in the city. The population density was 921.7 people per square mile (356.0/km²). There were 2,047 housing units at an average density of 429.0 per square mile (165.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.88% White, 8.75% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.30% of the population.

There were 1,859 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.75.

The age distribution was 19.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 77.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,521, and the median income for a family was $35,571. Males had a median income of $37,454 versus $18,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,708. About 14.2% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The 1987 Encyclopedia of Kentucky refers to Greenville as "the unofficial capital of the Black Belt", a reference to the area's production of coal and dark tobacco.

Sites of interest

Thistle Cottage

The Duncan Cultural Center in Greenville, Kentucky

Thistle Cottage, formerly the Duncan Cultural Center, occupies the former home of William Graham Duncan on Cherry Street in Greenville. Constructed in 1912, the home was donated to the city of Greenville by Hamilton Richardson Duncan, Sr., the last of the Duncan family to reside there, in 1986. It became the Duncan Cultural Center a year later, but did not open to the public until 1989. The name was changed to Thistle Cottage (the name given to the house by William Duncan) in 2014.

Today, the Center displays a number of artifacts related to the history and culture of Muhlenberg County, including a coal museum. It is also available for rent to host parties and other special events.

Muhlenberg County Rail Trail

A refurbished railcar from the Paducah and Louisville Railway along the Muhlenberg County Rail Trail

The Muhlenberg County Rail Trail is a paved trail following an old Paducah and Louisville railway route between Central City, Kentucky and Greenville that is open to pedestrian and non-motorized vehicle traffic. Kentucky's most extensive rail trail conversion to date, the Muhlenberg Rail Trail opened October 20, 2000 and was named "Trail of the Month" by the Rails to Trails Conservancy in May 2004. A viewing platform and birding guide are available where the trail passes through a local wetland. The Muhlenberg County Rails to Trails Committee has railbanked an additional 3 miles (4.8 km) of abandoned rail, possibly for a later extension into McLean County.

Notable people

• Actor Warren Oates was born in Depoy, just outside Greenville
• Alney McLean (1779–1841) was a United States Representative from Kentucky.
• Edward Rumsey (1796–1868) was a United States Representative from Kentucky.
• Vernard Eugene Bivin (1921–1942) was a recipient of the Navy Cross and was the namesake of the destroyer escort USS Bivin (DE-536)
• Actor Miles Heizer born 1994, well known for his role in Rails & Ties with Kevin Bacon.
• Musician Jim Walker, world-renowned flute soloist—orchestral and film soundtracks.
• Ephraim McLean Brank, soldier and lawyer
• Danny Morris, baseball player

See also

• Other places named Greenville

External links

• Greater Muhlenberg Chamber of Commerce