Small Town USA - Greenville, Texas (near Dallas)

Back in 2011, Forbes magazine prepared a TOP 10 List of cities considered to be “economic superstars”. They were recognized as a “superstar” because they have relatively low housing prices, and somehow experienced an increase in new jobs, and managed to keep their economies afloat. The List included 4 Texas cities. - Austin, Texas was Number 1; - San Antonio was Number 4 on the List; - Houston, Number 5; and - Dallas, Number 7. 

- Read more at:  "The Next Big Boom Towns in the U.S." https://web.archive.org/web/20161202135817/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/pf_article_113083.html

Austin is the state capital; and in the same way, Cedar Park, Texas benefits from being a part of the Greater Austin community, Greenville, Texas is a “small town” that likely benefits from their proximity to Dallas, one of the places named as an economic superstar. Downtown Greenville is an easy 45 minute trip from Dallas, Texas.

The 2015 estimated population projection for this city is less than 30,000. That's close enough to meeting my definition of having small-town charm.

Greenville, TX is north of Dallas in Northeast, Texas. 

Map found at greenville-texas.com



Here are just a few facts to peak your interest in this colorful U.S. city.


Greenville was established in 1846. It was famous for a sign that read "Welcome to Greenville, The Blackest Land, The Whitest People". 

This sign was hung over the main street in the downtown area from the 1920s to the 1960s. Between the 1960s and 1970s, the sign was changed to "The Blackest Land, The Greatest People". 

There has been a dispute over the interpretation of those words.  Some believed the sign indicated a racist attitude of the people in the city.  Others insisted that "whitest" was not referring to their race but rather their purity, honesty, and integrity of the people who lived there. The color "white" is symbolic for purity, is it not?

Eventually, the sign was just taken down. The fertile black soil of the area resulted in excellent cotton production, and Greenville became known as the "cotton capital of the world".
 
Times have changed for the better and the new attitude is reflected in the City's vision statement:

“The vision of the City of Greenville is to build on our hometown values and rich heritage as a diverse community, by providing cost-effective, quality services to create an enjoyable vibrant place where families and business choose to live, grow and prosper.”

Image credit: Old map of Greenville, TX, 1891; Public Domain; Wikimedia Commons

Related articles:

• Don’t Mess with Texas: Favorite Texas Spots from A Piece of Toast

  ---

• Small Town USA - Grapevine, Texas (near Dallas)

  ---

• Looking for a Great Place to Live Out Your Golden Years? | Athens, Texas

  ---

• Cedar Park, Texas - Small City-Town USA