Greenville

History

Greenville is named after its founder, John Green, who settled in the wilderness of the southwest part of Montcalm County in 1844. Green constructed a sawmill on the Flat River that is credited for attracting other settlers. The newly formed "Green's Village" attracted many people of Danish origin who followed another early Danish settler's positive letters home regarding the area. Because of the town's heritage, Greenville celebrates the Danish Festival every year on the third weekend of August. A post office was established on January 20, 1848, with Abel French as the first postmaster. John Green had the village platted in 1853, and it was a station on the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western Railroad. Greenville incorporated as a village in 1867 and as a city in 1871. Hendrik Meijer, founder of Meijer's stores, moved to Greenville after immigrating to the United States from the Netherlands. He was initially a barber, but the Great Depression and lack of a proper grocery on his side of town led him to open his own store in 1934. Meijer corporation now operates stores throughout the Midwest. Hendrik's son Fred Meijer, principal architect of the modern Meijer chain, is a native son. Greenville is home to the Fighting Falcon, the lead plane of a wave of gliders during World War II's Operation Overlord. The Falcon was purchased with funds raised by the schoolchildren of the city, and was designated the lead aircraft in recognition of this achievement. It is also home to the new manufacturing and design center of Northland Marvel, an undercounter refrigeration company that just became a part of the UK-based AgaRangemaster group. Lafayette Street, the downtown district, was placed on the National and State Register of Historic Places in November 2008.

Geography

Greenville is in southwestern Montcalm County, bordered nearly on all sides by Eureka Township and for a short distance to the north by Montcalm Township. It is by road southwest of Stanton, the Montcalm county seat, and northeast of Grand Rapids. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 4.67%, are water. * runs east-west through the center of Greenville as Washington Street. * runs north-south through Greenville as Lafayette Street, crossing M-57 in the center of town.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Greenville Senior High School
  High · GREENVILLE · 1,106 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• Greenville Middle School
  Middle · GREENVILLE · 799 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• Baldwin Heights School
  Elementary · GREENVILLE · 485 students · 18:1 ratio
• Walnut Hills Elementary School
  Elementary · GREENVILLE · 386 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Cedar Crest Elementary School
  Elementary · GREENVILLE · 302 students · 9.7:1 ratio
• Central Montcalm Elementary School
  Elementary · SHERIDAN · 301 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Flat River Academy
  Other · GREENVILLE · 129 students · 10.8:1 ratio
• ISDLocal Center Programs
  Other · Greenville · 79 students · 3.2:1 ratio