Greensboro

Sister cities

• Montbéliard

History

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, inhabitants of the area that became Greensboro were the Saura. Other indigenous cultures had occupied this area for thousands of years, typically settling along the waterways, as did the later European settlers. Quaker migrants from Pennsylvania, by way of Maryland, arrived at Capefair (now Greensboro) in about 1750. The new settlers began organized religious services affiliated with the Cane Creek Friends Meeting in Snow Camp in 1751. Three years later, 40 Quaker families were granted approval to establish New Garden Monthly Meeting. The settlement grew rapidly over the next three years, adding members from as far away as Nantucket, Massachusetts. 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." Property for the future village was purchased from the Saura for $98. Three north–south streets (Greene, Elm, Davie) were laid out intersecting with three east–west streets, Gaston, Market, and Sycamore. The railroads transported goods to and from the cotton textile mills. Many of the manufacturers developed workers' housing in mill villages near their facilities. Though the city developed slowly, early wealth generated in the 18th and 19th centuries from cotton trade and merchandising resulted in owners' constructing several notable buildings. The earliest, later named Blandwood Mansion and Gardens, was built by a farmer in 1795. Additions to this residence in 1846, designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, made the house influential as America's earliest Tuscan-style villa. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Other significant houses and estates were developed, including Dunleith,…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Greensboro has an area of , of which is land and (3.83%) is water. The city lies among the rolling hills of the Piedmont region of North Carolina, with the city located in the center of the state between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains to the west and the Atlantic beaches and Outer Banks to the east. The view of Greensboro from its highest building—the Lincoln Financial tower, commonly known as the Jefferson-Pilot Building after its previous owner,—shows an expanse of shade trees in the city. Interstates 40, 73, and 85 intersect at Greensboro. Greensboro is east of Winston-Salem, west of Durham, northwest of Raleigh, northeast of Charlotte, and southwest of Richmond, Virginia. Downtown Greensboro has attracted development investment in recent years with such new construction as First National Bank Field, residential construction, and offices. The Southside neighborhood downtown exemplifies central-city reinvestment. The formerly economically depressed neighborhood has been redeveloped as an award-winning neotraditional-style neighborhood featuring walkability, compact blocks and local amenities and services. The redevelopment of the downtown was stimulated by the 2006 opening of the Elon University School of Law. The law school is credited with attracting student dollars to the downtown. ====Four Seasons/Coliseum area==== The Four Seasons Town Centre, at 410 Four Seasons Town Centre, is a three-story shopping mall with of shopping space developed by the Koury Corporation. It is adjacent to the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center and Sheraton Hotel. With over of flexible meeting space, the Koury Convention Center is the largest convention center in the Southeast between Atlanta and Washington, D.C. The…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,860
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  17,754
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  17,252
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  16,972
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  15,737
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,971
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,173
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,065

Largest nearby schools

• Northwest Guilford High
  High · Greensboro · 1,991 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• Grimsley High
  High · Greensboro · 1,899 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Page High
  High · Greensboro · 1,744 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• Southwest Guilford High
  High · High Point · 1,662 students · 18.5:1 ratio
• James B Dudley High
  High · Greensboro · 1,491 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• Western Guilford High
  High · Greensboro · 1,444 students · 19:1 ratio
• Ben L. Smith High School
  High · Greensboro · 1,371 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Northern Guilford High
  High · Greensboro · 1,364 students · 21:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2019-03-26
  8 km E of Archdale, North Carolina
• M 2.58 — 2015-11-15
  10 km S of Denton, North Carolina
• M 2.5 — 2006-11-03
  6 km S of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• M 2.6 — 2006-10-17
  7 km S of Winston-Salem, North Carolina