City of Greenville

About Us

Greenville is the medical, economic, education, cultural, and industrial hub of Eastern North Carolina. The City covers approximately 35 square miles and has a population of 81,798 (according to U.S. Census data).

Greenville, NC is located in the north central coastal plain region of Eastern North Carolina, approximately 85 miles east of Raleigh, 87 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean, and 265 miles south of Washington, DC.

Greenville was founded in 1771 as ''Martinsborough,'' named after the Royal Governor Josiah Martin. In 1774, the town was moved to its present location on the south bank of the Tar River, three miles west of its original site. In 1786, the city's name was changed to Greenesville in honor of General Nathanael Greene, the Revolutionary War hero, and later shortened to Greenville.

During Greenville’s early years, the Tar River was a navigable waterway; and by the 1860’s there were several established riverboat lines transporting passengers and goods. Cotton was the leading agricultural crop, and Greenville became a major cotton export center. Before the turn of the century, however, tobacco surpassed cotton and became the leading money crop. Greenville became one of the State’s leading tobacco marketing and warehouse centers.