Greenville is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

with home rule status in northwestern Mercer County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States. Located along the

Shenango River The Shenango River is a principal tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 100 mi (160 km) long, Incorporated as the Borough of West Greenville in 1836, it changed its name to the Borough of Greenville in 1865 and began to operate under a home rule charter on January 1, 2020, under the name of the "Town of Greenville." The origin of the name is speculated to have come from

East Greenville, Pennsylvania East Greenville is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The population was 2,951 at the 2010 census. It is one of a strip of small towns that run together along Route 29, including Red Hill, Pennsburg and East Greenville. The boroug ...

. Greenville is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, and was designated a financially distressed municipality in 2002 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is home to the Werner Company, the world's largest manufacturer of step and extension ladders. Other national companies based in Greenville include Bail USA and Athena Study Abroad. A prominent regional bus company based in Greenville is Anderson Coach & Travel.

History

Greenville was known for its manufacturing interests, including railroad shops, bridge works, gristmills, a cement-block plant, an automobile factory, foundries and machine shops, saw and planing mills, steelworks, a railroad-car manufacturer, and flour mills. Water power was supplied by the Shenango River. In 1900, 4,814 people lived in Greenville. That number rose to 5,909 by 1910, and stood at 10,000 in 1940. In 1950 there were 9,210 residents of Greenville. By 2000, the census showed a decline in population to 6,380. Greenville was designated a financially distressed municipality in 2002 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Greenville Commercial Historic District and Alexander P. and James S. Waugh House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Geography

Greenville is located in

northwest Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...

at (41.404998, −80.386651), along the

Shenango River The Shenango River is a principal tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 100 mi (160 km) long,census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 6,380 people, 2,464 households, and 1,471 families residing in the borough. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 3,038.1 people per square mile (1,263.2/km²). There were 2,723 housing units at an average density of 1,398.5 per square mile (539.2/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.33%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.77%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.82%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.20% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.72% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

people of any race were 0.49% of the population. The leading ancestries in Greenville are German at 28%, Irish at 12%, English at 12% and Italian at 10%. There were 2,464 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.96. In the borough the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 16.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $38,869. Males had a median income of $31,324 versus $19,293 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the borough was $14,969. About 10.6% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The Werner Company, the world's largest manufacturer of step and extension ladders, is the largest employer in the city. Richard D. Werner founded the R. D. Werner Company in 1922 in New York City. The early products were job tools, thread, and metal trim for carpet thresholds. Soon after World War II, Werner's curiosity led him to experiment with manufacturing aluminum ladders, and the Werner Ladder business was born. The company is growing rapidly today, headquarters at 93 Werner Road in Greenville. Other major employers in Greenville include UPMC Horizon,

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

Thiel College Thiel College (, ) is a private college in Greenville, Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is one of the smallest colleges or universities in the region with about 100 full-time and part time faculty ...

, Greenville Area School District, and St. Paul's.

Recreation and culture

Greenville PA Post Office Front Exterior November 2021

The Borough owns and maintains seven parks in Greenville, the biggest being Riverside Park, which houses its own recreation center , outdoor amphitheatre, which was just newly renovated, and a new playground, which was built in 2012 by community volunteers. Riverside Park's South Greenville Recreation Center was completed renovated and doubled the size of the center; the construction was completed early 2016. Riverside Park was previously home to the Greenville Memorial Pool, which opened in 1952 and closed in 2009. A sports complex is housed in the adjacent West Salem Township, where community softball, soccer and football programs are held. The Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce promotes community development. The Greenville Area Community Theatre is open to people ages 18 and over. The Penn-Ohio Young Actors Playhouse is located in Greenville and serves the Penn-Ohio area for ages 18 and under. Greenville also has its own symphony. The Greenville Area Public Library has served the area since 1921. Greenville has three museums: the Greenville Area Historical Society at the Waugh House Museum, the Greenville Railroad Park and Museum, and the Erie Extension Canal Museum. The Railroad Park and Museum displays, among other railroad equipment, the last extant 0-10-2 "Union" steam locomotive. Every year on the first weekend in July, "Heritage Days" is held. This includes a fireworks display, crafter's and vendors, historical reenactments, children's activities, and the area's largest free car show. The Waugh House is the oldest brick house in Greenville, built in 1826. The post office is considered among the finest of Depression-Era design, built under the

WPA WPA may refer to: Computing *Wi-Fi Protected Access, a wireless encryption standard *Windows Product Activation, in Microsoft software licensing * Wireless Public Alerting (Alert Ready), emergency alerts over LTE in Canada * Windows Performance An ...

program during the Roosevelt administration.

Education

The Greenville Area School District serves some of the area, and is divided into two buildings. The Reynolds Area School District serves some of the area, and is contained in two buildings.

, a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

, is located in Greenville.

Notable people

Štefan Banič Štefan Banič (; 23 November 1870 – 2 January 1941) was a Slovak inventor who patented an early parachute design. Born in Jánostelek ( sk, Neštich), Austria-Hungary (now part of Smolenice, Slovakia), Banič immigrated to the United St ...

, inventor of a strap-on umbrella like

parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...

Adda Burch Adda Burch (January 6, 1869 – February 18, 1929) was an American missionary-teacher in Latin America. She was also a Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) leader, serving in various positions in the U.S. as well as president of the World WCTU ...

(1869–1929), teacher, missionary, temperance activist, reporter * Nicholas James (a.k.a. Nicholas J. Muscarella), American actor * Gus Kefurt, Medal of Honor recipient *

Eric Kloss Eric Kloss (born April 3, 1949) is an American jazz saxophonist. Music career Kloss was born blind in Greenville, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, and attended the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind, which was run by his father. When he was 1 ...

, jazz saxophonist * Larry Lake, musician, radio personality, and record producer * Bill Mitchell, General Motors Vice-President Design

References

{{authority control Populated places established in 1819 Boroughs in Mercer County, Pennsylvania 1819 establishments in Pennsylvania