Greenville is a village and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Smithfield in

Providence County Providence County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence County contains the city of Providence, the state capi ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, United States. The population was 8,658 at the 2010 census. The CDP is centered on the village of Greenville but also encompasses the nearby villages of West Greenville and Spragueville, as well as the Mountaindale Reservoir and beach. The village of Greenville is named after Revolutionary War general

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependabl ...

, who was born in Rhode Island in 1742. The location, however, was first settled in the 17th century. The village contains the Greenville Baptist Church ( American Baptist Churches, USA),

Greenville Public Library The Greenville Public Library is located in the Bond County, Illinois city of Greenville. It was built in 1905 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. History In January 1856, the Ladies Social Circle of Greenville met ...

, and

William Winsor School William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

, and there are many apple

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

s in the surrounding area. The area was active in the

Free Will Baptist Free Will Baptists are a group of General Baptist denominations of Christianity that teach free grace, free salvation and free will. The movement can be traced back to the 1600s with the development of General Baptism in England. Its formal est ...

movement in the 19th century, and the

Smithville Seminary The Smithville Seminary was a Freewill Baptist institution established in 1839 on what is now Institute Lane in Smithville-North Scituate, Rhode Island. Renamed the Lapham Institute in 1863, it closed in 1876. The site was then used as the campus ...

, a Free Baptist institution, was nearby.

U.S. Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonkson, ...

, known locally as "Putnam Pike", runs through the center of Greenville.

Notable residents

Arthur Steere Arthur Wallace Steere (1865–1943) was a Rhode Island politician and prominent businessman and landowner. Biography Steere (known as "A.W.") was born in Glocester, Rhode Island, on September 3, 1865, to Seth Hunt Steere and Lucy L. Smith. ...

(1865–1943), senator, businessman *

John Steere John Steere (ca. 1634 – 1724) was one of the earliest settlers of the state of Rhode Island, a town official, and a founder of the town of Smithfield, Rhode Island. John Steere was purportedly born in Ockley, Dorking, Surrey in England around ...

(1634–1724), early settler, farmer * Thomas Angell (professor), Baptist scholar at

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

* William Winsor (1819-1904), philanthropist, supporter of education * Bernard Hawkins, American politician

Geography

Greenville is located at (41.876749, −71.553375). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP has a total area of 14.9 km² (5.8 mi²). 13.5 km² (5.2 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (9.39%) is water. Some bodies of water in Greenville include

Waterman Reservoir Waterman Reservoir (also known as Waterman's Reservoir) is a large lake along Putnam Pike in Glocester and Greenville in Providence County, Rhode Island. The Waterman Reservoir was created in 1838 on the site of a swamp and is when full with a ...

and Slack's Pond.

Distinct villages in Greenville CDP

* Greenville * West Greenville * Spragueville * Mountaindale (also Mountain Dale) — the location of

Mountaindale Beach Mountain Dale or Mountaindale is the name of several places in the USA: * Mountain Dale, Missouri * Mountain Dale, New York *Mountaindale, Oregon *Mountaindale, Pennsylvania Mountaindale is an old coal-mining community in northeastern Cambria Cou ...

. Mountaindale was home to the Mountain Dale Hosiery Mill owned by J.P. and J.G. Ray.

Climate

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,626 people, 3,302 households, and 2,314 families residing in the CDP. 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 639.3/km² (1,654.7/mi²). There were 3,418 housing units at an average density of 253.3/km² (655.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.47%

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 ...

, 0.28%

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 ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.51%

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 ...

, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.06% 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 0.46% 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 ...

of any race were 0.58% of the population. There were 3,302 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.05. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $56,036, and the median income for a family was $66,832. Males had a median income of $49,671 versus $31,545 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 CDP was $24,770. About 1.6% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable sites and historic places in Greenville

* Saint Thomas Episcopal Church and Rectory (1852) * Smithfield Exchange Bank (1822) * Stephen Winsor House (1850) * Waterman-Winsor Farm (1774)

Images

Image:Arthur Steere House.JPG, The farm of Greenville resident

at the start of the 20th century Image:Greenville RI School House.JPG, Greenville School House, formerly near the site of Greenville's post office Image:Greenville Finishing Company Smithfield RI.JPG, Greenville Finishing Company at the start of the 20th century Image:Slacks Pond Greenville RI.JPG, Slacks Pond in Greenville File:Greenville RI Library.JPG, Old Greenville Public Library, originally in downtown Greenville in between the Baptist and Episcopal churches File:Whale Rock on Mapleville Road in Greenville Smithfield Rhode Island RI.jpg, Whale Rock on Mapleville Road, a local landmark Greenville Baptist Church in Greenville Rhode Island in the town of Smithfield RI.jpg, Greenville Baptist Church File:Waterman-Winsor Farm House in Greenville RI in the town of Smithfield Rhode Island USA.jpg, Waterman-Winsor Farm House on Austin Avenue File:Saint Thomas Episcopal Church.jpg, Saint Thomas Episcopal Church and Rectory

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Providence County, Rhode Island Smithfield, Rhode Island Villages in Providence County, Rhode Island Providence metropolitan area Villages in Rhode Island Census-designated places in Rhode Island