Greenville County, South Carolina: History and Information

Greenville County, South Carolina

Greenville County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Greenville
Year Organized: 1798
Square Miles: 792

Court House:

301 University Ridge, Suite 100
County Courthouse
Greenville, SC 29601-3674

Etymology - Origin of County Name

The origins of the name Greenville County are uncertain, but the county was probably named for Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786) or for an early resident, Isaac Green.

Demographics:

History

The origins of the name Greenville County are uncertain, but the county was probably named for Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786) or for an early resident, Isaac Green. This part of the state was the territory of the Cherokee Indians until 1777. Scotch-Irish and English settlers began moving into the area soon after it was ceded to the state. Greenville District was created in 1786, but from 1791 to 1800 it was part of the larger Washington District. The county seat was originally named Pleasantburg, but in 1831 the name was changed to Greenville. Because of its location in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Greenville County became a popular summer retreat for lowcountry planters. Encouraged by abundant streams and rivers, textile manufacturers began operating in the area as early as the 1820s, and after the Civil War Greenville County became a textile center. Diplomat and U.S. Congressman Waddy Thompson (1798-1868) was a resident of Greenville, and in more recent years the county has produced baseball player "Shoeless Joe" Jackson (1887-1951), Nobel Prize winner Charles Townes, and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 795 square miles (2,059 km²), of which, 790 square miles (2,046 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (13 km²) of it (0.61%) is water

Neighboring Counties:

Henderson County, North Carolina - north

Polk County, North Carolina - northeast

Spartanburg County, South Carolina - east

Laurens County, South Carolina - southeast

Abbeville County, South Carolina - south

Anderson County, South Carolina - southwest

Pickens County, South Carolina - west

Transylvania County, North Carolina - northwest

Cities and Towns:

- Fountain Inn

city

Incorporated Area

- Greenville (County Seat)

city

Incorporated Area

- Greer

city

Incorporated Area

- Mauldin

city

Incorporated Area

- Simpsonville

city

Incorporated Area

- Travelers Rest

city

Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

South Carolina State...

South Carolina

South Carolina Counties

Greenville County, South Carolina

Greenville County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Demographics:

History

Geography

Neighboring Counties:

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

County Resource Guide

Penn Foster High School