Greenville, Michigan
| Greenville, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 |
|
| Nickname(s): The Danish Festival City | |
| Motto: Living large in a small town | |
 Location of Greenville within Montcalm County, Michigan |
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| Coordinates: 43°11′N 85°15′W / 43.183°N 85.250°WCoordinates: 43°11′N 85°15′W / 43.183°N 85.250°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Montcalm |
| Founded | 1844 |
| Incorporated | 1867 (village) 1871 (city) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.67 sq mi (17.28 km2) |
| • Land | 6.34 sq mi (16.42 km2) |
| • Water | 0.33 sq mi (0.85 km2) |
| Elevation | 837 ft (255 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 8,481 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 8,435 |
| • Density | 1,337.7/sq mi (516.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 48838 |
| Area code(s) | 616 |
| FIPS code | 26-35100 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0627370 |
| Website | http://www.greenvillemi.org |
Greenville is a city in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,481 at the 2010 census.
Greenville is named after its founder, John Green, who settled in the wilderness of the southwest part of Montcalm County in 1844. John Green constructed a sawmill on the Flat River that is credited for attracting other settlers. The newly formed Green's Village attracted many people of Danish origin who followed another early Danish settler's positive letters home regarding the area. Because of the town's heritage, Greenville celebrates the Danish Festival every year on the third weekend of August. A post office was established on January 20, 1848, with Abel French as the first postmaster. John Green had the village platted in 1853 and it was a station on the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western Railroad. Greenville incorporated as a village in 1867 and as a city in 1871.
Hendrik Meijer, founder of Meijer's stores, moved to Greenville after immigrating to the USA from the Netherlands. He was initially a barber, but the Great Depression and lack of a proper grocery on his side of town led him to open his own store in 1934. Meijer corporation now operates stores throughout the Midwest. Hendrik's son Fred Meijer, principal architect of the modern Meijer chain, is a native son.
Greenville is also home to the Fighting Falcon, the lead plane of a wave of gliders during Operation Overlord. The Falcon was purchased with funds raised by the school children of the town, and was designated the lead aircraft in recognition of this achievement.
Since the foundation of Ranney Refrigerator Co. in 1892, the town has been known as the "Refrigerator Capital of the World." It has also been home to the Gibson, White Consolidated, Frigidaire, and until recently, the Electrolux refrigerator factory. Electrolux closed the Greenville facility in early 2006, as it was in the process of relocating the factory to Ciudad Juárez in Mexico. This move impacted 2,700 employees and their families.
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