Greenville () is an unincorporated community in Plumas County, California, United States, on the north-west side of Indian Valley. Most of the buildings were destroyed by the Dixie Fire in August 2021. The population was 1,026 at the 2020 census, Among the earliest structures built in the community was a boarding house operated by Mr. and Mrs. Green. The community was named for Green, who was killed in the collapse of the first Round Valley Dam. When Henry C. Bidwell arrived in 1862 and opened a trading post, several business owners moved down from Round Valley to Greenville. Since its establishment, the main industries of Greenville were mining and logging, however, by the mid 1900s, mining had declined and logging and ranching became the main industries in Greenville. In the late 1800s, the Maidu tribe were granted over 200 acres of land by the US government where a boarding school was built which burned down in the 1920s. The land was later converted into a Rancheria.
Cheney Lumber Company built a wood mill near Greenville.
Fires
A fire destroyed many buildings in 1881; they were quickly rebuilt. Greenville's population in 1882 was 500. the largest single (i.e. non-complex) wildfire in the state's history, and the second-largest overall (after the August Complex fire of 2020). Fire officials stated that the library, fire department, and most downtown homes were burned. The Los Angeles Times estimated that about $1 billion, through government aid, insurance payouts, lawsuits against Pacific Gas & Electric, corporate investment and philanthropic donations, has been promised, paid or will be forced to pay for the damage and rebuilding of Greenville.
It is stated that nobody died in the fire. The single casualty from the incident was a firefighter who died from complications with COVID-19.
Geography
Climate
This region experiences hot and dry summers with temps as high as and cold sometimes wet winters, which can get as cold as . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Greenville has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps. Its winter temperatures approach that of a continental climate, and diurnal temperature variation is large, especially during summer.
Demographics
For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Greenville as a census-designated place (CDP).
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Greenville CDP, California – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|933
|830
|style='background: #ffffe6; |752
|80.43%
|73.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |73.29%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|1
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7
|0.09%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.68%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|83
|118
|style='background: #ffffe6; |90
|7.16%
|10.45%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.77%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|3
|11
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.26%
|0.97%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.19%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.10%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|1
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9
|0.09%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.88%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|31
|61
|style='background: #ffffe6; |76
|2.67%
|5.40%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.41%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|108
|109
|style='background: #ffffe6; |89
|9.31%
|9.65%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.67%
|-
|Total
|1,160
|1,129
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,026
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Greenville had a population of 1,026 and a population density of .
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The whole population lived in households. There were 491 households, out of which 118 (24.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 164 (33.4%) were married-couple households, 52 (10.6%) were cohabiting couple households, 138 (28.1%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 137 (27.9%) had a male householder with no partner present. 170 households (34.6%) were one person, and 93 (18.9%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.09.
The age distribution was 178 people (17.3%) under the age of 18, 65 people (6.3%) aged 18 to 24, 229 people (22.3%) aged 25 to 44, 281 people (27.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 273 people (26.6%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 48.5years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males.
The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.
There were 496 households, 139 (28.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 181 (36.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 77 (15.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 25 (5.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 52 (10.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 3 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 171 households (34.5%) were one person and 67 (13.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.28. There were 283 families (57.1% of households); the average family size was 2.91.
The age distribution was 256 people (22.7%) under the age of 18, 78 people (6.9%) aged 18 to 24, 227 people (20.1%) aged 25 to 44, 378 people (33.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 190 people (16.8%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 45.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
There were 613 housing units at an average density of 76.7 per square mile, of the occupied units 251 (50.6%) were owner-occupied and 245 (49.4%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.2%. 583 people (51.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 546 people (48.4%) lived in rental housing units.
Government
In the state legislature, Greenville is in , and .
Federally, Greenville is in .
Education
The school district is Plumas Unified School District. Greenville's students attend the Indian Valley Elementary and Greenville Junior/Senior High Schools. The school's mascots are the 'Wolf Pack' for the elementary school and the 'Indians' for the Junior/Senior High School.
Infrastructure
California State Route 89 passes through Greenville.
Notable people
- James Marsters (born 1962), actor and musician
- Marie Mason Potts (1895–1978), Mountain Maidu journalist and activist; attended Greenville Indian School for a few years.
- Bill Wattenburg (1936–2018), inventor, author, and radio talk show host
See also
- Greenville Rancheria of Maidu Indians, headquartered in Greenville
References
External links
- Images of 2021 fire - CNN