border|thumb|upright|View of fountain and Courthouse

Greenville is a city in Darke County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is near Ohio's western edge, about northwest of Dayton. The population was 12,786 at the 2020 census.

History

Indigenous tribes in the region included the Wyandot, the Delaware, the Shawnee, the Ottawa, the Chippewa, the Pottawatomi, the Miami, the Wea, the Kickapoo, the Piankasha, the Kaskaskia and the Eel River. These participated in the Northwest Indian War, their effort to repel European Americans from the Northwest Territory.

Greenville is the historic location of Fort Greene Ville, built in November 1793 by General Anthony Wayne's Legion of the United States during the Northwest Indian War. Named for Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene, its defenses covered about , making it North America's largest wooden fort. It was a training ground and base of operations for the approximately 3,000 soldiers of the Legion and Kentucky Militia before their August 1794 march northward to the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The Treaty of Greenville was signed at the fort on August 3, 1795, with chiefs of the tribes that had confronted the U.S. This brought an end to the Indian wars in the area and opened the Northwest Territory for European-American settlement.

In 1805 or 1806, the Shawnee chief Tecumseh and his younger brother Tenskwatawa established an illegal settlement in Greenville. In peaceful protest of the boundary line of the Treaty of Greenville, their group occupied the confluence of Mud Creek and Greenville Creek until 1808. Under pressure from Indiana territorial governor William Henry Harrison and the burgeoning population of settlers, Tecumseh, Tenskwatawa, and their followers relocated to Prophetstown, Indiana,

Local airports include Darke County Airport, seven miles away in Versailles, and James M. Cox Dayton International Airport, 35 miles away in Dayton, Ohio.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Greenville had a population of 12,786. The median age was 46.6 years. 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.9 males age 18 and over.

99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,995 households in Greenville, of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.0% were married-couple households, 21.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 43.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

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| White || 11,923 || 93.3%

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| Black or African American || 136 || 1.1%

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| American Indian and Alaska Native || 28 || 0.2%

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| Asian || 96 || 0.8%

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| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 7 || 0.1%

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| Some other race || 112 || 0.9%

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| Two or more races || 484 || 3.8%

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| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 265 || 2.1%

|}

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 13,227 people, 5,933 households, and 3,430 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 6,536 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.7% White, 0.9% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 5,933 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.2% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17, and the average family size was 2.83.

The median age in the city was 43.4 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64, and 22.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.0% male and 54.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census Over three days in 2006, 18 men were arrested, with Darke County officers assisting the Dateline NBC crew. This investigation was credited with shining a light on online predation, even in rural areas, and is often cited as the episode that cemented To Catch A Predator in popular culture.

Media

The city and surrounding areas are served by a daily newspaper published in Greenville, The Daily Advocate.

Notable people

  • Jack Baldschun, baseball player
  • Jack Curtner, racing driver
  • Jeffrey D. Feltman, United Nations diplomat
  • Ray Hathaway, baseball player
  • Walter Law, film and stage actor
  • Matt Light, American football player
  • Rick Macci, tennis coach
  • Clayton Murphy, Olympian
  • Paul Norris, comic book artist
  • Annie Oakley, American sharpshooter
  • Bob Peebles, Scottish-American professional golfer
  • Gene Riegle, harness racing driver and trainer
  • Lowell Thomas, writer and broadcaster
  • Jim Van Bebber, film director

Notes

References

  • City website
  • [http://www.archaeologicalconservancy.org/fort-greenville-ohio/] archaeological preservation of Fort Greenville