Greensboro, North Carolina, is a city located in Guilford County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the largest city in the Piedmont Triad region.

As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 223,891, making it the third most populous city in North Carolina. Its estimated population in 2004 was 231,543.

It is located at the intersection of two interstate highways (I-85 and I-40) in the Piedmont ("foot of the mountains") region in central North Carolina.

In 1808, Greensborough (as it was spelled then) was a planned town to replace Guilford Court House as the county seat. This act moved the county courts to near the geographical center of the county, easily reached by the more of county's citizens.

The town is home to several universities and colleges. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&T), Guilford College, Bennett College, and Greensboro College all call Greensboro home. In addition, the state community college system has several campuses for Guilford Technical Community College.

History

The city was named for Major General Nathanael Greene, commander of the American forces at the Battle of Guilford Court House on March 15, 1781. The Americans lost that battle but slowed Cornwallis' British forces enough to allow the Americans to prepare to defeat them at the Battle of Yorktown, where the British were forced to surrender on October 19, 1781, after a 20-day siege, thus ending the American Revolution.

In the 1800's, Greensboro was selected by the state government to become a railroad hub and substantally grew in size. It soon became known as the Gateway City. The railroads transported goods to and from the textile industries, which grew up around Greensboro due to its location. Many of these businesses remained in the city until the 21st century, when many of them went bankrupt, reorganized, and/or merged with other companies. Greensboro remains as a major textile headquarters city with main offices of International Textile Group (Cone, Burlington Industries), Galey & Lord, Unifi, and VF Corporation (Wrangler, Lee, North Face, Vanity Fair). Rail traffic continues as a major North Carolina freight hub and four passenger trains per day (Amtrack)on the main Norfolk Western line between Washington and New Orleans by way of Atlanta.

Greensboro has been known for being on the forefront of racial equality issues, sometimes resulting in nationally known events. During the 19th century, with its large concentration of anti-slavery Quakers near Guilford College (now part of Greensboro), the town was a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Railroad helped to smuggle runaway slaves to freedom in the North. In the 1861 Secession Convention Vote, Guilford County voted against secession from the Union.