GREENSBORO

city, Guilford county, north-central North Carolina, U.S. The city forms a triangular metropolitan area with High Point and Winston-Salem. Established in 1808 as the county seat, it was named for General Nathanael Greene, who commanded the American Revolutionary forces at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (March 15, 1781), the site of which is now a national military park, 6 miles (10 km) northwest of the central business district. Toward the end of the American Civil War, Greensboro was the temporary capital of both the Confederacy and North Carolina, and proposals were made (1865) there to end the war. The city is a large wholesale distribution point, an agricultural market, and an important insurance centre. Textiles dominate its diversified industries. Greensboro is the site of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (1891), Bennett College (1873), Greensboro College (1838), Guilford College (1837), and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (1891). Dolley Madison, wife of President James Madison, the short-story writer O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), and the news broadcaster Edward R. Murrow were natives of the Greensboro area. Inc. town, 1810; city, 1870. Pop. (1991 est.) city, 186,521; Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point MSA, 958,613.