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Even if you think you know Greenville well, here are some facts that might surprise you. Greenville County was part of the Cherokee Nation’s protected lands until 1776. The first white man to settle in the area was Richard Pearis, who married a Cherokee woman and was given several tracts of land. Because Pearis was not a Patriot, he lost all his land and possessions during the Revolutionary War. In the early 1900s, Greenville was known as the “Textile Center of the World.” Greenville was called Pleasantburg until the name was changed in 1831. Greenville was at first spelled Greeneville, likely after Revolutionary hero Nathaniel Greene. Paris Mountain was named after Richard Pearis, using the spelling of the French city so it would be less confusing. Poinsett Hotel was completed in June 1925 at a cost of $1.5 million. The 12-story Poinsett Hotel was built to provide rooms for visitors to Greenville’s annual Southern Textile Exposition. Greenville served as a training camp center for Army recruits during World War I. Donaldson Center Airport served as a military base after World War II until the early 1960s. On August 9, 1960, a sit-in at the S. H. Kress store in Greenville was catalyst for a U.S. Supreme Court decision that overrode segregation ordinances. Liberty Bridge was completed in 2004. It is 380 feet long and 12 feet wide (with a clear span of 200 feet). The land area of Greenville is 25.38 sq. miles. Greenville County is South Carolina's most populous county with more than 498,766 residents as of the 2016 census. An estimated 64,579 (as of the 2015 census) live within Greenville’s city limits. The median house value in Greenville in 2010 was $137,795. In 2016, the median home value was $155,500. Greenville’s average annual temperature is 60 degrees. Greenville’s average yearly rainfall is 49 inches. Greenville’s average annual snowfall is less than 6 inches. Greenville’s average monthly maximum temperature is 71 degrees. Greenville’s average monthly minimum temperature is 50 degrees. The median age of Greenvillians is 34.1 years. The U.S. median age is 37.4 years. (Sperlings Best Places)