Greenville (Alabama)

Greenville is a city in Butler County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 8,135. The city is the county seat of Butler County and is known as the Camellia City. The movement to change the official Alabama state flower from the goldenrod to the camellia originated in Greenville with legislative sponsors LaMont Glass and H.B. Taylor.HistoryGreenville was first settled in 1819. Its original name was Buttsville, but after becoming the county seat in 1822, its name was changed to Greenville, in remembrance of the former locale in South Carolina of many of the original settlers. The first county seat was at Fort Dale, a fortification that was named for Sam Dale, who fought to defend the area during the Creek War. The site of Fort Dale lies on the north of the city near the Fort Dale Cemetery, along what is now Alabama Highway 185.The namesake of the county, Captain William Butler, was killed during the Creek War. He is buried in the Pioneer Cemetery, which is across from the oldest church in Butler County, the First United Methodist Church of Greenville.During World War II, a satellite camp for German prisoners was based in Greenville.GeographyGreenville is located in southern Alabama at 31°49'52.583" North, 86°37'39.241" West (31.831273, -86.627567). Interstate 65 passes to the west of the city center, with access from exits 128 and 130. U.S. Route 31 passes to the east of the city center. Montgomery, the state capital, is north, the closest city to Greenville with a population above 50,000. Mobile is to the southwest on I-65.