The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-04-30
GREENSBORO DIVERSE
1t Has ii Separate and Dis
tinct Factories.
The Centre Of a Busy Hive Of Industry, ard il
Destined to be One Of the South's
Most Prominent Cities.
Especial to News and Observer

Greensboro, ~. u. April Zt.-1nc
people of this growing city are
Justly proud of the rapid advancement
that has been made, and is being made,
in commercial and manufacturing lines.
From a village of a few hundred inhabi-
tants at the close of the War Between
the States, 1t has grown TO be one Of the
most thriving cities of the Carolinas.
The Official census of 1890 gave Green's
boro a population of 1917, while the cen
sus of 1900, showed a population of TO-
035, or an increase of over 200 per cent in
ten years. Nor does this include large
suburban and cotton mill population,
just beyond the city limits, which con-
seryative authorities have estimated to
be, including mile around the city,
something like 1000.
Following this prosperity of the past
ten years, that of the future is augmen
ted by the foundation Of diversified in
terests. Not dependent upon any one
branch Of industries, the community does
not become liable by the failure of any
one crop, or misfortune in one indus
try. Forty-one separate and distinct
factories are engaged in manufacturing
twenty-five different kinds of goods. The
New England factory town has compet-
itor in a shoe factory, for boys shoes, a
factory for denims. overalls, and canton
flannel mill. The Middle States are met
in competition with Greensboro carpets.
stoves, plows, and saw mill machinery,
while spokes and handles are exported to
Europe. also the manufacture of brooms,
furniture, cigars, chewing gum, drain
pipes, shuttles, bobbins, ETC., which are
shipped to all parts of the country
Greensboro has developed into one OF
the most profitable jobbing points in the
South. Six years ago, there were two
jobbing houses located here. Now, there
are nineteen wholesale houses, selling
eleven different classes Of goods, and rep
resenting over a million dollars capital.
There is found here the largest cotton
commission house south of Baltimore, the
only wholesale shoe house in North Caro-
lima, the largest wholesale hardware
house in the South, the only carpet com
mission house in the South, one of the
largest wholesale dry goods houses, gro
Gerry houses and drug houses in North
Carolina, three large fire insurance com
panies, and the only old line life insur-
ance company in North Carolina. Money
matters here are made easy by five strong
banks, with aggregate deposits of over a
million and a half dollars. The entire
business community is composed of two
hundred and eighty-nine mercantile,
banking and manufacturing establish
ments, with five good hotels.
In the educational line the city has
kept pace with it's commercial advance
ment. There are four institutions of
higher education, representing an invest
ment of three-cuarters of a million dbl
lars, which bring to the city over che
thousand students each year, while the
public schools. show an investment of
nearly $50, 900, and are in excellent oondi-
ton.
City real estate is advancing, with no
tendency towards a boom. Internal i'm
provements are evidenced by a 500, coo
city hall 100000 appropriation to street
improvements, and two hundred thous
and dollars worth of buildings in course
OF erection on, Main street alone.
The census report shows that the ter
ritory lying around the city of Green's
boro is one OF the richest in the South.
Its percentage of industrial development
compares favorably with any part of The
Union without exception. Within radius
of sixty miles there is a population OF
4S9. 500. Practically all of these, are ma
tive Americans large number engaged
in agricultural pursuits, but a still lar
ger part in manufacturing all kinds OF
wood and textile stuffs. This rad us
of sixty miles from Greensboro contains
eighty zone cotton mills, representing an
aggregate Of $1O,331, 500, with 1875 looms,
and 672 264 spindles, besides nine hosiery
mills five wooden mills, and one carpet
mill. There are in addition TO these
thirty one furniture factories. twelve
chair factories and a large number OF
wood working plants of various kinds, In
the centre Of the busy bee hive is the city
Of Greensboro, which seems destined to
be one of the most prominent cities OF
the Carolinas and the South.