Main Street: Greeneville
No matter where you live, you probably have the notion that “Main Street” is the center of your community. In a small town like Greeneville that notion is more tangible than in larger communities. Whether you work, worship, patronize our wonderful galleries/shops, come for a casual or fine dining experience, or to celebrate, memories are made here.
Several years ago a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service and the Andrew Johnson Historic Site was formed whereby Main Street: Greeneville conducts daily tours on the very streets once walked by the 17th President of the United States.
In 1983 Greeneville became one of the five pilot towns in Tennessee to become a Main Street community. Today Greeneville’s program is recognized statewide and nationally, with a common goal of preserving history and economic viability of our town.
Immediate plans for growth include connecting with both public and private sectors dedicated to the revitalization of the Main Street District, the preservation of our historic structures and promotion of heritage tourism. Creating a downtown that sustains and celebrates our heritage for the present and our future is possible.
Today, this unique town’s rich heritage is preserved in its homes, churches, war monuments, museums and downtown. Named for General Nathanael Greene, a hero of the Revolutionary War, Greeneville was a key player during the Civil War when the town changed hands in excess of forty times. It celebrates the fact that Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States lived, worked and is buried there. Among other famous people associated with Greeneville are: frontiersrnan and congressman Davy Crockett, military and political leader John Sevier and Confederate General John Hunt Morgan.
Greeneville lies in northeast Tennessee adjacent to the Application Trail and is often referred to “as a jewei in the shadow of the Smoky Mountains.”
Greeneville has the distinction of being listed as: 39th in "Best 100 Small Towns in America”; “Top Mountain Towns Guidebook”; “Boomtown USA"; “The 50 Best Small Southern Towns"; “America’s Most Charming Towns & Villages"; and named to the top 100 small communities in the US.