[5][6] Greenville is named after its founder, John Green, who settled in the wilderness of the southwest part of Montcalm County in 1844.

Because of the town's heritage, Greenville celebrates the Danish Festival every year on the third weekend of August.

John Green had the village platted in 1853, and it was a station on the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western Railroad.

He was initially a barber, but the Great Depression and lack of a proper grocery on his side of town led him to open his own store in 1934.

Greenville is home to the Fighting Falcon,[8] the lead plane of a wave of gliders during World War II's Operation Overlord.

The Falcon was purchased with funds raised by the schoolchildren of the city, and was designated the lead aircraft in recognition of this achievement.

It has also been home to the Gibson, White Consolidated, Frigidaire, and until recently, the Electrolux refrigerator factory.

Electrolux closed the Greenville facility in early 2006, as it was in the process of relocating the factory to Ciudad Juárez in Mexico.

[9] It is also home to the new manufacturing and design center of Northland Marvel, an undercounter refrigeration company that just became a part of the UK-based AgaRangemaster group.

The eight mile long Fred Meijer Flat River Trail connects Greenville's major parks and circumnavigates the city.

[15] Greenville is also the terminus of the 41 mile long Fred Meijer Heartland Trail.

[16] This trail connects Greenville to Alma, and various other communities in Montcalm and Gratiot counties.

[20] Greenville has a proud culture of ice shanty building and annually displays some of its most technologically advanced creations on the area's many fishing lakes.

This little statue generated an international controversy when the City of Greenville was sued for copyright infringement by the heirs of the original sculptor, Edvard Eriksen.

[25] The story book castle murals were completed by a local artist, Eston King.

[25] The third weekend in August celebrates Greenville's Danish heritage as well as its modern-day Midwestern spirit.

This fair displays livestock competitions, tractors pulls, a busy midway, and a demolition derby.

The Greenville Area Recreation and Community Center is home to the Hans Christian Andersen Theater (HCAT), which puts on productions for children, teens, and adults.