Greensboro

Greensboro has reinvented itself in recent decades. By the time of its 1958 sesquicentennial, Greensboro was North Carolina’s second-largest city and the world’s largest producer of denim. It was home to many textile companies, including the world’s largest; major insurance firms; and manufacturers of other products. Greensboro holds an important place in the civil rights movement, with the sit-ins at Woolworth’s department store, a site now preserved as the International Civil Rights Center & Museum. In 1982, a grocery store opened in Greensboro that wanted to bring the old-fashioned market experience back to consumers. The Fresh Market has since expanded to over 100 stores in more than 20 states. Greensboro’s roster of colleges and universities has grown over the years, and it remains a key education and research center. Founded in 1991, RF Micro Devices, Greensboro’s largest company, makes components of most cell phones. Greensboro showcases the rich commercial and community history of this city over the past 50 years.