Greensboro (Guilford County, N.C.) city directory, 1934, Part 2

Author:
Publication date: 1934
Publisher: Richmond, Hill Directory Co.
Number of Pages: 564

USA > North Carolina > Guilford County > Greensboro > Greensboro (Guilford County, N.C.) city directory, 1934 > Part 2

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INTRODUCTION

representatives make their home and headquarters here.

Two railroads serve Greensboro: The Southern and the Atlantic & Yadkin. The Norfolk & Western, Sea- board Air Line, Atlantic Coast Line and Norfolk & Southern employ the Atlantic & Yadkin as a connection into Greensboro, giving the city the competative service of five railroads. Forty-eight passenger trains arrive and depart daily in six directions from a new and modern $1,000,000 station. The main north and south double-track line of the Southern in- tersects the main east and west trans- state line of the Southern at Greens- boro. All important grade crossings have been separated to safeguard lire and property and to speed traffic. Sixty-five buses leave here daily for every section of the state. There is also a complete system of regular motor transport.

Two northbound and two south- bound air mail planes leave the Greensboro airport daily, besides two passenger planes daily, in each direc- tion (temporarily suspended by gov- ernment edict-reinstatement an nounced). A letter mailed here after business hours will be in New York or Atlanta the following morning by rail and in Chicago, New Orleans or Boston the same morning by air.

Municipal Government

Greensboro has been especially for- tunate in its selection of those men into whose hands its affairs of gov- ernment are placed and extraordi- nary municipal progress which the city has made is largely due to the complete confidence which the tax- payers have in the integrity and ability of municipal officials. With a councilmanic-city manager form of government and non-partisan elec- tions, modern machinery is provided for the efficient dispatch of the city's business, which insures business lead- ership of the highest character. At the helm of Greensboro's municipal government there have long been business men of the highest charac- ter and business judgment, often serving at great personal sacrifice to themselves.

Among those who have served on the city council are men who have made outstanding successes of their own businesses. These men have brought to the city a managerial skill never possessed by cities in- fluenced by petty partisan politics. As a result the physical facilities of Greensboro are strikingly attractive and effective.

Greensboro has good water, and plenty of it, carefully safeguarded as to purity and sanitary distribution. The water works have a capacity of

1,417,000,000 gallons, with a 21,000,- 000-gallon reservoir for filtered water, , a supply sufficient to serve the city for many years to come.

The sewer system is comprehen- sive, well-planned and adequate, with 224 miles of mains laid. A highly-ef- fective modern disposal system is in operation, and enlargements to ac- commodate future needs are defi- nitely planned.

A well-planned program of street- widening, as well as paving, is being carried on under a comprehensive city plan designed to provide Greens- boro unusually adequate intra-city transportation facilities. The mileage of paved streets in the corporate lim- its has steadily increased from 32 miles in 1922 to 137.1 miles in 1934. Thoroughly up-to-date automatic traffic control systems have been in- stalled at possible danger points. The streets, totaling 292 miles, are well- kept and clean.

Greensboro's public school system is a point of genuine pride, having been rated 96.4 out of a possible hun- dred by the North Carolina Depart- ment of Education. The 13,000 school children have19 modern school buildings, including three junior high schools and a new senior high school. The municipal school plant has a to- tal valuation of $4,225,000. There are 278 instructors, and the annual budget is three-quarters of a million dollars. The excellent collegiate edu- cational structure will be commented on later.

An up-to-date fire department con- sists of 47 men, efficient y governed and equipped with the latest appar- atus. Greensboro has one of the most complete fire alarm systems in use today. Every part of the city and many important buildings are covered with alarm boxes. Greensboro's rec- ord in reduction of fire losses is out- standing. In 1927 the inter-city award was won for the lowest fire loss of any city in its class in the United States, and in 1928, 1929 and 1930, honorable mention was received in the same contest. There are five sta- tion houses strategically located in the city, and the equipment has a value of $433,531.91.

Greensboro's police department comprises 48 officers and men. It is provided with modern physical facili- ties, radio intelligence equipment, a complete and efficient identification bureau, and a comprehensive system of city-wide telephone signals with centralized control. Short-wave radio transmission has been installed at headquarters to maintain constant communication with "roving" police automobiles. Greensboro has long

INTRODUCTION

NEW UNION RAILROAD STATION

been kept free from organized law- lessness such as prevails in many other cities.

Two essential steps have been taken in planning for the future -- the adop- tion of a comprehensive city plan ad- ministered by a competent planning commission, and the enforcement of a modern building code. Zoning laws have been passed to maintain desir- able neighborhood classifications. Municipal activity has been governed insofar as possible with an eye to the future growth of Greensboro.

A Healthful Place to Live

Greensboro is blessed with a mild, life-prolonging, delightful climate. Its average monthly temperature compares favorably with that of fa- mous European resorts along the Mediterranean shores of northwest- ein Italy and southern France (Monte Carlo, Nice and Genoa).

Greensboro has neither bitter winters nor oppressive summers, but rather only a moderate fluctuation from the coldest to the warmest days.

Greensboro's altitude (843 feet) and drainage practically eliminate "low-country" ailments, such as ma- laria fevers. The air is clear and 1 g. with no violent atmospheric disturbances. The Government Weather Bureau figures over a pe- riod of forty years show that Greens- boro has more clear days (136 per year) than Jacksonville (129), Miami (99), Tampa (126), Atlantic City (123), or Asheville (124). Greensboro has comparatively little snowfall (total average, 6.8 inches per year) as compared with such centers as At- lantic City (16.9), Denver (40.4), Asheville (11), Omaha (19.9), and Chicago (33.7).

GUILFORD COUNTY COURT HOUSE, GREENSBORO

INTRODUCTION

VIEW OF AYCOCK AUDITORIUM AND MUSIC BUILDING AT NORTH CAROLINA COLLEGE FOR WOMEN

United States Weather Bureau re- ports for Greensboro:

Normal average temperature (an- nual), 59 degrees.

Average humidity, 53.185.

Annual precipitation 47.47 inches. Greensboro is only two hours' drive from those famous winter resorts- Pinehurst and Southern Pines and only four to six hours' drive from mountain summer resorts such as Asheville, Blowing Rock, Linville, Roaring Gap and Chimney Rock. Its climate is the "happy medium" be- tween that of these resort centers, be- ing on the plateau between the mountains and the coastal plain. Taking advantage of this climatic ideal, a beautiful all-year resort cen- ter has been established at Sedgefield,

near Greensboro, which has become widely known as a golfer's and sports- man's paradise. Relatively high day- time temperatures give relief from the severity of Northern winters, and low night temperatures permit com- fortable sleep, in contrast to the en- ervating heat prevailing farther south.

Recreational Facilities

Greensboro is the sports-lover's paradise. Golf, tennis, horseback- riding, hunting of all sorts, fishing and a host of other sports are avail- able either in Greensboro or in the immediate vicinity. A prominent part of this phase of the city's life is played by the new World War Me- morial Stadium, within a few blocks of the heart of the city, which at-

SEDGEFIELD INN AND GOLF COURSE

INTRODUCTION

tracts many of the major college ath- letic events of the section, and the leading inter - scholastic events. Greensboro has a professional ball club in the Piedmont League and is training headquarters for several clubs belonging to the St. Louis Car- dinals. The stadium seats 9,200 per- sons, and is equipped with fields for day or night-time football, baseball, track, tennis and other sports. The stadium was erected in 1927 at a cost of $150,000, donated by citizens of the city and county.

In 1934 Greensboro established a recreation center near Guilford Bat- tle Ground National Park, expending more than $600,000 in improvements including three lakes for fishing, boating and swimming.

Greensboro has one public and two private golf courses. The famous Val-

ley Brook course at Sedgefield Inn is a championship layout, where compe- titions of national import are staged. The Southern Amateur Tournament was held there in 1930. The Greens- boro Country Club course is one of the oldest Class "A" courses in the South. The Hamilton Lakes course, now known as "Starmount," an 18- hole layout of rare beauty, was put in play in the fall of 1930. Designed and built as a championship course, it is being considered favorably for the National Public Links Tournament. The equable year-around climate here makes Greensboro ideal for golf.

Greensboro's theatres are up-to- date, both as to their houses and the character of their entertainment. The moving-picture houses have a total seating capacity of 5,800.

JEFFERSON STANDARD LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY BUILDING

INTRODUCTION

ONE OF GREENSBORO'S THREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Due in part to the local colleges, Greensboro has, for ten months of the year, the satisfying advantage of fine music, famous singers, orches- tras, opera, outstanding lectures and the like. Such organizations as the Civic Music Association and the col- lege dramatic societies make a real contribution to the aesthetic life of the community.

About 1,700 acres of land have been set aside for parks and playgrounds in Greensboro and the city has the reputation of having more play area per student about its public schools than any city in the country. Three Y. M. C. A.'s, Y. W. C. A., professional league baseball, public and private swimming pools, trap-shooting and "skeet," bowling, and similar facili- ties offer a wide variety of recrea- tional opportunities.

Five miles from the heart of the city is beautiful Guilford Court House National Park the scene of the famous encounter between Cornwal- lis and General Nathaniel Greene. The battlefield contains twenty-two memorials to Revolutionary heroes. This historic preserve is visited yearly by thousands of tourists, and in 1931 was the scene of the sesqui-centen- nial celebration of the battle, which was attended by over 40,000 spectators from all parts of the South and East.

Educational Facilities

An outstanding advantage of

Greensboro is its extraordinary edu- cational structure. Six thousand out- of-town students and faculty mem- bers attend its schools and colleges.

Greensboro College, organized in 1838 by leaders of the Methodist

Episcopal Church, South, has an en- rollment of over 300 women students, and assets amounting to $1,056,000. North Carolina College for Women created by legislative enactment in 1891, has a yearly enrollment of about 3,000 and a faculty of 160, and includes a college of liberal arts, a school of education, a school of mu- sic, a school of dramatic art, a school of commerce, a department of health, school of physical education, and a school of home economics. Five de- grees are given, including A. B., M. A. and B. S.

Five miles west of Greensboro is Guilford Collège, organized by the Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1837. Its enrollment is now about -400. On the other side of Greensboro is Oak Ridge Institute, a preparatory mili- tary school for boys. It was founded in 1852, and in 1926 became a Junior R. O. T. C. unit. It now has over 200 students and an adequate plant val- ued at $250,000. It is a preparatory school for college, and offers a com- mercial course.

Other institutions in Greensboro are the Greensboro Bible and Liter- ary School and King's Business Col- lege.

Greensboro is a center of educa- tion for the Negro race as well. Here is the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, with a yearly enrollment of 800 and a million-dol-12 lar plant. Bennett College for Women and Immanuel Lutheran College for ministers and teachers are also here.

Practically every religious denom- ination is represented among Greens- boro's 73 churches.

INTRODUCTION

COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Present Industrial Structure

In Greensboro, textiles predomin- ate, but do not dominate. Industry is well diversified. There are great cot- ton spinning and weaving and fabri- cating plants; broad silk and silk hosiery mills; structural steel, foun- dry and machinery establishments; terra cotta and chemical works. Al- together Greensboro's manufacturing industries, totaling 101 plants, manu- facture $8,296,040 worth of goods per year, and 8,311 workers are employed.

The largest single industry is that of the Cone interests (White Oak, Proximity and Revolution Mills), the White Oak cotton mill being the

Voretone and Vick's Cough Drops; El Moro, ElReesO and other popular brand cigars; Pomona terra cotta, Glascock stoves and ranges, leather goods, fabricated steel and iron, clay products, medicines, automobile bodies, elastic webbing, lumber prod- ucts, fertilizers, dairy products, ice, laundry machines, woodworking ma- chines and foundry products.

Numerous advantageous industrial sites and a few industrial buildings are available, with adjoining railroad trackage or highways. There is a plentiful supply of native white and Negro labor, easily trained and in- dustrious. There has never been a

"CONE MILLS"-TOP LEFT, WHITE OAK MILL-TOP RIGHT, REVOLUTION MILL-BELOW, PROXIMITY MFG. CO., WORLD'S LARGEST PRODUCERS OF COTTON DENIMS

largest denim mill in the world. The Blue Bell Overall Co. has the largest overall plant in the country. Three hosiery mills are here-Mock-Judson- Voehringer, Inc., Greensboro Full- Fashioned Hosiery Mills, Inc., and the Juvenile Hosiery Mills, Inc. Greens- boro is an outstanding full-fashioned silk hosiery center.

Greensboro Mfg. Co. and Universal Apron Co. manufacture sleeping gar- ments and a variety of cotton textile products.

Greensboro is the "home town" of Vick's Vaporub, Vick's Nose Drops,

general industrial strike in Greens- boro, and industrial disputes of any kind are exceedingly rare.

A constant supply of power is avail- able from almost unlimited resources, and at reasonable rates. Great re- sources of various raw materials are close at hand.

These factors have tended to diver- sify Greensboro's industrial structure, as well as develop it. The city is not dependent on any one line of manu- facture, and consequently is immune from those periods of violent depres- sion which paralyze communities in

INTRODUCTION

which a majority of the workers are employed in a single line of work. Throughout the entire period of na- tional business decline since 1929, there has been no general shutdown of industry in Greensboro. Major in- dustries have operated continuously.

It is impossible to present adequate- ly here either Greensboro's present or potential industrial advantages. Those interested may obtain from the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce more detailed information. A research staff is maintained to compile intelli- gently specific industrial and distri- bution data for responsible inquirers. Inquiries are handled with profes- sional confidence.

Retail Trade

Greensboro is a recognized retail center attracting partial purchasers from an area of from 55 to 75 miles in several directions. Approximately 1,000,000 people reside in this trade area. Within one hour's auto ride of Greensboro live more than 700,000 people, according to the 1930 U. S. Census figures. This area has a great- er rural and urban purchasing power than any similar area in the South- eastern states, and more paved roads and more automoblies to enable pur- chasers to reach the market center. Statistical data show 133,000 families with an annual purchasing power of $157,000,000 residing within Greens- boro's trade territory.

Due to its tremendous market, the retail trade in Greensboro is of a very high type. The shops are modern, and the merchandise handled of a variety and quality above the average. Prom- inent in the retail life of Greensboro are the two daily newspapers and the several weeklies published here. The Greensboro Daily News, with a morn- ing circulation of about 40,000, is one of the most powerful in the state. The Record is a fast-growing and popular afternon daily, with a circulation of about 12,200.

Greensboro has 8 hotels, most of which are of the modern fireproof class, offering about 900 "Class A" rooms. The O. Henry, King Cotton and Sedgefield Inn are the most promi- nent.

Wholesale Trade

Due to its strategic position in transportation and communication

and the centralization here of the business interchange of the Piedmont area, Greensboro's wholesale houses and agency representatives reach out far beyond the bounds of its retail trade. More than 1,500 traveling men have found Greensboro a logical place for their homes and headquarters, a great many of them traveling from district offices located here. The city has an abundant supply of modern of- fices and bonded warehouse space at reasonable rents, and this fact, coupl- ed with an advantageous position, is causing the location here of numerous branch warehouses, district offices, laboratories and agencies.

Within Greensboro's wholesale trade area of approximately 100 miles live nearly 1,500,000 people, with twelve towns of 10,000 or more popu- lation. In this jobbing area are more than 2,000 miles of paved, and 700 miles of sand-clay roads, which to- gether with rail facilities, greatly simplify distribution and close cus- tomer contact.

Greensboro holds a dominant place in the state and reaches into the sur- rounding states, in hardware distri- bution. In drugs it is almost as favor- ed, and it is particularly strong in the distribution of food products, produce, tobacco, bread, dry goods and cloth- ing.

The Chamber of Commerce has compiled exhaustive data on the con- suming power and distribution ad- vantages of this territory.

Insurance Center

Seven insurance firms have their home offices in Greensboro, and a number of state headquarters for out- of-state companies are located here. The city is frequently referred to as "the Hartford of the South." Almost every type of insurance coverage is provided locally, giving Greensboro companies an annual premium in- come of approximately $20,000,000. These companies have made substan- tial investment in physical properties in Greensboro and the surrounding section. Their business is steady; their payrolls constant. They provide a stable and diversified commerce enjoyed by few contemporary cities.

Greensboro has adequate facilities for doing business, such as banking, transportation, communication, pro-

PILOT LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY HOME OFFICE

INTRODUCTION

THE O. HENRY HOTEL

fessional services, etc. It is a natural banking center. The Security National Bank and The Guilford National Bank, with commercial branches in several other North Carolina cities, administer in Greensboro the finan- cial resources of a considerable area.

The services of nationally-recog- nized accountants, accredited ap- praisers, outstanding lawyers and technical advisors are available as a necessary business aid.

The municipal government is or- ganized and equipped to provide the physical facilities and services needed to promote and safeguard the com- mercial and industrial interests and progress of Greensboro.

Greensboro possesses unusually well-balanced economic advantages.

All its "eggs" are not in one "basket." The sources of income, the facilities for commerce and the potentialities for progress are widely diversified, providing insurance against excessive fluctuations, booms or depressions. Greensboro is a safe, sound, secure and stable place in which to live and work.

Increase in Population in Greensboro (U. S. Census)

1890

3,317

1900

10,035

1910

15,895

1920

19,861

1930

53,569

(Hill Directory Co. estimates based on

actual canvass)

1933

58,769

1934

61,693

KING COTTON HOTEL

MORE GOODS ARE BOUGHT AND SOLD THROUGH THE CLASSIFIED BUSINESS LISTS OF THE DIRECTORY THAN ANY OTHER MEDIUM ON EARTH

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The City Directory

is the most effective and most eco- nomical method of reaching all the people all the time. Those who buy without looking at the list of those who sell do themselves great injus- tice. The classified lists in the Busi- ness Directory form the best Buyers' Guide on earth. A modern, up-to- date method of getting what you want.

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City Directory Don'ts

DON'T put your Directory in an out-of-the-way place, but keep it where your customers can see and use it without stopping some one to find it.

DON'T think that a Directory is paying for itself unless you use it, any more than an idle clerk can make you money.

DON'T look mad when a customer asks to look at your Directory.

DON'T look happy when a neighbor wants to bor- row your Directory, for if you do, he will borrow it again, and if all were borrowers, when would the next Directory be published?

DON'T forget that an up-to-date city must have a Directory; and a merchant that has no Directory is what?

DON'T forget that a Directory borrower today will forget to return it tomorrow and you will call him what?

DON'T forget that the man who has a Directory pays for it and the borrower gets for nothing what an- other man pays for. What do you call him?

CLASSIFIED BUYERS' GUIDE OF THE CITY OF

GREENSBORO (NORTH CAROLINA)

1934

* MORE GOODS ARE BOUGHT AND SOLD

THROUGH THE

CLASSIFIED BUSINESS LISTS

OF THE

Greensboro (Guilford County, N.C.) city directory, 1934, Part 2

Author: Publication date: 1934 Publisher: Richmond, Hill Directory Co. Number of Pages: 564

Author:
Publication date: 1934
Publisher: Richmond, Hill Directory Co.
Number of Pages: 564