It was called the “City of the Gate” because of its historic railroads and it retains the name because many major roads cross here. As a transportation and manufacturing hub, Greensboro has attracted companies like Federal Express and Dell to the area. In 1890, Greensboro became a hub for rail transportation, a gateway to the west and south. Today you can get to and from Greensboro on planes, trains and cars.
What was it like to live in the early 20th century? Come and learn about the time when Greensboro received its nickname. Imagine the time when the railway turned our city into a gateway to the rest of the country when it became the operator of the local telephone exchange, or approached the counter of a pharmacy and measured the items for a prescription. Or maybe you'd rather write on a school blackboard, try to lift a bucket of fire, or laugh at a silent movie. I recently learned that Greensboro is called Gate City is more of a metaphorical aspect.
The nickname began in 1891 when the city saw the arrival and departure of 60 trains each day. In 1891, Greensboro was busy because it was also the same year that the UNCG was founded. Greensboro became the transportation hub or the “gateway to the west and south”. The city continued to be an important part of industry and commerce in Greensboro, which has secured Greensboro as “the City of the Gate” for more than 100 years.
Arguably, it's still as suitable today as it was 115 years old when a publisher of the Greensboro Daily Record coined it. Today, you can take an Amtrak train from Greensboro to just about any city in North Carolina or along the East Coast. What was once the Greensboro Open golf tournament, the GGO for short, has now become the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic, or GGCC, a combination of letters that many fans have not yet embraced. One journalist coined the nickname Gate City, but John Motley Morehead of Greensboro was responsible for making Greensboro the Gate City.
