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Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 61,101. The town is served by the Metro-North Railroad (the four stations, from west to east, are Greenwich, Cos Cob, Riverside and Old Greenwich) and is approximately a 50 minute train ride to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies that have left Manhattan. It is also the southernmost town in New England. The town is famous for its wealth: it is the wealthiest place in the country with a population of 20,000 or more.

In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Greenwich 12th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States.

General information

The Town of Greenwich, settled in 1640 and incorporated in 1665, has one political body, but consists of several distinct sections with their own mailing addresses and zip codes, such as Cos Cob, Riverside, Old Greenwich and Greenwich (sometimes referred to as central or downtown Greenwich). Byram, Glenville, Pemberwick and Rock Ridge are other neighborhoods that use the Greenwich name and zip code for their mailing addresses. There are many other neighborhoods within Greenwich such as Belle Haven, Banksville, Chickahominy, Milbank, Milbrook and Mianus to name a few.

The downtown area of Greenwich consists primarily of Greenwich Avenue, a one way street that has many restaurants, boutiques, and antique shops, all located on extraordinarily expensive retail space. The sections of the town each have smaller shopping areas, but these are much smaller than Greenwich Avenue. Greenwich Avenue is directed by 4 policemen, and a stop-light at the end, on Railroad Avenue.

Real estate in Greenwich is very expensive when compared to the national average, and is about on par with some nearby communities such as Darien, Westport, and New Canaan. The high property values, however, cause property taxes to be very low, on a percentage basis. Greenwich is officially considered the wealthiest town in Connecticut with an average home sales price of $2,470,000 (2005).

Parks (and controversy)

The town has four beaches on the Long Island Sound which are Greenwich Point, Byram Beach, Island Beach (Little Captain's Island), and Great Captain's Island.

Originally, Greenwich Point (locally termed "Tod's Point"), which is on a peninsula and so includes picnic areas, a beach and small marina, was open only to town residents and their guests. However, a lawyer sued, saying his rights to freedom of assembly were threatened because he was not allowed to go there. The lower courts disagreed, but the Supreme Court of Connecticut agreed, and Greenwich was forced to amend its beach access policy to all four beaches. The man was billed $120 for the visits he had made to the park before the policy was changed. However, he refused to pay, setting off another debate in the town as to whether it was right to charge him. Finally, an anonymous donor left $120 in cash in an envelope at Town Hall to cover the expense. A single-visit beach pass for non-residents is $10 per person and $20 per car and must be purchased at the town hall or the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center.

There is also a sailing team and rental area located in the park. Bicycling and rollerblading are popular sports on the trails and paths in the summer.

Arts and culture

  • Greenwich Symphony Orchestra. Begun in 1958 as the Greenwich Philharmonia, it became fully professional by 1967. The orchestra's 90 members perform at the Dickerman Hollister Auditorium at Greenwich High School. It also performs a pops concert in the summer. Emanuel Ax, Barry Douglas, Pamela Frank, John O’Conor, Peter Serkin, and Dawn Upshaw. David Gilbert has been music director and conductor since 1975 and is also the director of the Bergen (NJ) Philharmonic and the Senior Concert Orchestra of New York. He lives in Nutley, N.J.

  • The Bruce Museum is a town-owned institution with sections devoted to art and natural history.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 174.2 km² (67.2 mi²). 123.9 km² (47.8 mi²) of it is land and 50.3 km² (19.4 mi²) of it (28.88%) is water. Greenwich is twice the area of Manhattan. Greenwich is bordered to the west and north by Westchester County, New York, to the east by the City of Stamford, and to the south by Long Island Sound.

Demographics

Historical population of
Greenwich**
1756 2,021
1774 2,776
1782 2,623
1800 3,047
1810 3,533
1820 3,790
1830 3,801
1840 3,921
1850 5,036
1860 6,522
1870 7,644
1880 7,892
1890 10,131
1900 12,172
1910 16,463
1920 22,123
1930 33,112
1940 35,509
1950 40,835
1960 53,793
1970 59,755
1980 59,578
1990 58,441
2000 61,101
2002 61,784 (estimate)
As of the census² of 2000, there were 61,101 people, 23,230 households, and 16,237 families residing in the town. The population density was 493.2/km² (1,277.6/mi²). There were 24,511 housing units at an average density of 197.9/km² (512.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.02% White, 1.66% African American, 0.09% Native American, 5.18% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.46% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.29% of the population.

There were 23,230 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males

Both, the Official AENGLC Wealth Value and the CPR AENGLC Wealth Value show Greenwich as having the highest wealth value in Connecticut at over $430,000 per person. About 2.5% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Greenwich was the highest income place with a population of 60,000 or more in 2000.

Government

The town has three Selectmen and a Representative Town Meeting (RTM). The RTM must approve all budgets, and consists of 230 elected representatives, which is more than the State Senate and State House combined. RTM members are not paid. The three selectmen are elected on a town-wide basis, although each person can only vote for two members. This assures that there will almost always be one Democrat and two Republicans or two Democrats and one Republican. While voter registration is skewed in the Republican's favor, they do not have a lock on the First Selectman's chair, and Democrats have held the seat recently. Many of the other town committees have equal representation between Democrats and Republicans, regardless of the vote breakdown, since each individual can only vote for half as many seats as are available.

Education

  • Public Elementary Schools
  • Cos Cob School
  • Glenville School
  • Hamilton Avenue School
  • International School at Dundee
  • Julian Curtiss School of World Languages
  • New Lebanon School
  • North Mianus School
  • North Street School
  • Old Greenwich School
  • Parkway School
  • Riverside School

  • Public Middle Schools
  • Central Middle School
  • Eastern Middle School
  • Western Middle School

  • Private Schools
  • Brunswick School (K-12)
  • Convent of the Sacred Heart (K-12)
  • Eagle Hill School (K-10)
  • Greenwich Academy (K-12)
  • Greenwich Catholic School (K-8)
  • Greenwich Country Day School (K-8)
  • Greenwich Japanese School (K-8?)
  • Rosemary Hall (moved to Wallingford, Connecticut)
  • Stanwich School (K-9, adding one grade each year until twelfth grade.)
  • Whitby School (PS-8)

Media based in town

Transportation

Interstate 95 goes through the southern end of town, and there are four exits from I-95 in Greenwich, exits 2 through 5. The Boston Post Road (also known as East or West Putnam Avenue or simply Route 1) also goes through town, as does the Merritt Parkway, although the Merritt Parkway is a considerable distance from the downtown area. In 1983, the Mianus River Bridge, which carries traffic on Interstate 95 over an estuary, collapsed, resulting in the death of three people. Highway traffic had to be diverted onto local streets. Later investigations revealed that two of the pin-and-hanger assemblies holding the support beams had failed. The safety of similarly constructed bridges such as the famous Harvard Bridge was brought into question and investigated.

Greenwich is also accessible by Metro-North Railroad. Amtrak stops in the adjacent town of Stamford.

Famous Citizens

Famous people who live in the town of Greenwich include World Wrestling Entertainment founder and chairman Vince McMahon, his wife and WWE CEO Linda along with WWE wrestler Triple H and his wife Stephanie McMahon. Others include director Ron Howard, Frank Gifford, NFL star and his wife Kathy Lee Gifford, TV personality, Wanda Sykes the comedian, soul singer Diana Ross, designer and fashion guru Tommy Hilfiger and his family, Pedro Martinez (New York Mets pitcher), Steve Young (NFL player), Regis Philbin, Judge Judy, and Peter Brant, a publishing mogul who is married to supermodel Stephanie Seymour. Glenn Close was born in Greenwich. Dorothy Hamill was also born there. Carolyn Bessette Kennedy lived in Greenwich before her tragic death. Matt Lauer graduated from Greenwich High School. Montel Williams (talk-show host), NBA player Rolando Blackman, Donald J. Trump, Mel Gibson, Leona Helmsley, Tennis Champ Ivan Lendl, and NBA star Allan Houston, are also some other celebrities who either lived or still reside in Greenwich, CT.

Films shot in Greenwich (reverse chronological order)

  • The Path of Most Resistance (2006)
  • The Good Shepherd (2006)
  • After Roberto (2005)
  • The Family Stone (2005)
  • Domino One (2005)
  • Chubby Kid, A (2002)
  • Fabled (2002)
  • The Ice Storm (1997)
  • Ransom (1996)
  • Deadtime Stories (1986)
  • Danny (1977)
  • Time Piece (1965)
  • Open the Door and See All the People (1964)
  • Via Wireless (1915)
  • Two Little Waifs (1910)
  • The Golden Supper (1910)
  • The Cardinal's Conspiracy (1909)
  • A Change of Heart(1909)
  • The Country Doctor (1909)
  • Sweet and Twenty (1909)
  • Tender Hearts (1909)
  • The Message (1909)
  • The Little Teacher (1909)

External links

Fairfield County, Connecticut | Towns in Connecticut | 1640 establishments

Greenwich (Connecticut) | Greenwich (Connecticut) | Greenwich, Connecticut

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Greenwich, Connecticut".

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