Greenwich, Connecticut

History

Main article: History of Greenwich, Connecticut

The town of Greenwich was settled in 1640, by the agents Robert Feake and Captain Daniel Patrick, for Gov. Theophilus Eaton of New Haven Colony, who purchased the land from the Siwanoy Indians in exchange of 25 English coats. One of the founders was Elizabeth Fones Winthrop, daughter-in-law of John Winthrop, founder and governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was named after Greenwich, near London. What is now called Greenwich Point was known for much of the area's early history as "Elizabeth's Neck" in recognition of Elizabeth Fones and the 1640 purchase of the Point and much of the area now known as Old Greenwich. Greenwich was declared a township by the Connecticut General Assembly in Hartford on May 11, 1665.

During the American Revolution, General Israel Putnam made a daring escape from the British on February 26, 1779, in Greenwich. Although British forces captured and sacked the town, Putnam was able to warn Stamford.

In 1974, Gulliver's Restaurant and Bar, on the border of Greenwich and Port Chester, burned, killing 24 young people.

In 1983, the Mianus River Bridge, which carries traffic on Interstate 95 over an estuary, collapsed, resulting in the death of three people.

For many years, Greenwich Point (locally termed "Tod's Point"), 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 in 2001. These beaches include Greenwich Point Park, Island Beach, Great Captain Island, and Byram Park.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau in 2000, the town had a total area of 67.2 sqmi, of which 47.8 sqmi is land and 19.4 sqmi, or 28.88%, is water. In terms of area, Greenwich is twice the size of Manhattan. The town is bordered to the west by Port Chester and Rye Brook, while to the north, it is bordered by Armonk and Banksville, all of which are in New York. To the south, it is bordered by the Long Island Sound. To the east, it is bordered by Stamford, which is also in Connecticut.

Neighborhoods and sections

The U.S. Census Bureau recognizes nine CDPs within the town: Byram, Cos Cob, Glenville, Indian Field, Old Greenwich, Pemberwick, Riverside, Rock Ridge and the Greenwich CDP covering the historic municipal center of the town. The USPS lists separate zip codes for "Greenwich" (spanning two zip codes), Cos Cob, Old Greenwich, and Riverside, for a total of five zip codes, plus a sixth zip code for PO Box. Additionally, Greenwich is often further divided into several smaller, unofficial neighborhoods.

Greenwich's Hispanic and Latin American population is concentrated in the southwestern corner of the town. In 2011, numerous neighborhoods were described by Business Insider as being among the richest neighborhoods in America.

• Back Country
• Banksville (Connecticut side)
• Belle Haven
• Bruce Park
• Byram
• Chickahominy
• Cos Cob
• Edgewood
• Fourth Ward (Fourth Ward Historic District)
• Glenville
• Downtown/Central Greenwich
• Greenwich Cove
• Holly Hill
• Mianus
• Mid-Country
• Milbank
• Milbrook
• Municipal Center District
• North Mianus
• North Street (refers to the neighborhood surrounding North Street)
• Old Greenwich (Sound Beach)
• Palmer Hill
• Pemberwick
• Pine Hill
• Riverbank
• Riverside
• Riversville
• Rock Ridge
• Round Hill
• Stanwich

Historical sites

• Bush-Holley House
• Putnam Cottage
• Thomas Lyon House
• Silas Edward Mead House

Islands

Calf Island is a 29 acre island about 3000 ft from the Byram shore in Greenwich.

More than half of the island (on the west side) is a bird sanctuary off-limits to members of the public without permission to visit. As of 2006 the island is available for overnight stays for those with permits, otherwise the east side is open from dawn until dusk.

Great Captain Island is also off the coast of Greenwich, and includes the southernmost point in Connecticut. There is a U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse on this island, as well as a designated area as a bird sanctuary. The lighthouse is a skeletal tower.

Island Beach or "Little Captain Island" once was the venue for the town's annual Island Beach Day. Ventriloquist Paul Winchell and his dummy, Jerry Mahoney, once came for a show, and on another occasion the Connecticut National Guard let adults and children fire machine guns into the water, according to an article in the Greenwich Time.

Island Beach has changed over the decades. The bathhouse once on the island's eastern shore is gone, and erosion is slowly eating away at the beaches themselves.

Climate

Greenwich experiences a humid continental climate (Dfa); however, it is quite close to a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). During winter storms, it is common for the area north of the Merritt Parkway to receive significantly heavier snowfall than the area closer to the coast, due to the moderating influence of Long Island Sound.

Demographics

At the 2020 U.S. census, there were 63,518 people in Greenwich. Per the American Community Survey's 2018 estimates, the population of Greenwich grew to 62,574. There were 24,234 housing units, 22,251 households, and 16,322 families in 2018. The town's racial makeup consisted of 72.8% non-Hispanic whites, 3.3% Blacks or African Americans, 0.1% American Indian or Alaska Natives, 7.6% Asian Americans, and 2.2% multiracial Americans. Hispanic and Latin American residents made up 13.8% of the estimated population.

The average household size from 2014 to 2018 grew to 2.78 and the average family size was 3.28. The median household income excluding capital gains was $142,819 and the average income was $272,636. Including capital gains, the median household income in 2014 was $511,411. The per capita income for the town was $98,467.

At the census of 2000, there were 61,101 people, 23,230 households, and 16,237 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,277.6 PD/sqmi. There were 24,511 housing units at an average density of 512.5 /sqmi. At the census estimates of 2013, the racial makeup of the town was 80.90% White, 4.90% Black, 0.10% Native American, 7.80% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.90% 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 as follows: 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.

Wealth

Greenwich is home to three of the wealthiest zip codes in Connecticut, 06878, 06830 and 06831, with average adjusted gross incomes of $754,990, $638,560 and $721,550, and median household incomes of $182,386, $109,250 and $155,417, respectively. In recent decades, the town has attracted wealthy expatriates due to its low tax rate, school system, and proximity to Manhattan. The median listing price for a home in the town was $2.3 million in 2021.

Ethnic backgrounds

From circa 2010 to 2020 there was an increase in the Asian American population by 18%. Tatiana Flowers of Greenwich Time stated that reasons she heard why Asian Americans moved to Greenwich were its closeness to New York City, the public education system, and the availability of public transportation.

Economy

Greenwich, along with Stamford, are the economic centers of Fairfield County and its metropolitan statistical area. Prominent companies based in the town of Greenwich include AQR Capital, Blue Harbour Group, Blyth, Inc., Cambridge Solutions, First Reserve Corporation, Interactive Brokers, Nestlé Waters North America, North Street Capital, Silver Point Capital, Viking Global Investors, W. R. Berkley, a holding company for subsidiaries that sell property-casualty insurance, XFL, and XPO, Inc. Other major institutions in the township are Greenwich Hospital, Hyatt Regency, Tudor Investment Corporation, Eversource Energy, Brunswick School, and Camuto Group. Former companies based in Greenwich include Blue Sky Studios.

Arts and culture

The Greenwich Symphony Orchestra begun in 1958 as the Greenwich Philharmonia. The Philharmonia was conducted by high school music teacher Ken Wendrich. The orchestra became fully professional by 1967. That year the orchestra found a new conductor, Juilliard graduate John Nelson. The Greenwich Choral Society, founded in 1925, performs locally and elsewhere, including in New York City and Europe.

The Greenwich post office contains a mural, The Packet Sails from Greenwich Green, painted in 1939 by Victoria Hutson Huntley.

The Bruce Museum is a town-owned institution with sections devoted to art and natural history. Putnam Cottage (Knapp Tavern) historic house museum, is also located within Greenwich.

Acacia Lodge No. 85, Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons, founded in 1857 in the top level of the old Cos Cob School House, is located in the town. Its members were originally of Union Lodge No. 5, founded 1763, and though its "home base" was Stamford, it was given the jurisdiction of "Stamford, Horseneck and parts adjacent." Union Lodge often met in Greenwich, and the first recorded meeting place was Knapp's Tavern on the King's Highway.

The Greenwich Town Party is a recurring music festival in Greenwich. Past headliners have included The Temptations, Paul Simon, the Eagles, Santana, the Doobie Brothers, Billy Joel, and Mumford & Sons.

Sports and recreation

Recreation

The Greenwich Y.M.C.A., which appears on the National Register of Historic Places, offers fitness and social services.

Equinox, a luxury fitness club, has a location in Greenwich.

Arch Street, The Greenwich Teen Center has age-specific programs and events on weekdays and weekends.

Dorothy Hamill Rink is a town-owned ice rink open seasonally.

The Greenwich Polo Club is a polo club and event venue that was established in 1981.

Beaches

The town has four beaches on Long Island Sound:

• Greenwich Point
• Byram Beach
• Island Beach (Little Captain's Island)
• Great Captain Island

Parks

• Binney Park
• Pomerance Park
• Bruce Park
• Cos Cob Park
• Byram Park
• Babcock Preserve
• Mianus River Park
• Greenwich Common

Private membership clubs

• Greenwich Country Club
• The Milbrook Club
• Round Hill Club
• The Stanwich Club
• Burning Tree Country Club
• Field Club of Greenwich
• Tamarack Country Club
• Fairview Country Club
• Indian Harbor Yacht Club
• Riverside Yacht Club
• Belle Haven Club
• Old Greenwich Yacht Club (OGYC)
• Rocky Point Club
• Greenwich Water Club
• Greenwich Boat & Yacht Club
• Innis Arden Golf Club
• The Greenwich Skating Club

Education

Public schools

Greenwich High School is the district's sole high school. , elementary schools had the same racial demographics as the town. The 3 middle schools have representative enrollment.

Elementary Schools:

• Cos Cob School
• Glenville School
• Hamilton Avenue School
• International School at Dundee
• Julian Curtiss School
• New Lebanon School
• North Mianus School
• North Street School
• Old Greenwich School
• Parkway School
• Riverside School

Middle Schools:

• Central Middle School
• Eastern Middle School
• Western Middle School

High Schools:

• Greenwich High School

Private schools

Approximately 25-30% of K-12 residents are enrolled in private schools, a high ratio compared to other municipalities in Connecticut and elsewhere in the region.

• Brunswick School, a non-sectarian boys' school (the brother school to Greenwich Academy) (Pre-K–12)
• Greenwich Academy, a non-sectarian girls' school (the sister school to Brunswick) (Pre-K–12)
• Eagle Hill School (K–10)
• Convent of the Sacred Heart, a girls' school with Catholic affiliation (Pre-K–12)
• Greenwich Catholic School (Pre-K–8), 471 North Street (of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport)
• Greenwich Country Day School (originally nursery–9) (Acquired Stanwich School for 10–12, 2017)
• Greenwich Japanese School (Japanese School of New York), a New York City area Nihonjin gakko, a Japanese expatriate school (K–9), which moved to Greenwich in 1992; previously it was in New York City.
• Escuela Argentina en Greenwich (K–8), the only Spanish language international school in the New York metro.
• Whitby School (18 months through grade 8), a Montessori and International Baccalaureate World School (IB).

Former private schools

• Carmel Academy (K–8), a Jewish school sharing a campus with Greenwich Japanese School. In 2010, the school changed its name from Westchester Fairfield Hebrew Academy. Closed in 2020.
• Daycroft School, closed 1991
• The Stanwich School (Pre-K–12), merged with Greenwich Country Day School in 2017
• Rosemary Hall, merged into the Choate Rosemary Hall, the campus was previously occupied by a host of different schools but is now owned by Brunswick

Government and politics

The town of Greenwich is one political and taxing body, but consists of several distinct sections or neighborhoods, such as Banksville, Byram, Cos Cob, Glenville, Mianus, Old Greenwich, Riverside and Greenwich (sometimes referred to as central, or downtown, Greenwich). Of these neighborhoods, three (Cos Cob, Old Greenwich, and Riverside) have separate postal names and ZIP codes.

The town has three selectmen and a Representative Town Meeting (RTM). The RTM must approve all budgets, and consists of 230 elected representatives. 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 Republicans' 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.

United States Congress

Connecticut General Assembly

Connecticut State Senate

Connecticut House of Representatives

Voter registration

Infrastructure

Transportation

The town is served by the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line (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 on the express train and a 60-minute ride on the local. The Amtrak Acela, Northeast Regional, and Vermonter trains stop in the adjacent city of Stamford.

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. Interstate 684 passes through Greenwich, but cannot be entered or exited there, and the nearest interchange is at the Westchester County Airport in New York State.

Westchester County Airport is the closest commercial airport to Greenwich. It takes approximately 15 minutes to drive from the town's center. This is followed by LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, approximately a 35-minute drive. John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, is the closest international airport, approximately a one-hour drive. Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey is also easily accessible from Greenwich, taking approximately one hour to drive to.

According to the DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey, a statewide program funded by various agencies and philanthropies, 4% of adults in Greenwich are "transportation insecure," meaning that they have had to stay at home during the past year due to a lack of adequate transportation. The comparable rate for all adults statewide is 13%.

Fire department

The town of Greenwich is protected by the paid career members of the Greenwich Fire Department (GFD) and eight all-volunteer fire companies, in addition to a Fire Police Patrol. The paid GFD is made up of 106 paid firefighters, who staff 6 Engine Companies and 1 Truck Company, as well as several special units, in 6 Fire Stations (shared with volunteer companies), under the command of a Deputy Chief (Tour Commander) per shift, who in-turn reports to the Chief of Department. The 7 volunteer fire companies are made up of a total of approximately 100 volunteer firefighters, who man 9 volunteer engines, 2 volunteer ladders, 4 tankers, 6 squads, 3 utility units, 3 marine units (fireboats), 1 dive rescue unit, 1 special operations unit, 1 heavy rescue and several other support units. The volunteer fire companies are quartered in 7 of the fire stations, located throughout the town, and respond to emergency calls with the paid GFD Units. The all-volunteer fire companies are each commanded by a District Chief, who in-turn reports to a Deputy Chief of the GFD, who reports to the Chief of Department. There is also the Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol, one of the only remaining Fire Police Patrols in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The Patrol operates 2 Units, Patrol 2 (P2) and Utility 2 (U2). The paid Greenwich Fire Department and the 7 all-volunteer Greenwich Fire Companies respond to, on average, approximately 5,000 emergency calls annually.

Police department

Located at 11 Bruce Place, GPD has 87 police officers, 22 detectives, 19 sergeants, 10 lieutenants, 3 captains, and one deputy chief with 20+ civilian dispatchers and administrative personnel. and includes a K-9 unit.

Libraries

• Byram Shubert Library
• Cos Cob Library
• Greenwich Library
• Perrot Library

Media

Newspapers and print

• Greenwich Magazine, owned by Moffly Publications, which publishes other local magazines.
• Greenwich Sentinel, local weekly printed newspaper.
• Greenwich Time, a daily newspaper based in Greenwich; published by Hearst Corporation, which also owns The Advocate of Stamford. Some sections are identical to the same sections in The Advocate, including the arts and business sections.
• Living Greenwich, a digital publication.

Notable people

Sister cities

References

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