Greenwich, Connecticut

Greenwich, Connecticut
—  Town  —

Seal
Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Connecticut
NECTA Bridgeport - Stamford - Norwalk
Region South Western Region
Settled 1640
Joined Connecticut 1656
Government
 - Type Representative town meeting
 - First selectman Peter Tesei
 - Town administrator John Crary
 - Town meeting moderator Thomas J. Byrne
Area
 - Total 67.2 sq mi (174.0 km2)
 - Land 47.8 sq mi (123.8 km2)
 - Water 19.4 sq mi (50.3 km2)
Elevation 56 ft (17 m)
Population (2009)
 - Total 62,368
 - Density 1,302/sq mi (503/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06807, 06830,06831, 06870, 06878
Area code(s) 203
FIPS code 09-33620
GNIS feature ID 0213435
Website www.greenwichct.org

Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 61,101. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 37+ minutes by train (express) from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. 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.[1] Money magazine also ranked Greenwich #1 in the "Biggest Earner" category.[2] The town is named after (and pronounced the same as) Greenwich, England, a borough of London in the United Kingdom.

Contents

Government

Greenwich has one local government but consists of several distinct sections, each of which often has its own mailing addresses and ZIP codes: as Cos Cob 06807, Riverside 06878, Old Greenwich 06870, Greenwich 06830 and Glenville 06831 (sometimes referred to as Greenwich proper, central, or downtown Greenwich).

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 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.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 28, 2008[3]
Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage
  Republican 13,607 486 14,093 37.97%
  Democratic 9,084 323 9,407 25.34%
  Unaffiliated 12,678 646 13,324 35.9%
  Minor Parties 288 7 295 1%
Total 35,657 1,462 37,119 100%

History

Low Tide, Riverside Yacht Club (1894) by Theodore Robinson from National Gallery of Art exhibit
For more information, see History of Greenwich, Connecticut.

The Town of Greenwich was settled in 1640. One of the founders was Elizabeth Fones Winthrop, daughter-in-law of John Winthrop, founder and Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 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 their 1640 purchase of the Point and much of the area now known as Old Greenwich.[4] The Town of Greenwich was declared a township by the General Assembly in Hartford, Connecticut, on May 11, 1665.[5]

During the American Revolution, General Israel Putnam made a daring escape from the British on February 26, 1779. Although British forces pillaged the town, Putnam was able to warn Stamford.[5]

In 1983, the Mianus River Bridge, which carries traffic on Interstate 95 over an estuary, collapsed, resulting in the death of three people.[6]

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.[7]

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Greenwich's location as the first Connecticut town off Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway meant that when New York City-area residents wanted to buy Powerball lottery tickets as the jackpot rose above $100 million, they crowded into Greenwich stores to purchase them, creating traffic jams in the business areas. The Connecticut Lottery introduced special rules for such situations. This no longer became a problem after Pennsylvania joined Powerball in 2002; those living west of the Hudson River no longer cross it to buy Powerball tickets.

Geography

Greenwich Town Hall

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 67.2 square miles (174.2 km²), of which, 47.8 square miles (123.9 km²) of it is land and 19.4 square miles (50.3 km²) of it (28.88%) is water. In terms of area, Greenwich is twice the size of Manhattan. The town 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.

Neighborhoods and sections

Greenwich is unofficially divided into approximately 23 sections, or neighborhoods, among them:

Notable points

Islands

Memorial to Col. Raynal C. Bolling, first high-ranking officer killed in World War I

Calf Island, a 29-acre (120,000 m2) island about 3,000 feet (910 m) from the Byram shore in Greenwich, is open for visitors although as of the summer of 2006 it was getting relatively few of them.[9]

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. The island is available for overnight stays for those with permits, otherwise the east side is open from dawn till dusk.[9]

Great Captain Island is also off the coast of Greenwich, and is the southernmost point in Connecticut. There is a Coast Guard lighthouse on this island, as well as a designed area as a bird sanctuary.

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 National Guard let adults and children fire machine guns into the water, according to an article in the Greenwich Time.[10]

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.[10]

Climate

Greenwich experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa). 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.

Climate data for Greenwich
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 36
(2.2)		 38
(3.3)		 47
(8.3)		 58
(14.4)		 69
(20.6)		 77
(25)		 83
(28.3)		 81
(27.2)		 73
(22.8)		 62
(16.7)		 51
(10.6)		 41
(5)		 60
(15.6)
Average low °F (°C) 21
(-6.1)		 23
(-5)		 31
(-0.6)		 40
(4.4)		 50
(10)		 60
(15.6)		 65
(18.3)		 64
(17.8)		 56
(13.3)		 45
(7.2)		 36
(2.2)		 27
(-2.8)		 43
(6.1)
Precipitation inches (mm) 4.32
(109.7)		 3.24
(82.3)		 4.73
(120.1)		 4.44
(112.8)		 4.58
(116.3)		 3.77
(95.8)		 3.72
(94.5)		 4.00
(101.6)		 4.70
(119.4)		 4.17
(105.9)		 4.47
(113.5)		 4.31
(109.5)		 50.45
(1,281.4)
Source: Weather Channel[11]

Emergency services

Greenwich EMS

Greenwich Emergency Medical Service, Inc. (or "GEMS", as it is often referred to) is contracted as the primary service area responder (PSAR) for the Town of Greenwich. GEMS operates out of four strategically located stations throughout the town, and has mutual aid agreements with Stamford and Port Chester/Rye/Rye Brook. Each GEMS unit is operated at the highest level of advanced prehospital care, utilizing highly trained and experienced paramedics. GEMS was the first service in New England to make use of 12-lead EKGs in the prehospital setting, and continues to lead the region with advanced life support tools and equipment.

Greenwich fire department

The town of Greenwich is protected 24/7 by the professional firefighters of the Greenwich Fire Department, as well as a large volunteer staff. The Greenwich Fire Department, or GFD, operates out of 6 combination paid and volunteer Fire Stations, as well as two fully-volunteer Fire Stations: Round Hill Fire Company # 6, and Banksville Volunteer Fire Department(located in Banksville, New York and serves parts of northern Greenwich).The GFD operates a fire apparatus fleet of 14 Engines(including 8 Volunteer/Reserve Engines), 3 Trucks(including 2 Volunteer Trucks), 2 Rescue Engines, 1 Heavy Rescue (Volunteer), 1 Dive Rescue (volunteer), 1 Special Operations/Mobile Command Unit, 1 Haz-Mat. Unit, 2 Decontamination Units, 3 Squads(All Volunteer), 4 Utility Units, 3 Fire Police Patrol Units, 2 Fire Boats, 1 Deputy Chief Command Vehicle, and numerous special, support, and reserve units. The GFD responds to, on average, around 5,000 emergency calls annually.

Fire station locations and apparatus

Police department

Located at 11 Bruce Place, GPD has 87 Police Officers, 19 Sergeants and 4 Lieutenants, with 12 Civilian Dispatchers[12] and includes a K-9 unit.[13] The current Chief of Police is David C. Ridberg while the First Selectman is Police Commissioner.[14]

Education

Public schools

Greenwich High School

Greenwich Public Schools operates public schools. Greenwich High School is the district's sole high school.

Private schools

Recreation

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 Island.

A single-visit beach pass for non-residents to Greenwich Point (locally termed "Tod's Point" after the previous private owners), which is on a peninsula and so includes picnic areas, a beach and small marina, is $5 per person and $20 per car. Tickets must be purchased at the town hall or the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center. However, anyone can go to the point for free between November and April. The point has views of Manhattan, the bridges connecting the Bronx and Queens and newly-built hi-rises in New Rochelle, New York.

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

The town owns the Griffith E. Harris golf course. The 18-link course is named after "Griff" Harris, first selectman from 1952 to 1958. There are also eight country clubs in town with golf courses. The Dorothy Hamill Rink is also in town.

Arts and culture

Winter Harmony (1890s) by John Henry Twachtman

Business

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 40 minute train ride to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on the express train and a 50 minute ride on the local. Amtrak stops in the adjacent city of Stamford.

Interstate 95 (one of the busiest highways in the world) 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.

Two bridges in Greenwich were among 12 in the state listed in "critical" condition by state safety inspectors as of August 2007. The Riversville Road bridge, built in the 1950s, now has a weight limit of 3 tons, but as of August 5, 2007, the bridge had not been inspected in over two years (in March 2005), according to state records obtained by The Hartford Courant, although a state official said the bridge was inspected in August 2005 and would be inspected again in August 2007. In the March 2005 inspection, the bridge's above-ground structure was deemed to be in critical condition, with other components in poor condition. The Bailiwick Road bridge in town was closed in April 2007 and remained closed as of August 2007 due to storm damage. The ratings for the two bridges were worse than the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis, which collapsed during rush hour on August 1, 2007.[19]

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1800 3,047
—
1810 3,533 16.0%
1820 3,790 7.3%
1830 3,801 0.3%
1840 3,921 3.2%
1850 5,036 28.4%
1860 6,522 29.5%
1870 7,644 17.2%
1880 7,892 3.2%
1890 10,131 28.4%
1900 12,172 20.1%
1910 16,463 35.3%
1920 22,123 34.4%
1930 33,112 49.7%
1940 35,509 7.2%
1950 40,835 15.0%
1960 53,793 31.7%
1970 59,755 11.1%
1980 59,578 −0.3%
1990 58,441 −1.9%
2000 61,101 4.6%
Est. 2009 62,368 [20] 2.1%

As of the census[21] 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 people per square mile (493.2/km²). There were 24,511 housing units at an average density of 512.5/sq mi (197.9/km²). 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 residents 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.

The median income for a household in the town is $99,086, and the median income for a family is $122,719 (these figures had risen to $117,857 and $168,779 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[22]). Males have a median income of $95,085 versus $47,806 for females. The per capita income for the town is $74,346. 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.

Wealth

Artist's Home in Autumn, Greenwich, Connecticut (ca. 1895), by John Henry Twachtman

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. The AENGLC is based on the value of residential and commercial real estate and measures the town's tax base available to pay for public education(see Conn. Dep of Ed). It is not a measure of the personal wealth of individual residents. New Canaan is the wealthiest town in Connecticut, with a per capita income of $82,049, second is Darien at $77,519 and Greenwich third at $74,346 per the 2000 Census. Greenwich was the highest income place with a population of 50,000 or more in 2000. However, using the list of the 100 richest places in the United States with at least 1,000 households yields a different result. This is the most common list used for referring to the richest communities in the country, as it eliminates any places with unsubstantial populations. On this list Greenwich ranks 56th after New Canaan at 32nd, Darien at 44th, and Weston at 55th.

The median price for a single-family home in town was $1.7 million in 2006, when about 140 properties sold for $5 million or more, according to Prudential Connecticut Realty. In 2007, the highest asking prices for residential property in town were $39.5 million for the 76-acre (310,000 m2) estate of actor Mel Gibson on Old Mill Road, $19.7 million for a 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) mansion on 8.7 acres (35,000 m2) with a private lake, and $38 million for an estate with formal gardens and a greenhouse the size of a cottage.[23]

Notable people, past and present

Due to its affluence and convenient location near New York City, Greenwich has long been associated with or has been home or birthplace to well-known people in various fields.

Sister cities

Greenwich currently has three sister cities:[24]

Media

Radio

Newspapers and print

Films shot in Greenwich

Spring by John Henry Twachtman, 1890s, a painting of his Greenwich farm

List is in reverse chronological order of movies filmed (or partially filmed) in Greenwich:[25]

Television filmed in Greenwich

References

  1. ↑ [1]
  2. ↑ [2]
  3. ↑ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 28, 2008" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/electionservices/registration_and_enrollment_stats/2008_registration_and_enrollment_statistics.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  4. ↑ http://www.friendsofgreenwichpoint.org/page2.php
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 [3] Greenwich history page at Connecticut GenWeb site.
  6. ↑ "I-95 Bridge Collapse Sends Cars Into River". New York Times. June 29, 1983. http://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/28/nyregion/i-95-bridge-collapse-sends-cars-into-river.html. Retrieved 2010-03-10. "At least two tractor-trailer trucks and two passenger cars went into the Mianus River early this morning when a Connecticut Turnpike bridge over it collapsed, the Connecticut state police said." 
  7. ↑ Nova, Susan, "Many rooms, skyline views: Chateau atop Round Hill is for sale", article, Real Estate section, The Advocate of Stamford, March 2, 2007, page R1
  8. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Upgrades make Calf Island more attractive to visitors", by Michael Dinan, "Greenwich Time", and "The Advocate" of Stamford, August 15, 2006, page 4, "The Advocate"
  9. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Crew member passes on stories about island", by Michael Dinan, an article in the Greenwich Time August 7, 2006. When the public first began visiting this island, a casino excisted here.
  10. ↑ "Average Weather for Greenwich". Weather.com. http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/achesandpains/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USCT0085?from=36hr_bottomnav_aches. Retrieved 17 May 2008. 
  11. ↑ http://www.greenwichct.org/PoliceDept/pd_Patrol_Division.asp
  12. ↑ http://www.greenwichct.org/PoliceDept/pdK9Unit.asp
  13. ↑ http://www.greenwichct.org/PoliceDept/PoliceDept.asp
  14. ↑ Hagey, Keach, "Hebrew Academy opens on new campus", The Advocate of Stamford, September 13, 2006, page A3
  15. ↑ Society history Greenwich Choral Society website, accessed on July 19, 2006
  16. ↑ cambridgeworldwide.com
  17. ↑ "Water, water everywhere -- but activists don't want Nestle to have it", article by Hugo Miller for Bloomberg News as appeared in The Advocate of Stamford, Business section, August 6, 2006, pp. F1, F6
  18. ↑ Kaplan, Thomas, Martineau, Kim, and Kauffman, Matthew, "12 state bridges are judged to be in critical condition" article in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, article reprinted from The Hartford Courant, August 5, 2007, pp1, A6
  19. ↑ Census data for Greenwich, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 11, 2010.
  20. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  21. ↑ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-context=adp&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_DP3YR3&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-tree_id=3307&-redoLog=false&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=06000US0900133620&-format=&-_lang=en
  22. ↑ Crenson, Sharon L., "Gibson selling Greenwich estate for $39.5M", Bloomberg News, article appeared in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, July 12, 2007, pA2
  23. ↑ http://www.greenwichct.org/grWebResources.asp
  24. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Greenwich,%20Connecticut,%20USA&&heading=18;with+locations+including;Greenwich,%20Connecticut,%20USA

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