Greenwich, Connecticut

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 that have left Manhattan. It is also the southernmost town in New England. The town is famous for its wealth, as it is one of the most affluent communities in the United States.

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, although the town did not make it onto the list in 2006.

Greenwich Hospital is a community hospital in town with 174 beds.

The Town of Greenwich 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). Other neighborhoods or sections of town are Byram, Glenville, Pemberwick, Rock Ridge, Belle Haven, Banksville, Chickahominy, Milbank, Milbrook, and Mianus.

Downtown Greenwich consists primarily of Greenwich Avenue, a one-way street with many restaurants, boutiques, and antique shops, all in extraordinarily expensive retail space (as of 2006: $150 to $200 per square foot). Three policemen direct traffic on the street.

Image:RobinsonTheodoreLowTideRiversideYachtClub.jpg

Low Tide, Riverside Yacht Club (1894) by Theodore Robinson

[edit] Government

Image:Greenwich Seal.jpg

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.

[edit] History

Image:TwachtmanJohnHenryWinterHarmony.jpg

Winter Harmony (1890s) by John Henry Twachtman, a scene at his Greenwich farm (National Gallery of Art)

For more information, see History of Greenwich, Connecticut.

The Town of Greenwich, settled in 1640 and incorporated in 1665.

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.

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

Originally, 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.

[edit] Large or distinctive companies

Antares Investment Partners -- headquarters. 333 Ludlow St.
Arch Capital Group, Ltd. -- headquarters
Blyth, Inc. (BTH) -- headquarters, 1 East Weaver St.; the nation's largest candlemaker, the company designs and markets home fragrance products, seasonal decorations, home décor and household convenience items internationally; 5,500 employees companywide, 45 in Connecticut; $1.6 billion in annual revenues (2005); CEO Robert B. Goergen
First Reserve Corp. -- headquarters, a private equity firm with $12.5 billion under management that buys energy-related companies, founded by CEO William Macaulay.
Nestle Waters North America, division of the "world's biggest water bottler" (headquartered in Switzerland; Nestle Waters world division headquartered in Paris) accounting for 48 percent of its water sales and 10 percent of its revenue; with "Poland Spring, Deer Park, Perrier, S. Pellegrino and other brands it has 43 percent of the U.S. single-serve market. (All figures as of August 2006.)<ref>"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</ref>
Premcor Inc. -- headquarters, 1700 East Putnam Ave., Old Greenwich
Traxis hedge fund
Unilever Home & Pesonal Care - USA division headquarters
United Rentals Inc. (URI) -- headquarters, 5 Greenwich Office Park; the largest equipment rental company in the world, with more than 750 rental locations in 48 states, Canada and Mexico; 13,400 employees companywide, 400 in Connecticut; $3.6 billion in annual revenues (2005); CEO Wayland R. Hicks
Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc. -- headquarters, 1 East Weaver St.
UST Inc. (UST) -- headquarters, 100 W. Putnam Ave.; makes and markets smokeless tobacco products, including Copenhagen, Skoal and Red Seal brands, and markets wine and sparkling wine; 5,111 employees companywide, including 300 in Connecticut; $1.8 billion in annual revenues (2005); CEO Vincent A. Gierer Jr.
W.R. Berkeley Corp. (BER) -- headquarters, 475 Steamboat Road; a holding company for subsidiaries that sell property-casualty insurance; 4,961 employees companywide, 319 in Connecticut; $5 billion in annual revenues; CEO William R. Berkley

[edit] Recreation

Image:TwachtmanLandscapeBranchvilleCT.jpg

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

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.

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 $10 per person and $20 per car. Tickets must be purchased at the town hall or the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center.

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 five country clubs in town with golf courses.

The Dorothy Hamill Rink is also in town.

[edit] Islands

Calf Island, a 29-acre island about 3,000 feet from the Byram shore in Greenwich, is open for visitors although as of the summer of 2006 it was getting relatively few of them.<ref name=dinan>"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"</ref>

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.<ref name=dinan/>

Great Captain Island is also off the coast of Greenwich, and is the southernmost point of New England.

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.<ref name=island>"Crew member passes on stories about island," by Michael Dinan, an article in the Greenwich Time August 7, 2006</ref>

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, a longtime resident told the newspaper.<ref name=island/>

[edit] 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.
Greenwich Choral Society, founded in 1925, has performed locally and elsewhere, including in New York City (at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Carnegie Hall, St. Thomas Church, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine), and Europe. It has also performed several times with the Greenwich Symphony, New Haven Symphony, New Haven Chorale, and Stamford Symphony, as well as at the Ives Festival in Danbury. The chorus previewed Dave Brubeck's La Fiesta de la Posada, and has commissioned works by James Furman, Stephen Paulus, Rob Mathes, and Michael Schelle. In 2000 the chorus premiered a work by Adolphus Hailstork, Songs of Innocence, commissioned especially for the 75th anniversary season. The current music director and conductor is Paul F. Mueller. Notable past conductors include Lowell Beveridge, Jack Ossewaarde, Vernon de Tar, Louie L. White and Richard Vogt.<ref>[1] history Web page from the Greenwich Choral Society Web site, accessed on July 19, 2006</ref>

The Bruce Museum is a town-owned institution with sections devoted to art and natural history.
Greenwich Arts Council
Alliance Française of Greenwich

[edit] Churches

Saint Michael the Archangel Church (Roman Catholic - Greenwich, CT)

Trinity Church [2]

Greenwich Baptist Church [3]

St. Paul Lutheran Church [4]

First United Methodist Church of Greenwich

First Presbyterian Church [5] (Old Greenwich, CT)

First Church of Christ, Scientist [6]

St. Mary's (Roman Catholic - Greenwich, CT)

St. Catherine of Siena (Roman Catholic - Riverside, CT)

Christ Church Greenwich (Episcopal)

Second Congregational church

[edit] Education

[edit] Public Elementary Schools

Number of students (from school district Web site) can change and should be considered approximate:

Cos Cob School — 415 students Grades K-5
Glenville School — 429 students Grades K-5
Hamilton Avenue School — 255 students Grades K-5
International School at Dundee — 345 students Grades K-5
Julian Curtiss School of World Languages — 351 students Grades K-5
New Lebanon School — 237 students Grades K-5
North Mianus School — 436 students Grades K-5
North Street School — 474 students Grades K-5
Old Greenwich School — 413 students Grades K-5
Parkway School — 416 students Grades K-5
Riverside School — 471 students Grades K-5

[edit] Public Middle Schools

Central Middle School — 730 students Grades 6-8
Eastern Middle School — 709 students Grades 6-8
Western Middle School — 594 students Grades 6-8

[edit] Public High Schools

Greenwich High School — 2,895 students Grades 9-12.

[edit] Private Schools

Brunswick School (K-12)
Convent of the Sacred Heart (preK-12)
Daycroft School (preK-12) (Closed) (Former Rosemary Hall campus)
Eagle Hill School (K-10)
Greenwich Academy (K-12)
Greenwich Catholic School (preK-8), 471 North Street
Greenwich Country Day School (K-9)
The Greenwich Japanese School a.k.a. New York Nihonjin gakko, a Japanese expatriate school (K-9) (Acquired Daycroft School/Rosemary Hall Campus)
Rosemary Hall (moved to Wallingford, Connecticut) (Sold campus to Daycroft School)
Stanwich School (K-9, adding one grade each year until twelfth grade.) 257 Stanwich Road
Westchester Fairfield Hebrew Academy (K-8) [http:/www.wfha.org] -- the school, founded in 1996 and opened in 1997 with 24 students in rented space in Port Chester, New York, later rented space from Temple Shalom in Greenwich before buying a 17-acre campus at 270 Lake Avenue from the Japanese Education Alliance in August 2006. Enrollment was 130 at the start of the 2006-2007 school year, but school officials plan to expand it to 325 students with two classes of 18 students each through eighth grade. The school had been adding a class, grade by grade each year, and in 2006 started adding a second class in each grade. In 2006, school officials said they planned to share the campus with the Greenwich Japanese School for the next few years.<ref>Hagey, Keach, "Hebrew Academy opens on new campus", The Advocate of Stamford, September 13, 2006, page A3</ref>
Whitby School (PS-8)

[edit] Language School

Alliance Française de GreenwichK-9 French Institute

[edit] 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. In terms of area, Greenwich is twice the size 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.

[edit] Media based in town

Greenwich Time - daily newspaper based in Greenwich; published by Southern Connecticut Newspapers Inc. out of Stamford, a subsidiary of the Tribune Company, which also owns The Advocate of Stamford and The Hartford Courant. Some sections are identical to the same sections in The Advocate, including the arts and business sections.
Greenwich Citizen - the older weekly in town, tabloid-sized and a part of the Brooks Community Newspapers chain, now owned by Media News Group Inc., which also owns the daily Connecticut Post in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Greenwich Post - weekly broadsheet, part of the Hersam Acorn chain of local weeklies.
Greenwich Magazine, owned by Moffly Publications, which publishes other local magazines, including New Canaan-Darien Magazine and Westport Magazine.
WGCH-AM 1490 radio station; 1,000 watts

[edit] Transportation

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 40 minute train ride to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on the express train and a 50 minute ride on the local.

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

[edit] Demographics

Historical population of Greenwich[7][8]
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 census ² 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 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

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.

However, the claim of “wealthiest town” is misleading. Three other nearby towns have higher per capita income and four have higher median household incomes than Greenwich. Per capita income is higher in New Canaan ($82,049), Darien ($77, 519) and Weston ( $74,817) than in Greenwich ($74,346), with Westport ($73,664) almost on par according to the 2007 AENGLC. In addition, according to the CERC town profiles at CT.Gov., the median incomes of these towns in 2005 were: $164,076 for Weston, $160,178 for Darien, $158,091 for New Canaan, $135,542 for Westport and $112,041 for Greenwich, respectively. According to CERC Greenwich also has a higher poverty rate and more subsidized housing than these other towns. However it should be noted that Weston, New Canaan, and Darien have significantly smaller populations then Westport and Greenwich. Towns with larger populations have more people in various income brackets that skew the median income. On the above ranking, the town Weston (which has the smallest population) has the highest median income and the town with the lowest, Greenwich, has the highest population.

The AENGLC is misleading basis on which to claim “wealth” as in the personal wealth of town residents. The AENGLC takes into account residential and commercial real estate in comparing each town’s respective total tax base in order to allocate State aide to poor towns. In Connecticut, public education is funded by local property taxes. Therefore, the AENGLC is used to evaluate a town government's ability to fund public education via property taxes, not the actual wealth of town residents. Since the town of Greenwich has much more commercial real estate that the other affluent local towns, this skews the AENGLC of Greenwich away from the value of residential or personal real estate as compared to the nearby towns.

Greenwich was the highest income place with a population of 60,000 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 insignificant populations. On this list Greenwich ranks 56th after New Canann at 32nd, Darien at 44th, and Weston at 55th. See Highest income places in the United States.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Percentage
	Republican	14,032	1,038	15,070	41.26%
	Democratic	6,835	664	7,499	20.53%
	Unaffiliated	12,611	1,327	13,938	38.16%
	Minor Parties	13	2	15	0.04%
Total		33,491	3,031	36,522	100%

[edit] Notable people, past and present

For further information see: People of Greenwich, Connecticut

Greenwich has long been associated with or has been home or birthplace to well-known people in various fields. Actor/director Ron Howard lives in town, as did George C. Scott, and Mel Gibson also has a home in town. Athletes including Steve Young, Frank Gifford, Allan Houston, and Bobby Bonilla live in town, and the late authors Truman Capote, Taylor Caldwell, and Howard Fast were residents.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is a resident, and Boss Tweed used to be, as was former President George H.W. Bush. The current CEO of PepsiCo, is also a resident.

Donald J. Trump has a home in town. The late Louis Rukeyser lived in town, and Rita Cosby, a television host on MSNBC grew up here, as did actress Glenn Close.

Actress, Bijou Phillips was born in the town, and lived there through her childhood.

Matt Lauer, an anchor on the, 'TODAY SHOW' on NBC went to highschool there.

Pro wrestling promoter Vince McMahon and his family own a $40 million dollar mansion in town.

Regis Philbin resides here, as do Diana Ross, Tommy Hilfiger, and Kathie Lee Gifford. Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler have homes here. Reuben Mark, the CEO of Colgate Polmolive, also lives here.

[edit] Wealthiest art collectors in town

These four Greenwich art collectors were listed in the 2006 Art News magazine list of 200 top collectors:<ref>[9] "Top 10" article, Art News magazine, Summer 2006 issue; accessed July 25, 2006</ref>

Steven A. Cohen, who was also on the magazine's "Top 10" list every year starting in 2002. According to the magazine, he collects "Impressionism; modern and contemporary art."
Kathleen and Richard S. Fuld Jr., who were also on the list in 2005 but not in 2004. Richard Fuld is the CEO of Lehman Brothers Inc. The magazine says they like "works on paper, especially postwar art and contemporary."
Danielle and David Ganek, who were also on the 2005 and 2004 lists. They are said to like "contemporary art and photography." Ganek is a "protégé" of Cohen and now runs hedge fund Level Global.<ref>[10] "Top 10" article, Art News magazine, Summer 2006 issue; accessed July 25, 2006</ref> The Ganeks also made Forbes magazine's "Top Billionaire Art Collectors" list in 2005.<ref name=haden>[11]Haden-Guest, Anthony "Top Billionaire Art Collectors," article "slideshow" Web page, Forbes magazine Web site, March 8, 2005accessed July 25, 2006</ref>
Reba and Dave Williams, who joined the list in 2005 and whose primary residence is listed as New York City, like "American prints."

[edit] Films shot in Greenwich (reverse chronological order)

In Bloom (2006)
The Path of Most Resistance (2006)
The Good Shepherd (2006) included scenes from the Byram section of town.<ref>[12]"Thurman film first to receive state tax credits," article by Donna Porstner, The Advocate of Stamford, August 19, 2006, accessed August 20, 2006</ref>
After Roberto (2005)
The Family Stone (2005)
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Domino One (2005)
The Stepford Wives (2004)
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)

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[Putnam's cottage|Putnam's Cottage (Knapp's Tavern) Historic House Museum]

[edit] External links

Town of Greenwich, CT - town government official site
Greenwich, Connecticut Detailed Profile
Greenwich Public Schools
Greenwich Chamber of Commerce
Greenwich Library
Greenwich Symphony
Byram Neighborhood Association
Old Greenwich Neighborhood Association
Coastal Fairfield County Convention & Visitor Bureau
CTE Inc., a Stamford-based anti-poverty agency that also serves Greenwich and Darien.
Alliance Française of Greenwich

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