|
Greenwich (41n02, 73w38 EST) is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut. 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 are called Greenwich, Cos
Cob, Riverside and Old Greenwich) and is approximately a 50 minute train ride to Grand Central
Station in Manhattan. It is home to many Hedge funds and other financial service companies that have left Manhattan. The town consists of several
distinct sections with their own mailing addresses, such as Cos Cob, Riverside, Old Greenwich, Byram, Belle Haven, and
Glenville.
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 or 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 Selectman's chair, and
Democrats have held the seat recently. Many of the other town committes 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.
The downtown area of Greenwich consists primarily of Greenwich Avenue, a one way street that has many restaurants, boutiques,
and antique shops. Chain retailers include Waldenbooks, Saks Fifth Avenue, the Gap, Restoration Hardware, CVS/pharmacy,
Starbucks, and Subway. Retail space on Greenwich Avenue is very expensive. Greenwich Avenue is also somewhat unique in
that it does not have traffic lights, but instead has individual traffic officers at
each intersection directing traffic. The sections of the town each have smaller shopping areas, but these are much smaller than
Greenwich Avenue. Old Greenwich, however, is home to Garden Catering, a deli made famous throughout Greenwich by its deep-fried chicken.
Interstate 95 goes right through the town, and there are four exits
from 95 in Greenwich. 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 inlet, collapsed, resulting in the death of three people. Later investigations
revealed that pins holding the support beams were not adequate. Highway traffic had to be diverted onto local streets.
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 and New Canaan. The high property values, however, cause
property taxes to be very low, on a percentage basis.
The town has a beach on Long Island Sound called Greenwich
Point (often referred to as Tod's Point). Originally, this beach area, which is on a peninsula and also includes picnic areas,
was open only to town residents and their guests. However, a lawyer from nearby Stamford, Connecticut 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. A beach pass is $10 per person and $20 per car and must be purchased at the town civic center.
Historical Populations
- 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)
Sources: Interactive Connecticut State Register & Manual and U.S.
Census Bureau, Population Division
Geography
According to the United States Census
Bureau, the town has a total area of 174.2 km˛ (67.2 mi˛). 123.9 km˛ (47.8 mi˛) of it is land and 50.3 km˛ (19.4 mi˛) of it is water. The
total area is 28.88% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 61,101
people, 23,230 households, and 16,237 families residing in the town. The population density is 493.2/km˛ (1,277.6/mi˛). There are 24,511 housing units at an average density of
197.9/km˛ (512.5/mi˛). The racial makeup of the town is 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.
6.29% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 23,230 households out of which 33.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% are married couples
living together, 8.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% are non-families. 24.8% of all households are
made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.60 and
the average family size is 3.12.
In the town the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 90.1 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $99,086 USD, and the median income for a family is $122,719. Males have a median income of $95,085 versus
$47,806 for females. The per capita income for the town is $74,346. 4.0% of the population and 2.5% of families are below the
poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.1% are under the age of 18 and 3.2% are 65 or older.
External links
|