Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a big town situated in Fairfield County in the southwestern part of the US State of Connecticut. Being the biggest town on the state's Gold Coast, Greenwich houses several hedge funds and other financial services companies. Greenwich is Connecticut's southernmost and westernmost municipality and also in the six-state region of New England. The town serves as a significant community of the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk–Danbury metropolitan statistical area, which make up the entire Fairfield County. The town has been named after the royal borough of Greenwich, situated in the southeastern part of London in the United Kingdom.
Geography And Climate Of Greenwich
The town covers a total area of 174.1 sq. km, of which 123.8 sq. km is occupied by land, and 50.3 sq. km is covered by water. Greenwich’s area is almost double the size of Manhattan. The town is surrounded from the west and north by Westchester County, New York, and from the east by the city of Stamford, whereas it faces the Village of Bayville from the south across the Long Island Sound.
Greenwich experiences a humid continental climate, with warm and wet summers and very cold and snowy winters, and it is partly cloudy year-round. Over the course of the partly cloudy skies around the year, the temperature fluctuates seasonally between -4 °C and 29 °C and is often below -12 °C or above 33 °C.
Brief History Of Greenwich
The current Greenwich Point was initially known as "Elizabeth's Neck" in honor of Elizabeth Fones - one of the founders and daughter-in-law of John Winthrop, the founder, and Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was John Winthrop who did the 1640 purchase of the Point and a significant part of the area, currently the Old Greenwich. The town was established in 1640 by the New Haven colony agents Robert Freaks and Captain Daniel Patrick, who traded the land from the Siwanoy Indians against 25 English coats. The town came under Dutch jurisdiction but was returned to Connecticut in 1650 and was announced as a township in 1665 by the General Assembly in Hartford. The town played a major role in the American Revolution when General Israel Putnam escaped from the British troops under Major General William Tryon in 1779, although British forces captured and robbed the town. By the 19th century, some prominent New Yorkers established luxurious estates in the town of Greenwich.
The Population And Economy Of Greenwich
As per the latest US Census, Greenwich has a population of 63,518 residents. 75.2% of Greenwich residents were born in the United States, with 27.1% having been born in Connecticut. Besides, around 11.6% of those residents are not US citizens and have mainly originated from Latin American countries.
Greenwich is an economic hub of Fairfield County and its metropolitan statistical area, serving as a residential suburb of New York City. Finance and insurance play a primary role in the town’s economic structure, with more than 20% in the job market, followed by scientific and technical services. From a different economic perspective, the average annual income of a Greenwich resident is $94,200, undergoing a 6.4% sales tax and a 5.5% income tax.
Top Attractions In Greenwich
The Bruce Museum
This museum blends natural history with art, along with perfectly curated exhibitions displaying local and global environmental history, Native American agriculture in Connecticut, as well as intertidal wildlife, and a primeval forest environment in a woodland panorama. Moreover, the art collection at the Bruce Museum focuses on the mimics who followed the Cos Cob Art Colony, like Leonard Othman, Childe Hassam, and Emil Carlsen. Furthermore, The sculpture assortment is breathtaking, including pieces by Auguste Rodin, Frederick MacMonnies, and Hiram Powers.
Greenwich Avenue Historic District
Downtown Greenwich is studded with Italian, Georgian Revival and Commercial-style buildings, that were built a few decades from the late 19th century to the time after World War I. Pedestrians can take a leisured stroll, admiring the sophisticated architecture and sincere memorials like the town hall, in addition to the Richardsonian Romanesque-style Havemeyer Building that was built in 1892. Greenwich Avenue is recognized as a shopping attraction as well, for its advanced boutiques, galleries, and design stores.
In addition to the above attractions, Greenwich hosts a variety of beaches that offer recreational activities for the visitors, like the Greenwich Point Park, which is a part of Greenwich’s four beaches that are located on a peninsula into Long Island Sound, and are a popular place for visitors. Moreover, the town is home to a Polo Club, a local library, and Montgomery Pinetum Park. With the lifestyle and education opportunities the town offers, the Town of Greenwich is considered to be one of the best places to live and visit in Connecticut.
