Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and is also the southernmost town in New England just across the border from New York. The town is famous for its expensive homes and the wealth of its residents. 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, from west to east, are Greenwich, Cos Cob, Riverside and Old Greenwich) and is approximately a 30 minute express train ride to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies that have left Manhattan because of the costs. It 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.
The Town of Greenwich consists of several distinct sections 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.
The downtown area of Greenwich consists primarily of Greenwich Avenue, a one way street that has many restaurants, boutiques, and antique shops, all located on extraordinarily expensive retail space. Real estate in Greenwich is extremely expensive when compared to the national average, and is on par if not higher with some nearby communities such as Darien, Westport, and New Canaan. The high property values, however, cause property taxes to be very low, on a percentage basis. Greenwich is considered by some to be the wealthiest town in Connecticut with an average home sales price of $4,470,000 (2005).
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.
