Greenwich is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the southwestern part of Washington County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The town is located on the western border of the county. The population was 4,868 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. Greenwich features several homes that were a part of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. The Town of Greenwich contains a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

, also named

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

History

The Horicon tribe is believed to be part of the early native population of the town. Families began settling the area around 1763. The town was originally part of five

land patent A land patent is a form of letters patent assigning official ownership of a particular tract of land that has gone through various legally-prescribed processes like surveying and documentation, followed by the letter's signing, sealing, and publi ...

s: Saratoga, Kettlehuyn, Cuyler, Campbell, and Argyle. The Town of Greenwich was formed from part of the Town of Argyle in 1803. In 1809, the community of Whipple City incorporated as a village and adopted the name Union Village. In 1867, the name was changed to Greenwich. Greenwich views itself as having been an important location along the Underground Railroad. A historical marker was placed in Mowry Park detailing the locations of former safe houses. The Greenwich and Johnsonville Railroad brought rail service to the area in 1870. The Coffin Site was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1980.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of 44.4 square miles (114.9 km²), of which 44.0 square miles (114.0 km²) is land and 0.4 square mile (0.9 km²) (0.81%) is water. It lies within the Cambridge valley region in between the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in Ne ...

and Green Mountain Range of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. The western town line is defined by the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

, with Saratoga County on the opposite shore. New York State Route 40 (NY 40) is a north–south highway passing through the center of the town. NY 29 is an east–west highway located near the southern town line and Batten Kill River. NY 40 and NY 29 join near Middle Falls.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 4,896 people, 1,927 households, and 1,358 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,101 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.81%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.31%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.06% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.18% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population. There were 1,927 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $39,138, and the median income for a family was $47,260. Males had a median income of $34,964 versus $26,629 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $19,913. About 5.8% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

A majority of Greenwich falls within the Greenwich Central School District. The district has three school buildings on of land. It serves around 1,300 students and employs 99 administrators and teachers. It was established in 1945 as a consolidation of rural school districts with the union free school district in Greenwich village. Small areas of Greenwich fall within the Schuylerville, Argyle, and Salem Central school districts. The school district is currently ranked #1,756 in the country according to U.S. News & World Report in 2014 earning a Silver medal award

The school district is currently ranked #10 in the Capital District according to the Capital District Business Review

The Adirondack School of Northeastern New York provides private secondary education for grades 7 through 12.

Notable people

* Susan B. Anthony - Civil rights activist spent her childhood in Greenwich. *

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was the 21st president of the United States, serving from 1881 to 1885. He was a Republican from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. ...

- Lived in Greenwich for five years in his youth before becoming 21st President of the United States. *

John Lourie Beveridge John Lourie Beveridge (July 6, 1824 – May 3, 1910) was the 16th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1873 to 1877. He succeeded the recently elected Richard J. Oglesby, who resigned to accept a Senate seat. Beveridge previously served in ...

- Born in Greenwich in 1824, Brigadier General in Civil War and subsequently became 16th Governor of Illinois. * LeRoy Earl Brophey Sr. - Minnesota state reptresentative and lawyer * Henry T. Clarke, Sr. - Nebraska territorial legislator * George Henry Corliss - Inventor of the

Corliss steam engine A Corliss steam engine (or Corliss engine) is a steam engine, fitted with rotary valves and with variable valve timing patented in 1849, invented by and named after the US engineer George Henry Corliss of Providence, Rhode Island. Corliss assumed ...

; grew up in Greenwich. * David Edward Cronin - Painter and illustrator was born in Greenwich. * Laura Don, born Anna Laura Fish - actress-manager and playwright, died at her parents' Greenwich residence in 1886. *

Kim Gannon James Kimball "Kim" Gannon (November 18, 1900 – April 29, 1974) was an American songwriter, more commonly a lyricist than a composer. Biography Gannon was born in Brooklyn, New York to an Irish-American family from Fort Ann in upstate Ne ...

- Trained as a lawyer, became a lyricist and co-wrote the holiday favorite

I'll Be Home for Christmas "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, who scored a top ten hit with the song. Originally written to honor soldiers overseas who longed ...

. Returned to Greenwich and is buried here. * David Greenberger - Visual, performing, and recording artist, creator of ''The Duplex Planet'', currently residing in Greenwich. * Daniel Hall - Wisconsin state legislator. *

Hal Ketchum Hal Michael Ketchum (April 9, 1953 – November 23, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He released eleven studio albums from 1986 to 2014, including nine for divisions of Curb Records. Ketchum's 1991 album ''Past the Point ...

- Country music star and member of the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

was born in Greenwich. * James Howard Kunstler - American author, social critic, public speaker, and blogger currently residing in Greenwich. *

Grandma Moses Anna Mary Robertson Moses (September 7, 1860 – December 13, 1961), or Grandma Moses, was an American folk artist. She began painting in earnest at the age of 78 and is a prominent example of a newly successful art career at an advanced age. M ...

- Renowned American folk artist; was born on a farm in the Town of Easton. *

Phantogram (band) Phantogram is an American music duo from Greenwich (town), New York, Greenwich, New York (state), New York, formed in 2007 and consisting of multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter. Since 2009, the band has released fi ...

- electronic music duo, formed in Greenwich. *

James Hutchinson Woodworth James Hutchinson Woodworth (December 4, 1804 – March 26, 1869), was a member of the Illinois State Senate and the Illinois State House of Representatives, served as a Chicago Alderman, was elected to consecutive terms as Mayor of Chicag ...

- 12th Mayor of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Communities and locations in the town

Communities and inhabited locations

* Bald Mountain – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

west of the

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

by the same name in the western part of the town. A former lime "

mining town A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry. Historical mining communities Australia * Ballarat, Victoria * Bendig ...

", the hamlet is known more today for its farming than its mining. * Battenville – A hamlet on the southern town line, located by the Batten Kill. * Carters Pond State Wildlife Management Area – A conservation area in the vicinity of Carter Pond, south of Cassayuna. * Cossayuna – A hamlet located south of Cossayuna Lake in the northern part of the town. Originally known as ''Hog Hollow'' and later as ''Lakeville'', the hamlet was settled in 1765 and was likely its first center of trade. * Center Falls – A hamlet (previously known as ''Franklin'' and as ''Hardscrabble'') east of Greenwich village on NY 29 by the Batten Kill. * Clarks Mills – A hamlet in the southwestern corner of the town by the Batten Kill. * East Greenwich – The town's oldest hamlet, located in the southeastern part of the town located along the Batten Kill. Once known as ''Slab City'', it has been home to several factories. *

– A village at the south town line and Batten Kill. The village is partially in Greenwich and partially in the town of Easton. * Middle Falls – A hamlet west of Greenwich village on NY 29. Though it once bore the names ''Arkansaw'' and ''Galesville'', the hamlet has been known by its present name since 1875. The name is derived from a 45-foot (14 m) natural

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

of the nearby Batten Kill. * North Greenwich – A hamlet near the northern town line. The community was formerly known as ''Antioch'' and ''Reid's Corners''. The hamlet played an important role in the early town. A school was built ''circa'' 1800 and a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

was established in 1850. The hamlet served as a

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

stop between Albany and

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...

. * Thomson – A hamlet northwest of Clarks Mills, by the Hudson River. The hamlet's notoriety has transitioned since its establishment from that of saw milling to paper milling.

Geographical features

* Batten Kill – A river that defines the southern town line. * Cossayuna Lake – A

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

on the northern town line. Its eastern shore defines part of the town's northern border. Lying mostly in the town of Argyle, only a small portion of the lake, its southern tip, lies within Greenwich. * Hartshorn Brook – A

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Batten Kill. * McDougall Lake – A small lake, also partially within the town of Salem. * Slocum Creek – A small tributary of the Hudson River.

References

External links

Town of Greenwich Official Website
{{authority control Glens Falls metropolitan area Towns in Washington County, New York Towns in New York (state) Underground Railroad in New York (state)