Old Greenwich is a coastal village in
Fairfield County,
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, United States. As of the
2010 census it had a population of 6,611.
The town of Greenwich is one political and taxing body, but consists of several distinct sections or neighborhoods, such as
Byram,
Cos Cob,
Glenville,
Mianus, Old Greenwich,
Riverside, and
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 ...
(sometimes referred to as central, or downtown, Greenwich). Of these neighborhoods, three (Cos Cob, Old Greenwich, and Riverside) have separate postal names and
ZIP codes.
History
One of the founding settlers of Old Greenwich was
Elizabeth Fones, niece and daughter-in-law of
John Winthrop, founder and governor of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...
. What is now called Greenwich Point was known for much of its early history as "Elizabeth Neck" in recognition of Elizabeth (Fones) Feake Hallet and her 1640 purchase of the Point and much of the area now known as Old Greenwich.
The
Old Greenwich Railroad Station, originally called the "Sound Beach Railroad Station", built in 1894 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, serves commuters in the neighborhood. The town's largest beach is on a long, thin peninsula at the southwest end of the neighborhood. The town's local beach is called Tod's Point after a former resident. The beach is now public property, which belongs to the town of Greenwich. Residents can purchase a seasonal beach pass. Non-residents can purchase a one-day pass for $7 per person and $35 per vehicle. During "off season", Innis Arden, a local golf club, is a popular sledding destination for kids in Old Greenwich and neighboring Stamford.
Old Greenwich was known as "Sound Beach" in the 19th century for its proximity to
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...
, and the main road through the small downtown business section is Sound Beach Avenue.
Old Greenwich had an industrial presence in the 1950s and 1960s when
Electrolux
Electrolux AB () is a Swedish Multinational corporation, multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, after Whirlpool Corporation, Whi ...
had a vacuum manufacturing facility on Forest Avenue, opposite "ECCman Center" (now Greenwich Civic Center).
Condé Nast
Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Nast (businessman), Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the FiDi, Financial Dis ...
operated a printing facility in Old Greenwich from 1924 to 1964 that published many different magazines, including
Vogue,
Vanity Fair, and
House & Garden.
The town of Greenwich has one political body (RTM – Representative Town Meeting). It has several distinct sections, each with its own mailing address and
ZIP code, such as
Byram,
Cos Cob,
Glenville,
Mianus, and
Riverside and Greenwich proper (downtown Greenwich). The original "well-to-do" population lived mainly in "the Back Country" (north of the
Merritt Parkway) or in the exclusive Belle Haven area on the waterfront. The town was founded there in 1641.
Education
As with other parts of the Town of Greenwich, Old Greenwich is in the
Greenwich Public Schools school district.
The district's comprehensive high school is
Greenwich High School
Greenwich High School is a four-year public high school in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. The school is part of the Greenwich Public Schools system and serves roughly 2,700 students.
It offers over 295 courses and a wide variety of co-cu ...
.
Notable people
*
Edwin Binney
*
Ruth Madoff, wife of
Bernie Madoff
*
Tim Mazzetti
*
Mike Sandlock
Michael Joseph Sandlock (October 17, 1915 – April 4, 2016) was an American professional baseball utility player who played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1953. He played for the Boston Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. L ...
*
Anya Seton
*
Jack Trout
*
Edward Vick
*
Constance Walton
*
Victor Borge, actor and comedian
Gallery
Image:GreenwichCTOldGreenwichDtownWside09092007.JPG, Sound Beach Avenue, east side
Image:GreenwichCTOldGreenwichRRstaEaSide09092007.jpg, Old Greenwich Railroad Station
Image:GreenwichCTOldGreenwichArchStTunnel09092007.jpg, Arch Street tunnel under the railroad tracks
Image:PostcardGreenwichCTTheCastleSoundBeachCirca1908.jpg, "The Castle," circa 1908
See also
*
List of highest-income urban areas in the United States
References
{{coord, 41, 01, 22, N, 73, 33, 53, W, type:city_region:US-CT_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title
Neighborhoods in Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Census-designated places in Fairfield County, Connecticut
Census-designated places in Connecticut
Populated coastal places in Connecticut