Greenwich Life Style

GREENWICH LIFE STYLE or Why you will want to live here

Greenwich is recognized as the best town in Connecticut and one of the best places to live and raise your family in the United States. If you are looking for a beautiful town with safety, amenities, top-rated public and private schools, convenient access to New York City (29 miles) and a home that will be a great investment – you will love Greenwich.

Greenwich Rated Best Place to Live

Time and again, Greenwich is rated as Connecticut’s number one place to live. It is rated the best place to live in the USA by Money Magazine and the Robb report. It is rated the safest place to live in the USA and the safect place to raise a family. Greenwich is the premier town along what is called the Connecticut Gold Coast. The town’s unique beauty has been preserved by very careful town planning and zoning. Like Beverly Hills, Greenwich has the rare distinction of being one of those recognizable names. But unlike Beverly Hills, which is a 5.7 square mile enclave, Greenwich extends over 67 square miles with rolling hills, woodlands, meadows and 32 miles of gorgeous shoreline bordering the Long Island Sound as well as 1,500 acres of parkland. Greenwich is not isolated—it is a real community and a wonderful place to raise a family.

Although Greenwich conjures up thoughts of stately country homes and waterfront estates reserved for the select few, Greenwich is much, much more. As you will discover, Greenwich offers diversity, not only in real estate and architecture, but also in residents. Greenwich is home to a cosmopolitan group of executives and a great variety of professionals, artists, writers, diplomats, homemakers, actors, and sports figures. And a few couch potatoes as well.

In addition to being rated tops by Connecticut Magazine, the Robb Report rated Greenwich one of the 10 best places to live in the USA. Greenwich has a vast array of attractions. Whether you look at the picturesque shopping areas, the personal service provided by its mix of elegant shops, its fantastic library (the most used in Connecticut), its ultra modern hospital or its fabulous restaurants, Greenwich has it all. The New York Times declared that Greenwich has more Very Good and Excellent restaurants per capita than any other community in Connecticut. One of the many unique things about Greenwich can be found on Greenwich Avenue every day between the hours of 9am and 6pm: the police officers at the street corners directing traffic. These officers help to preserve the feeling of a small town and, of course, also help keep the town’s crime rate low.

Population

The population of Greenwich grew until about 1970. Since 1970, the resident population has been more or less stable. This has been accompanied by the construction or conversion of more dwellings to house the same number of people. In 1950, the population was 40,835. In 1990, the population was 58,441. In 2000 the population was 61,101. In 2017 the population was 62,000. Approximately 65% of Greenwich homes are for single families, mostly detached, one to a lot. The town’s residential zones provide a wide variety of housing types, from small condominiums to single family homes of more than 10,000 square feet on 4 acres or more. Greenwich is divided into several strictly enforced zoning areas. In or near town, the density is high as a result of condominiums and apartments. Further from the center of town, the zoning changes to 1 acre per family, then to 2 acres per family and north of the Merritt Parkway it is a minimum of 4 acres per family. The population of the town continues to be diverse. One sixth of all public school students, with 38 different first languages, are learning English as a second language.

Jobs and Income

Greenwich is a job center where 35,278 people are employed. More people now come to work in Greenwich than go to work elsewhere. As a result of the many offices moving to the suburbs, Greenwich has become a net provider of jobs during the past twenty-five years. At the same time the median household income in Greenwich has been growing steadily. In 1979 it was $30,278. Ten years later, in 1989, it was $65,072. In 2017 it was  $137,000.

OBVIOUS REASONS PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE HERE

Ideal Location

Greenwich is in the southwest corner of Connecticut and is in the ideal location to provide residents with the convenience of being close to a big city, while living in the comfort and security of the country. Greenwich is surrounded by areas that are being developed more intensively.

Greenwich is in the largest metropolitan area of the United States. Greenwich is fortunate in its location, natural features, and historic development. Greenwich is one of the most desirable places to live. Many people want to work here as well. A steady migration of businesses and jobs from New York City to White Plains, Greenwich and Stamford has increased the demand for housing here.

Greenwich has an excellent transportation system, and is just minutes from Westchester Airport, making trips to nearby cities such as Boston or Washington easy.

Greenwich is only 29 miles from Times Square (43 minutes by one of the 78 trains that operate daily between New York City and Greenwich). There are four train stations conveniently located throughout the town. U.S. Route 1, the historic Post Road, is the main commercial artery. Locally it is named Putnam Avenue. In addition, Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway traverse Greenwich, giving it excellent regional accessibility. It takes about 10 minutes to drive to Stamford, about 60 minutes to Danbury and approximately 15 minutes to White Plains. The Connecticut Limousine provides easy and quick access to NYC’s international airports; La Guardia Airport is about a 45-minute drive and JFK is about a 60 minute drive. The Merritt Parkway, built in 1935 for cars only, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Safety

Greenwich is rated the safest community in Connecticut and the safest place in the country and it’s no wonder with 14 police cars on the road at all times, traffic downtown directed by police officers and with a force of 158 police officers, the average response time to a call is less than four minutes.

• In Greenwich was rated by SafeWise as one of the safest cities in the country to raise a child.

• SafeHome.org rated Greenwich as the safest city in the U.S.

Low Taxes

Greenwich operates on a “pay as you go” basis and carries almost no debt. This allows Greenwich to keep property taxes low while maintaining a budget of over $183,000,000. Real Estate taxes are based on assessments limited by statute to 70% of market value. The tax is presently 11.369 cents per thousand of assessed value (mill rate). The town policy is for the mill rate to increase no more than 3.5% a year, while maintaining $20,000,000 a year in capital improvements. There was no mill rate tax increase last year. There are no separate school taxes. There is a personal property tax on cars equal to the mill rate. There is no town income tax. The state has an income tax of 3 to 6.7%. There is no county tax.

Age Friendly

Greenwich has joined the AARP and World Health Organization’s network of age friendly communities and is dedicated to developing policies and practices to enhance quality of life for residents 50 and over.

A Great Investment

Greenwich real estate just keeps increasing in value. And why not, this community offers more and just keeps getting better. Although real estate here is not recession-proof, it is certainly recession-resistant. Few have made an investment that was better than their Greenwich real estate. And, you get to live in this investment too.

Greenwich Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD)

The POCD is completed every 10 years. The POCD acts as a guiding document for the town’s priorities and projects. The POCD requires the Town to conduct a study every two years to determine how well it is making progress on its guiding principles. Under the Town’s Charter, responsibility for planning is shared between the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), just as responsibility for fiscal matters is shared between the Board of Estimate and Taxation and the RTM. The Town’s principal planning document, the Plan of Conservation and Development, must be approved by the RTM, which also has final authority to approve or disapprove Municipal Improvements.

The POCD is the Town’s only comprehensive, long-term plan. It is intended to be a working document that actively guides Town officials with regard to conservation and development activities in Greenwich by providing a framework for consistent decision-making. While its provisions are not mandatory, it is not merely an “advisory document” and Town departments are expected to comply with the goals of the POCD. Some of the goals of the plan are:

1. Guiding principles. The vision is that Greenwich remain primarily a residential community. One of the guiding principals is to preserve the Town’s unique character and community. Other guiding principles are housing, schools, environmental issues, commercial vitality, municipaland health services.
2. Business Districts. The central business district should primarily serve the needs of Greenwich residents, Similarly, local business districts should primarily serve the needs of their respective neighborhoods.
3. Open Space. The POCD reflects a strong commitment to the acquisition and preservation of open space and park land.
4. Affordable Housing The POCD promotes affordable and moderate-income housing that is in scale with the community.

Additional Reading:

• 2009 Documents
• 2021 POCD
• Plans and Studies
• Cos Cob Neighborhood Plan
• Byram Comprehensive Plan

Town Recreation

Greenwich is still 25% green. It has 32 miles of coastline, with its main beaches at Greenwich Point (147 acres), Byram Beach and the two city-owned islands (Captains Island & Island Beach). Greenwich has 8,000 acres of protected land; over 1,000 acres of town parks; 35 town tennis courts (not including the YWCA courts); several community centers; an indoor ice rink (open only to residents); 14 public marinas and a 158 acre, 18-hole golf course (open only to residents). The town’s Department of Parks and Recreation maintains a very active program of events, from its supervised skate park, to teams such as baseball, football and soccer, to tennis and golf lessons. They also maintain a large number of well-run summer camps. 

Private Recreation

In addition to the wealth of town facilities, Greenwich has 10 private country clubs and 9 Yacht clubs.

Greenwich Harbor Management Plan

Greenwich, unlike most of the towns on the waterfront, has managed to have considerable control over its waterways. For more information see:

https://www.greenwichct.gov/669/Harbor-Management-Plan

CULTURE

Music lovers enjoy the Greenwich Philharmonic and the frequent summer town concerts as well as the opportunity to attend the many nearby theater productions. And, as stated by Art & Antiques Magazine, art in Greenwich is everywhere, not just in the eight exceptional art galleries of Greenwich. The Art Societies are also very active and the sidewalk art shows are always popular events.

Performing Arts Complex

The new 1,325 seat auditorium in the Greenwich High School Performing Art complex cost $43,000,000 and was just recently completed. It provides an outstanding performance venu.

The Bruce Museum appeals to everyone and is rated one of the best museums in Connecticut. The Bruce Museum attracted over 100,000 visitors last year to their 8,000 square feet of gallery space and 18 exciting exhibitions, making the Bruce the second most popular museum in Connecticut. No wonder the museum is placed in the top 10% of U.S. museums. In 2018 a brand-new Bruce is underway. The Museum is embarking on a $5 million expansion. When it is completed, the museum will be a world-class facility of art and culture while maintaining its pretty setting overlooking Long Island Sound.

Greenwich Connecticut Library

The Greenwich Library is a special treasure. In 1999 it received a $30,000,000 gift from a Greenwich resident that was used, with the help of architect Cesar Pelli, to re-design the library and add 31,000 additional square feet. Greenwich residents must indeed be well-read. The main branch, together with its two town branches and the independent Perrot Library in Old Greenwich, lent more than 1.5 million items last year, making it the second most used public library system in New England. The library not only has a very capable and helpful staff, but it provides superior internet capability as well. Not only can you look up and check out books, but anyone with a library card can have access from their home to a wealth of independent research data bases. It is no wonder the library has been rated the best in the country. In 2019, the Library began a plan to “re-imagine” itself. The Library is embarking on a $17 million project to transform the main branch for the 21st century patrons.

Beauty

Keeping Greenwich beautiful, is not only important to the town’s Department of Parks, it is almost the full time preoccupation of the town’s eight garden clubs, Greenwich Green & Clean, The Land Trust, the Historical Society, neighborhood associations and many, many other town groups and organizations.

Excellent Education

Greenwich Public Schools (10 elementary, 3 middle and 1 high school) are rated first or second in Connecticut. Most graduates go to competitive colleges. The school budget is $70 million. The average class size is 20 students and over 90% of the teachers have masters degrees. SAT scores had a mean of 1125 (571 in math and 554 in verbal). Eighty-one percent of the students scored at the Mastery Level set by the State of Connecticut.

• In addition, Greenwich has 30 independent pre-schools and nine excellent private and parochial day schools.

• The Greenwich Continuing Education courses serve some 7,000 adults annually. The course catalog lists about 400 offerings. Prices are very reasonable, and the courses cover a very wide spectrum of interests.

Sophisticated Medical Services

Greenwich hospital is truly amazing. The 296-bed Greenwich Hospital is an affiliate of Yale University School of Medicine. It is a state-of-the-art hospital, beautifully decorated to look more like a Hyatt hotel than a typical hospital. As a testament to its excellent health care, patients from all over Fairfield and Westchester seek treatment at Greenwich Hospital. Last year 28% of the admissions were from New York State residents. Greenwich Hospital is carefully gearing up for the 21st Century. The hospital built a state of the art cancer center (Bendheim) and is currently undertaking a $160,000,000 expansion to make it a high-tech diagnostic and healing center without all of the normal delays and “red-tape” often associated with hospitals. For the third consecutive year it has ranked in the top percentile in patient satisfaction, nationwide. The Greenwich environment together with the hospital’s state of the art facilities and reputation for excellence has attracted many of the country’s best doctors.

SHOPPING

Greenwich is a mecca for Shopping. Greenwich Avenue is often called the East Coat “Rodeo Drive”. On any given day you will see a great many NY license plates. Greenwich seems to serve as the mall of choice for Westchester residents. Yes, Greenwich has many of the well know national Stores such as Orvis, Saks Fifth Avenue, Apple, Brooks Brothers, Hermes and Baccarat, but it has a number of smart local stores such as: