The downtown area of Greenwich consists primarily of Greenwich Avenue, a one way street that has many restaurants, boutiques, and antique shops. Chain retailers include Waldenbooks, Sax Fifth Avenue, the Gap, Restoration Hardware, CVS, and Subway. Retail space on Greenwich Avenue is very expensive. Greenwich Avenue is also somewhat unique in that it does not have traffic lights, but instead has individual traffic cops at each intersection directing traffic. Interstate 95 goes right through the town, and there are four exits from 95 in Greenwich. Route 1 also goes through town, as does the Merritt Parkway, although the Merritt Parkway is a considerable distance from the downtown area. Real estate in Greenwich is very expensive when compared to the national average, and is about on par with some nearby communities such as Darien and New Canaan. The high property values, however, cause property taxes to be very low.
The town has a beach on Long Island Sound, called Tod's Point. Originally, this beach area, which is on a peninsula and also includes picnic areas, was open only to town residents and their guests. However, a lawyer from nearby Stamford, Connecticut sued, saying his rights to freedom of assembly were threatened because he was not allowed to go there. The lower courts disagreed, but the Supreme Court of Connecticut agreed, and Greenwich was forced to amend its beach access policy. It now charges rather hefty fees ($10 per person and $20 per car) to go to the beach, and beach passes must be purchased at the town civic center, not at the beach.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 174.2 km² (67.2 mi²). 123.9 km² (47.8 mi²) of it is land and 50.3 km² (19.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 28.88% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 61,101 people, 23,230 households, and 16,237 families residing in the town. The population density is 493.2/km² (1,277.6/mi²). There are 24,511 housing units at an average density of 197.9/km² (512.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 90.02% White, 1.66% African American, 0.09% Native American, 5.18% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.46% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. 6.29% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 23,230 households out of which 33.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% are married couples living together, 8.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% are non-families. 24.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.60 and the average family size is 3.12.
In the town the population is spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $99,086, and the median income for a family is $122,719. Males have a median income of $95,085 versus $47,806 for females. The per capita income for the town is $74,346. 4.0% of the population and 2.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.1% are under the age of 18 and 3.2% are 65 or older.