Greenwich

Coordinates: 51°29′N 0°00′E / 51.48°N 0.00°E / 51.48; 0.00

Greenwich (ⁱ/ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ/, /ˈɡrɪnɪdʒ/, /ˈɡrɪnɪtʃ/ or /ˈɡrɛnɪdʒ/) is an early-established district of today's London, England, centred 5.5 miles (8.9 km) east south-east of Charing Cross. The town lends its name to the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Greenwich is generally described as being part of South-east London and sometimes as being part of East London. It is also one of the five boroughs of the London Docklands, connected to areas with docks of London historically by river and today to Canary Wharf and other buildings by the East London Line.

Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time. The town became the site of a royal palace, the Palace of Placentia from the 15th century, and was the birthplace of many Tudors, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War and was rebuilt as the Royal Naval Hospital for Sailors by Sir Christopher Wren and his assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor. These buildings became the Royal Naval College in 1873, and they remained an establishment for military education until 1998 when they passed into the hands of the Greenwich Foundation. The historic rooms within these buildings remain open to the public; other buildings are used by University of Greenwich and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Greenwich (Metro-North station)

The Greenwich Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of Greenwich, Connecticut via the New Haven Line and is the first station on that line in the state of Connecticut. Usually served by Stamford-based local trains, the station also is the first/last stop for many Connecticut Department of Transportation-funded expresses originating at New Haven, Bridgeport, or South Norwalk.

Greenwich is 28.1 miles from Grand Central Terminal and the average travel time from Grand Central is 57 minutes (though expresses run as fast as 38 minutes).

As of August 2006, weekday commuter ridership was 2,804, and there are 1,274 parking spots (none owned by the state, unlike most other railroad stations in Connecticut).

History

The Penn Central Transportation Company opened the current station building on March 5, 1970, replacing an older structure which was demolished. As built the new building was a two-story structure with 8,550-square-foot (794 m²) of space. The station was the centerpiece of Greenwich Plaza, a new mixed-use retail development.

Greenwich, Connecticut

Greenwich /ˈɡrɛnᵻtʃ/ is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. In 2006 Greenwich ranked #1 in the "Biggest Earner" category. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. As of a census done by the Census Bureau on July 1, 2012, the town had a population of 62,256. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and New England. It is 38+ minutes by train (express) from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Greenwich first on its list of the "100 Best Places to Live in the United States" in 2005. The town is named after Greenwich, a borough of London in the United Kingdom.

History

The town of Greenwich was settled in 1640. One of the founders was Elizabeth Fones Winthrop, daughter-in-law of John Winthrop, founder and Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. What is now called Greenwich Point was known for much of the area's early history as "Elizabeth's Neck" in recognition of Elizabeth Fones and their 1640 purchase of the Point and much of the area now known as Old Greenwich. Greenwich was declared a township by the General Assembly in Hartford on May 11, 1665.