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. 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, 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 had a vacuum manufacturing facility on Forest Avenue, opposite "ECCman Center" (now Greenwich Civic Center).
Condé Nast 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. ==Demographics==