No surprise, as the increase in home sizes and prices has made obvious

old greenwich, 2013

Old Greenwich's median income changed significantly between 2013 and 2021

The average income in Old Greenwich in 2013, according to the IRS, was $515,838. Eight years later, that rose by 74 percent to $898,202. Compared with other areas of Greenwich, Old Greenwich had the largest income change between those years. 

The next two neighborhoods with the higest median income increase were Riverside with 68 percent and the backcountry with 66 percent. The lowest, in compartison, was the 06830 zip code, comprised of the midcountry, downtown and over into Byram. It saw an increase of only 37 percent. 

With wealth on the rise, the town has changed what it offers, merchants say.

"Ten, 15, 20 years ago, sure, maybe you needed a shoe repair shop or more hair salons or nail salons," said Richard Fulton, owner of Chilly Bear and an Old Greenwich Merchants Association board member.

Nowadays, he said, "less true retail and more services" are popping up around Old Greenwich, partially a result of the internet creating convenient ways for people to shop for clothes and other items. But, he said, it also is due to what residents want from their hometown: "More higher-end dining and yoga studios and exercise and workout."

"The butcher, baker, candlestick makers are going away and it's services that are coming along. So it's interesting, but that's what that affluence wants and that's what they're going to get," he said.

Hooligans & Lawyers chief whip-wielder David Huffinpuffer weighs in:

"Since you're coming out of New York, which is frequently where many of our buyers are coming from, they're looking for some sort of proximity to something, whether it's school or walkability to a coffee shop or whatever it might be, which is typically one of the many reasons why people might land in Old Greenwich as the first landing spot when they get here," he said. The "method by which buyers come to Greenwich or Old Greenwich has remained the same despite the ebb and flow of wealth generation."

However, the average price of a home definitely changed from 2013 to 2021. 

Haffenreffer said the average price of an Old Greenwich home as of Dec. 31, 2013, was $1,753,566. In 2021, it was $2,624,038. 

I’ve lived in a couple of small, dying towns over the years, and given the choice between vibrant growth and slow deterioration, growth is better; even if I don’t personally welcome it (or any change at all, damn it, harumph harumph).