Cos Cob

This centuries-old Greenwich neighborhood, once called “Coscobneck”, was home to an Impressionist art colony from the 1890s to the 1920s. With water on two sides (the Cos Cob Harbor to the south and the Mianus River to the east) and hundreds of acres of parkland, the commuter-friendly village still feels worlds away from Manhattan.

Around 7,000 people live in this close-knit community on the banks of the Long Island Sound, and on nice days you’ll see many of them strolling through the streets—likely en route to one of Cos Cob’s many gathering places, like the seven-acre playground or the mom-and-pop cheese shop.

Just north from Cos Cob Harbor lies the relatively new Cos Cob Park (on the site of a former power plant) and the wood-framed train station. Further up, you’ll hit the busy commercial strip of East Putnam Avenue. At the intersection of Strickland Road, known by locals as “the Hub”, lie a variety of local businesses including a trio of specialty food stores. To the east, you’ll find the private Greenwich Water Club hugging the Mianus River.

The post office, restaurants, playgrounds, the library—all are just steps apart in the heart of this four-and-a-half-square-mile town.

The Montgomery Pinetum is a huge draw for horticulturists because it’s home to about 100 different types of evergreens. The 61-acre swath also has miles of winding trails, a massive rock garden, and a picturesque picnic area.

Modest homes are squeezed on tiny lots near the village’s commercial center. Farther north, newer contemporaries and colonials with pools and tennis courts have room to stretch on two-acre parcels. But you’ll find far fewer of the fancy estates and famous residents here than in the neighborhoods east and west.

Cos Cob’s nautical roots date back to the 18th century, when the town was a shipping port for potatoes, onions, and apples. Today, Cos Cob Harbor is dotted with fishing boats and chartered yachts, and barely a day passes where you won’t see rowers drifting across the Mianus River.