When asked the question by my clients, “Is Greenwich safe?”, I always respond that anything can happen anywhere. Even here in Greenwich, CT, of course. That’s just my preferred outlook on things. I assume we’re all going through life as adults taking reasonable precautions; locking the house when leaving, keeping valuables out of site in locked cars, staying in well-lit and high traffic areas when walking alone at night. However, bad news travels fast and faster these days making it seem like trouble is always all around. The truth is, stuff happens.
Everyone has a different level of comfort. I refuse to be a shut-in and live in fear but, then again, I know I’ve had a charmed life living where I do. Besides trying to be aware of my surroundings, I actively focus on the positive. I no longer watch any news programs. Long gone are the days of my youth when Walter Conkrite, that calming grandfatherly figure, would tell you what’s up and you could trust what he said. I think. Now, I am quite cynical due to the media’s mantra of, “If it bleeds, it leads,” and flat out “fake news”.
Did you hear?
So, what makes me think of this topic? Unfortunately, as much as I love our town, our hamlet is not immune to the harsh realities of life. Yesterday, I received an email about two burglaries in the neighborhood. In mere moments, the news had been forwarded several times and CC’d to anyone and everyone in the vicinity. While this sort of thing happens from time to time, the two homes involved surprised me. One is owned by a real estate colleague and the other a home that just sold to new owners this past May. To those owners: “Welcome to the neighborhood!”
Years ago when I was first married, I had been the unfortunate victim of a burglary when I lived upstairs from my parents. My losses were negligible relative to the fact that my mom was home when the crooks broke down the door and ransacked my newlywed apartment. She was in the basement doing laundry and decided to throw in one more load before going upstairs to what she thought was my dad returning from work. I could never feel badly about my stolen possessions because “what if” always came to mind! If I ever had a second thought about what they took, I immediately felt gratitude for my mom’s safety. I was very lucky!
Websites like Neighborhood Scout and City-Data.com will give you some general crime stats, but calling the Greenwich Police Department for their guidance is the first thing I recommend to any client asking about the safety of the area. I’ve also come across a couple of recent articles in Realtor Magazine which I’ve assembled to help with some common sense suggestions for your safety: 10 Anti-Burglary Tips.
UPDATE: Greenwich ranked 36 in the Top 100 Safest cities in the U.S. in NeighborhoodScout’s Safest Cities in America – 2020 report.