[Synthmax]

Hi All, I am going to go ahead and ask an extremely dumb question, but it's been bugging me. We recently moved to Cos Cob, and as we have been exploring the neighborhood we noticed that Cos Cob feels like two different neighborhoods. Crossing into the 2 acre zone the look and feel changes entirely in a matter of a 100 meters. Rather than in-town, it suddenly looks and feels quaint/country/woody/naturalist/etc. Being in the northern portion of Cos Cob, we seem to have a slight identity issue. Whenever we say we live in Cos Cob, folks assume we live in town. It seems like this northern portion is neither Greenwich Greenwich nor Cos Cob Cos Cob. So what is it?

Also, what are the boundaries of the North Mianus neighborhood? Can't seem to find this anywhere.

Thanks!

[AntonioR]

Usually in certain gas stations and in some pharmacies they sell municipal maps, many of which show the names and boundaries of the different neighborhoods. I suggest you buy one and keep it handy. That should make some interesting conversations, especially with anyone that wants to debate with you about whether you live in Cos Cob or not. lol

Cos Cob is one of those places with a very strong local identity. Its very similar to Rowayton in Norwalk or Southport in Fairfield, to the extent that many residents don't like it when they are associated with the towns their neighborhood is actually in. I have had many situations in which a Cos Cob or Rowayton or Southport resident would quickly interrupt me and 'clarify' that they live in Cos Cob or Rowayton or Southport when all I said was that they live in Greenwich, Norwalk or Fairfield. To say that one lives in Rowayton doesn't negates the fact that its still Norwalk. Many people seem to be resentful of the fact.

For some reason, people in Stamford don't really have an issue with being associated with the city their neighborhood is in, not even residents of neighborhoods with a strong identity such as Shippan Point, Springdale, or Glenbrook. You tell them they live in Stamford and they generally recognize that, if anything will tell you that they live in the Shippan area of Stamford. There's no sort of shame of living within the city of Stamford. The residents of Rowayton or Southport often give an impression that they are offended if someone dares to say they live in Norwalk or Fairfield, respectively.

In the case of the OP, it could very well be that the popular belief of where Cos Cob ends may not coincide with reality.

I wonder if residents in the lower parts of Cos Cob pretend that the northern part of Cos Cob isn't Cos Cob too.

[Synthmax]

Thank you for your thoughtful response. It alludes exactly to the questions I am having. We are very new to the area and really did not think about this. We just picked the nicest property that we could afford in our budget, and that happened to be in Cos Cob. It's not until we started living here and started identifying our new locale in conversations that we started to pick up on these subtleties. Alas, being surrounded by a lot more trees than houses, we aren't making too much progress in figuring this out yet.

[allanny13]

You generally hear Greenwich people talk about Cos Cob in a negative context, as opposed to Rowayton or Southport which would be considered the "nicer" parts of their respective towns. Cos Cob used to be where your teacher, tailor, or mechanic would live, more blue collar than Old Greenwich, Riverside, or backcountry, but on par with Byram (which also gets trashed in conversation by some Greenwich people). Maybe that subtle insult is what you're picking up on. However, lately it has become known as a little foodie town. And you can always point to the Mad Men character that lived there as a defense as well, lol. I'm not really familiar with the boundaries of Mianus however, I would say it's more undefined but includes the areas of Cos Cob north of the Post Rd.

[7express]

Next time someone tells you they live in Rowayton or Southport or Cos Cob, ask them where the Cos Cob (Rowayton/Southport) town hall office is that they send their taxes too. Crickets on the other end.

[allanny13]

Originally Posted by 7express

Next time someone tells you they live in Rowayton or Southport or Cos Cob, ask them where the Cos Cob (Rowayton/Southport) town hall office is that they send their taxes too. Crickets on the other end.

Lol, I think if you have your own Metro North stop you get a special exception to say you live in that associated "town." Also, isn't Rowayton its own taxing district?

[133]

Welcome!

im also live in cos cob (in-town) and would guess anything north/west of mianus river - mianus park would be considered Mianus; again guessing. I would just say Northern Cos Cob or maybe ask your realtor.

Every neighbor/resident i've met LOVES Cos Cob and has lived there forever which is probably where the sense of pride comes from. And i think that's probably why the area is now just changing, no one wants to leave! I'm sure a townie would know, i have only been there for a handful of months.

Ask Chrisfountain.com

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by 133

Welcome!

im also live in cos cob (in-town) and would guess anything north/west of mianus river - mianus park would be considered Mianus; again guessing. I would just say Northern Cos Cob or maybe ask your realtor.

Every neighbor/resident i've met LOVES Cos Cob and has lived there forever which is probably where the sense of pride comes from. And i think that's probably why the area is now just changing, no one wants to leave! I'm sure a townie would know, i have only been there for a handful of months.

Ask Chrisfountain.com

I would not ask a real estate agent. They will say anything to increase the price of a property. In Fairfield some agents call a neighborhood my family has lived in for more than 100 years Fairfield University so they can inflate the home prices and get more interest. The neighborhood is more than a mile away from the university. I even emailed an agent the first time I saw that and they never replied. I bet if I was interested in buying they would have responded quickly. Now I just laugh when I see that but still it is annoying.

You might ask your neighbors about it instead, particularly those who have been in town for years. Another option is to contact the town. They may have a neighborhood map identifying different sections of town. I am not seeing one online though. Jay

[jax12479]

Cos Cob has three distinct sections: the part along the river, zoned for Norh Mianus school; the part immediately surrounding Cos Cob School (i.e. Cos Cob Ave, Orchard, etc), and the part by Cos Cob train station/Loughlan Park. The part by Cos Cob school has traditionally been more blue collar, generations of families living near each other, many of them Italian. The part by the train/park is a mix - some old families, but many NYC newcomers attracted to the artisanal shops, walkability etc. The North Mianus part is more residential/school focused as people move there for North Mianus/Eastern and more privacy/land.

[133]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I would not ask a real estate agent. They will say anything to increase the price of a property. In Fairfield some agents call a neighborhood my family has lived in for more than 100 years Fairfield University so they can inflate the home prices and get more interest. The neighborhood is more than a mile away from the university. I even emailed an agent the first time I saw that and they never replied. I bet if I was interested in buying they would have responded quickly. Now I just laugh when I see that but still it is annoying.

You might ask your neighbors about it instead, particularly those who have been in town for years. Another option is to contact the town. They may have a neighborhood map identifying different sections of town. I am not seeing one online though. Jay

I hear ya but you're basically generalizing the entire realtor population. I have used and met some great agents over the years which have been extremely helpful.