I’m interviewing for a job in New Haven. I really want the job, but I don’t know anything about the city. I have lived in Boston and the New York metro area before, so not much about the Northeast in general will be a surprise. I am looking for information specific to New Haven and Connecticut.
In particular, I would love input about good neighborhoods, as I will be buying a house.
Thanks in advance!
For years new Haven had the reputation of having lots and lots of violent crime. Dangerous in the “Bed-Stuy back in the day” way, not the “Oooh, my Connecticut psyche cannot bear the presence of a brown person” way.
According to this, the violent crime rate is significantly down from rather spectacular early 90s highs, but about triple the rate of violent crime in New York City.
New Haven also contains Yale University. Maybe you’ve heard of it.
Okay, I lied. I know some basic facts about New Haven–that Yale is there and about the reputation for crime.
Really I’m looking for details about neighborhoods.
Not as much “blood in the streets” then?
What does Mr. Moto know of Mr. Mojo? 
I lived in New Haven itself as a very small child but my parents moved to a nearby suburb when I was three or four years old and they still live in that suburb while my brother lives in another suburb. As with most places, there are some areas of New Haven that are quite nice and others that are not so nice. The New York Times regularly runs a real estate column called “Living In” [town/neighborhood name]. Here is a six-year-old article about downtown New Haven. Another article, although it’s eleven years old.
If you do decide to move to New Haven, we can talk about the food, particularly the pizza.
By the way, are you moving as a single person, couple or family?
Single, mid-thirties. I’m looking for a small, affordable house, preferably in a neighborhood relatively close in to the city (the job would be downtown), in a safe neighborhood. It doesn’t have to be upscale; I live in a working class/student neighborhood now.
Thank you for the articles!
I think you could be very happy in New Haven.
My mother remembers when we first moved there in the 1960s that the downtown area had many stores and they were busy all the time. And then, like many other cities, there was a decline as people moved to the suburbs and started to shop in malls. For decades, the downtown was basically dead. But recently, it’s started to come back. They’re building a downtown campus for Gateway Community College and Long Wharf Theater is also moving downtown. And people are starting to return to homes, condos and apartments in the city.
PM me if you have any questions, and let us know if you do move. There are some good places to eat (notably Pepe’s, Sally’s or Modern for pizza), good clubs (notably Toad’s Place), theater and musical performances.
Some fellow New Haven Dopers? I had no idea they existed.
Like any city, there are good parts and bad parts, and they might only be separtated by a block, but I’ve had no trouble since moving back to the city 10 or so years ago. You can even live in one of the suburbs and not be more then 15 minutes from the downtown, but living in town is much more fun.
I have to run for now, this just caught my eye, but I’ll try to get back on here tonight, or you can PM me with any details. Perhaps a New Haven Dopefest could be in the works?
My husband grew up there before his family moved to the 'burbs. His grandparents had a lovely home in a neighborhood called (I think) Westville. Mostly single family homes and a solid middle-class vibe.
The adjacent suburbs (Orange, Hamden, West and East Haven to name a few) are so close and accessible that I wouldn’t rule them out unless you don’t have a car. When he lived in Orange, it was literally 5 minutes to the Yale Bowl and 15 to downtown New Haven.
Do not miss Pepe’s. Or the Beinecke. Or the Peabody.
Your husband’s family lived in Orange? That’s where my parents are. If he’s five minutes from Yale Bowl I think I have an idea where he lived. Was he relatively close to Amity Junior High School?
And yes, the suburbs are very close to New Haven. But given that Q.N. Jones said that he’s single, I think he’d be happier in the city itself.
She. 
I definitely have questions about Westville, Amity, and East Rock. Westville and East Rock have been mentioned to me as possibilities. I really don’t want to spend more than about $170K for a home. I just don’t put a premium on big, showy, or good schools. I care about safe, relatively quiet, relatively pleasant, and close to the city. My current neighborhood is populated by residents that most would call “trashy,” but I like it because everyone’s pretty much a good neighbor, in our little cracker box houses.
There are some houses listed in Amity that look interesting to me, but I know nothing about the neighborhood except that it seems very affordable.
I would like a home with at least some private outdoor green space (but it doesn’t have to be a lot).
It’s not a sure thing at all, but I would like to arm myself with information, in case.
Thanks!
I don’t know about Amity Junior High, but my husband went to (graduated from) Amity High School. His mom taught there for a year or two. They lived on Saddle Ridge Road in Orange. Just a few turns from rt. 34 (?) into New Haven. His HS job was at the Woodbridge Country Club.
Amity Junior High School was where we went from grades seven through nine. (Now it’s called a middle school and is just for grades seven and eight; the ninth-graders go to the high school.) Saddle Ridge Road is fairly close to the school, and is about five miles from my parents’ house.
I live in Westville, it’s a nice mixture of one family and multifamily houses with a few nice apartment buildings thrown in. I love it, it’s quiet, walkable and has it’s own little downtown section, and you’re only 10 minutes from downtown on a few different bus routes. There really isn’t a bad area in Westville.
East Rock is another nice area, again with a nice mixture of homes. A few more students in the neighborhood, so it’s a bit more transient, but it’s not a college ghetto either, they’re usually there for 3-4 years while going to grad school. It’s where I was looking before I settled on where I am. Again, lots of buses go through there.
Both Westville and East Rock have their own stores, restaurants, cafes and bars. Westville has it’s own little downtown area, East Rock is closer to the city downtown.
I can’t really comment on particular neighborhoods, other than note that it can change quickly block to block. Which is the classic situation for high auto thefts – a big problem in the 90s, and in my experience a bigger concern than actual violence. I think it’s gotten a bit better since then.
And just for the big picture decision, I’ll remind you that Manhattan is only an hour commuter train ride away. Too far to just pop down for dinner, but close enough that a night out in the big city is doable. If you’re a sports fan, another advantage of New Haven is that you can cheer for either New York or Boston teams and still find some allies in the community.
Finally, New Haven (except for the Rocks) is flat, traffic is pretty mild, and there are so many students that drivers have to be aware of cyclists, so it’s a pretty good place to bike. You might keep that in mind as you consider a particular commute.
East Rock would be a good spot if you are thinking of buying a house and then renting out rooms; it’s popular with grad students and some professors, relatively safe, and close to downtown.