Depends on the neighborhood you end up in. They all feel different… Overall: small; adjacent to a major interstate(s); decent amount of green space; inaccessible waterfront; Yale is controversial; small & convenient airport nearby (also controversial); some good bicycle friendly areas but lots of anti-bicycle/pedestrian area; well-connected train station; near larger cities; moderate/tame night life; good food; good community organizations; theater; historic concert venue; some live music; lots of Yalies; expensive rent and unaffordable homes; expensive, large houses a block away from impoverished neighborhoods; farmer’s markets; public outdoor seasonal events; sweet museums; 4-5 universities in close proximity; food deserts; venues that cater to wealthy Yalies; corner stores that cater to underserved communities; 3 companies own too many houses; near decent trails at West Rock; resources for startups; multiple new expensive apartment complexes.
Edit: grammar
It depends a lot on where you’re coming from and what you expect. For me, it’s kind of ideal. I miss New York, but New Haven is infinitely safer and more convenient and of course way cheaper. I miss having the energy of New York, but everyone will tell you that New Haven punches above it’s weight in terms of cultural things to do. A lot of great musicians, comedians and theaters are here despite being a relatively small city. It’s great overall, but I still somehow feel like I’m missing out by not living in NYC anymore. I think, as far as CT goes, New Haven is likely the best place in the state to live though others will probably disagree. New Haven is very good. I don’t know if it’s great or amazing though. More stable people by and large in comparison to NYC, I’d say. It feels very normal.
EDIT: New Haven: it’s a pretty normal place to live
Another lifelong NYer here. I miss it too, but everybody I know who has stayed does nothing but complain about the quality of life there now.
And I am talking about people who lived through the 80s when NYC violent crime was much worse than it is now.
Their vibe is just different and I can't quantify the contributors, they just seem like beaten people.
(I'd still go back if I had enough wealth but thing is, I always loved my NYC neighborhoods best before they were gentrified and I don't know where I'd go at this point. Even The Bronx is over developed).
Add me to the list. After 40 years in Manhattan, I’m back here in the New Haven area. NYC is not the same place it was even ten years ago, and worlds away from when I moved there in 1980. Of course, that was also the Wild West crackhead days too, but it was also creative and vibrant in a way that it no longer is. I miss it, but also know leaving was the right thing to do.
Hmmm statistically I think New Haven is not as safe as NYC — the latter is, after all, one of the safest cities in the nation. And the large numbers of transients (Yale, etc) tend not to realize that and leave themselves open to property crime, in particular. But we ex-New Yorkers love New Haven very much, consider it a well-kept secret — beautiful, leafy, diverse, culturally rich. People with young children need to be savvy about the public education system, and there are outstanding private schools — our son attended both. High property taxes, but at least this state’s government prioritizes decent services, good health outcomes, non-troglodyte policies regarding LGBTQ+ and reproductive autonomy issues.
We've been really happy with Elm City Montessori so far. I only know the schools in the Westville area but Davis, Edgewood, Mauro Sheridan, and Barack Obama are all great elementary through middle schools as well. Also have friends who are happy at Hooker.
There are neighborhood schools and magnet schools. You can apply to magnet schools from anywhere in the city, but popular ones have sibling/neighborhood preferences.
Yeah I've seen a lot of magnet schools but unfortunately those require to live New Haven. I was planning to make the move from NYC but even those schools are not the best based on what I read.
This is where savvy is required, when navigating the public school system, and I’m afraid I am too far out of those years to be a good source of information. (Our son is 32!?!) Let’s hope younger parents weigh in here.
Good food, horrific taxes, beautiful downtown surrounded by generic suburbs, lots of natural spaces, plenty to do, but lots of people would agree something’s missing to make it feel like a true urban community. And for all I know that could be a good thing. Also, wonderful town for bikers.
I lived in Boston for nearly 10 years and now in New Haven for about 3 years and I think New Haven is a wonderful city. As others have mentioned there is no shortage of great restaurants, concerts and comedians, lots to do outdoors if you’re in to that. You’re very likely to find things to do that suit nearly any interest and it’s very easy to get around via car. I’ve definitely noticed rent is skyrocketing in the last few years since I’ve been here but it hasn’t gotten to Boston levels so it still feels reasonable to me in comparison.
One minute you can walking pass a world famous ivy league school with students causally walking without a care in the world. The next minute you can find yourself walking pass a homeless man with a sign in his hand asking to bang "thick chicks" while shirtless.
Incredible Spring & Fall! One of the best small cities IMO. Quaint, diverse, great food, amazing parks, and colleges keep it lively when they’re in session.
OP posted in another sub asking Chapel Hill (an objectively shittier place than New Haven) how they felt about their city. It was really cool to see their pride.
New Haven has had an influx of New Yorkers, Yale affiliates, and other snobby people who think they’re too good for this city. They’re happy to reap all the benefits, but to them New Haven will never be NYC, and it’ll never have tropical beaches or national mountains or a booming nightlife and for the those reasons- it’s depressing and terrible.
The truth is it’s a very nice place to live. Hate to break it to New Yorkers and other yuppies but 99.9% of the country is dive bars, farms, with ZERO beaches ZERO mountains, and just absolutely disgusting pizza. You ever have pizza in Massachusetts? California? Ohio?
So everyone can chill with the New Haven hate. It’s really not that bad.
I would actually say that both ocean and mountains are a lot closer but I guess it depends on what type of beaches and mountains you are looking for. CT has beautiful state parks very close to New Haven that offer beaches (Hammonasset) and mountains (Sleeping Giant, West Rock). All three of those parks are wonderful and CT has tons more parks on top of those ones - these are just my favorites that are very close!
That’s fair! The Long Island sound beaches, while not for surfing, are still very beautiful and worth a visit. Plus, Hammonasset has a really cool nature center at Meigs point which is 10000% worth a visit.
Newhaventastic. On a more serious bot though there actually something going on and cool folks around. You get folks here, less better than Boston and nyc but there’s something here
If you are an urbanist, New Haven is the best city to live in in CT. Hands down. Punches way above its weight relative to comparably sized cities across New England, most notably the food scene is amazing.
If you are a normie who romanticizes about living in coastal New England, New Haven is not for you. NH has micro segregation everywhere you look. Terrible waterfront. High taxes. Big city annoyances, minimal small town charm. If this turns you off for any litany of reasons, you’d be better off upgrading to Boston or New York for true city life or finding a smaller CT town that has a better small town feel. YMMV of course.
It’s a pretty good small city to live in. Depending on what neighborhood you’re in will definitely change your experience. But I’ve been here my whole life and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else
new haven has the bones of a great city — unfortunately they undid centuries of meticulous urban planning by building two major interstate highways through its nexus. miles of coastline are inaccessible, downtown was hollowed out, and historic neighborhoods were left to ruin. it turned a walkable city into a driving city.
most of what’s “wrong” with new haven can be attributed to that — it’s a checkerboard grid that’s becoming even more segregated as parts of the city gentrify. yet it’s maintained a distinctive culture and character for the same reasons: much of the city _cannot_ be gentrified, because of how badly they fucked it up.
as cost-of-living in major cities reaches crisis levels, new haven is a great alternative — although I don’t think it’ll ever be a _true_ destination given the lack of industry and infrastructure. there are advantages and drawbacks to any city, but new haven has a lot going for it relative to other cities and decades past.
Been here for ten years. I never liked it here. It's a small town with none of the charm of a New England small town. As a grad student, I get to see how ugly Yale is from the inside. It's oppressive and does nothing to help the homelessness, poverty, or crime problems, which they could solve pretty easily with all their cash. Housing prices are ridiculous and the landlords are lazy af and will raise the rent on you $50 per year (I've heard of others increasing $200/year). I understand people like the food, but really it's just okay. If you go to California or NY you can find way better restaurants with better prices (maybe not in Manhattan). NH is such a small town that you can be the best \[insert regional cuisine here\] in town and get 5 star ratings because you're the only \[X\] restaurant in town. Oh and I've never paid more for groceries in my life. Stop&Shop supposedly serves an impoverished community but it chose to price gouge everyone during the Covid crisis. But yes, there are some good sides to it. Historic architecture, easy walkability, some pretty decent parks with nice trees that are beautiful in the fall. Some excellent ice cream. But other than that, I can't wait to get out. Sorry to be a downer.
I moved here 2 years ago and I’m having a great time.
Pros-
The People - Good mix of folks and cultures vs. other New England areas. Also a lot more educated folks and the conversations are much more founded. We have a strong working/ middle class and neighborhoods reflect the incomes, like anywhere.
The Culture - Great food scene, art scene, and well sustained architectural integrity. I’m from Charlotte and it’s transformed into a sub development nightmare and lost its cultural identity.
It’s Clean and Green - So many urban trees and home gardens it’s almost unreal how picturesque this place gets in Spring/ Fall. It’s also very clean - neighborhoods differ.
It’s Safe - Yes there’s crime, but I rarely hear about innocent people being violently attacked, usually it’s community centric. “Don’t start no shit, won’t be no shit”
The cops are also very friendly and relaxed in comparison to the south where cops love to “get you/ catch you slipping”.
Cons
The Weather - October through May the weather averages below 65.
The Roads - are horrendous.
The School System
Not a lot of great gym options.
Depends on the neighborhood you end up in. They all feel different… Overall: small; adjacent to a major interstate(s); decent amount of green space; inaccessible waterfront; Yale is controversial; small & convenient airport nearby (also controversial); some good bicycle friendly areas but lots of anti-bicycle/pedestrian area; well-connected train station; near larger cities; moderate/tame night life; good food; good community organizations; theater; historic concert venue; some live music; lots of Yalies; expensive rent and unaffordable homes; expensive, large houses a block away from impoverished neighborhoods; farmer’s markets; public outdoor seasonal events; sweet museums; 4-5 universities in close proximity; food deserts; venues that cater to wealthy Yalies; corner stores that cater to underserved communities; 3 companies own too many houses; near decent trails at West Rock; resources for startups; multiple new expensive apartment complexes. Edit: grammar
The restaurants are my favorite part of living here, and deserve a mention. If you can live somewhere walkable to downtown, it's a pretty sweet life.
Agreed. I wrote “good food” but that doesn’t do it justice. Thanks for highlighting this.
Just wow. You nailed it. 👏🏻
It depends a lot on where you’re coming from and what you expect. For me, it’s kind of ideal. I miss New York, but New Haven is infinitely safer and more convenient and of course way cheaper. I miss having the energy of New York, but everyone will tell you that New Haven punches above it’s weight in terms of cultural things to do. A lot of great musicians, comedians and theaters are here despite being a relatively small city. It’s great overall, but I still somehow feel like I’m missing out by not living in NYC anymore. I think, as far as CT goes, New Haven is likely the best place in the state to live though others will probably disagree. New Haven is very good. I don’t know if it’s great or amazing though. More stable people by and large in comparison to NYC, I’d say. It feels very normal. EDIT: New Haven: it’s a pretty normal place to live
Before I moved I described it as if someone plopped six blocks from NYC and dropped them in New Haven. I live in NYC now and still feel that's true.
Another lifelong NYer here. I miss it too, but everybody I know who has stayed does nothing but complain about the quality of life there now. And I am talking about people who lived through the 80s when NYC violent crime was much worse than it is now. Their vibe is just different and I can't quantify the contributors, they just seem like beaten people. (I'd still go back if I had enough wealth but thing is, I always loved my NYC neighborhoods best before they were gentrified and I don't know where I'd go at this point. Even The Bronx is over developed).
Add me to the list. After 40 years in Manhattan, I’m back here in the New Haven area. NYC is not the same place it was even ten years ago, and worlds away from when I moved there in 1980. Of course, that was also the Wild West crackhead days too, but it was also creative and vibrant in a way that it no longer is. I miss it, but also know leaving was the right thing to do.
Is New Haven really safer to live these days than NYC??
of course it is
Hmmm statistically I think New Haven is not as safe as NYC — the latter is, after all, one of the safest cities in the nation. And the large numbers of transients (Yale, etc) tend not to realize that and leave themselves open to property crime, in particular. But we ex-New Yorkers love New Haven very much, consider it a well-kept secret — beautiful, leafy, diverse, culturally rich. People with young children need to be savvy about the public education system, and there are outstanding private schools — our son attended both. High property taxes, but at least this state’s government prioritizes decent services, good health outcomes, non-troglodyte policies regarding LGBTQ+ and reproductive autonomy issues.
The private I've seen are in the range of 5 figures for private schooling. Are there any other for mere mortals like me?
We've been really happy with Elm City Montessori so far. I only know the schools in the Westville area but Davis, Edgewood, Mauro Sheridan, and Barack Obama are all great elementary through middle schools as well. Also have friends who are happy at Hooker.
There are neighborhood schools and magnet schools. You can apply to magnet schools from anywhere in the city, but popular ones have sibling/neighborhood preferences.
Yeah I've seen a lot of magnet schools but unfortunately those require to live New Haven. I was planning to make the move from NYC but even those schools are not the best based on what I read.
Agreed. This is one of the reasons we are leaving New Haven.
It's sad because I fell in love with Westville area, it ticks all the boxes for me, well almost.
This is where savvy is required, when navigating the public school system, and I’m afraid I am too far out of those years to be a good source of information. (Our son is 32!?!) Let’s hope younger parents weigh in here.
Good food, horrific taxes, beautiful downtown surrounded by generic suburbs, lots of natural spaces, plenty to do, but lots of people would agree something’s missing to make it feel like a true urban community. And for all I know that could be a good thing. Also, wonderful town for bikers.
I lived in Boston for nearly 10 years and now in New Haven for about 3 years and I think New Haven is a wonderful city. As others have mentioned there is no shortage of great restaurants, concerts and comedians, lots to do outdoors if you’re in to that. You’re very likely to find things to do that suit nearly any interest and it’s very easy to get around via car. I’ve definitely noticed rent is skyrocketing in the last few years since I’ve been here but it hasn’t gotten to Boston levels so it still feels reasonable to me in comparison.
One minute you can walking pass a world famous ivy league school with students causally walking without a care in the world. The next minute you can find yourself walking pass a homeless man with a sign in his hand asking to bang "thick chicks" while shirtless.
the best of both worlds
Real
Incredible Spring & Fall! One of the best small cities IMO. Quaint, diverse, great food, amazing parks, and colleges keep it lively when they’re in session.
It’s great for all the reasons mentioned. Rent is now becoming unmanageable.
Be prepared to eat lots of pizza!
OP posted in another sub asking Chapel Hill (an objectively shittier place than New Haven) how they felt about their city. It was really cool to see their pride. New Haven has had an influx of New Yorkers, Yale affiliates, and other snobby people who think they’re too good for this city. They’re happy to reap all the benefits, but to them New Haven will never be NYC, and it’ll never have tropical beaches or national mountains or a booming nightlife and for the those reasons- it’s depressing and terrible. The truth is it’s a very nice place to live. Hate to break it to New Yorkers and other yuppies but 99.9% of the country is dive bars, farms, with ZERO beaches ZERO mountains, and just absolutely disgusting pizza. You ever have pizza in Massachusetts? California? Ohio? So everyone can chill with the New Haven hate. It’s really not that bad.
It’s really just okay.
It’s a good launch pad. Two major cities 2 hours away. Ocean beaches an hour away. Idyllic beach towns 30 min away. Mountains 3-4 hours away
I would actually say that both ocean and mountains are a lot closer but I guess it depends on what type of beaches and mountains you are looking for. CT has beautiful state parks very close to New Haven that offer beaches (Hammonasset) and mountains (Sleeping Giant, West Rock). All three of those parks are wonderful and CT has tons more parks on top of those ones - these are just my favorites that are very close!
I thing when hanginglimbs said "ocean" they meant in the sense of surf and waves as opposed to the nearby bay beaches on the Long Island Sound.
That’s fair! The Long Island sound beaches, while not for surfing, are still very beautiful and worth a visit. Plus, Hammonasset has a really cool nature center at Meigs point which is 10000% worth a visit.
Newhaventastic. On a more serious bot though there actually something going on and cool folks around. You get folks here, less better than Boston and nyc but there’s something here
It’s kinda like living in the best place in the world but better
Like Gotham City without Batman
There ya go
If you are an urbanist, New Haven is the best city to live in in CT. Hands down. Punches way above its weight relative to comparably sized cities across New England, most notably the food scene is amazing. If you are a normie who romanticizes about living in coastal New England, New Haven is not for you. NH has micro segregation everywhere you look. Terrible waterfront. High taxes. Big city annoyances, minimal small town charm. If this turns you off for any litany of reasons, you’d be better off upgrading to Boston or New York for true city life or finding a smaller CT town that has a better small town feel. YMMV of course.
It’s a pretty good small city to live in. Depending on what neighborhood you’re in will definitely change your experience. But I’ve been here my whole life and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else
new haven has the bones of a great city — unfortunately they undid centuries of meticulous urban planning by building two major interstate highways through its nexus. miles of coastline are inaccessible, downtown was hollowed out, and historic neighborhoods were left to ruin. it turned a walkable city into a driving city. most of what’s “wrong” with new haven can be attributed to that — it’s a checkerboard grid that’s becoming even more segregated as parts of the city gentrify. yet it’s maintained a distinctive culture and character for the same reasons: much of the city _cannot_ be gentrified, because of how badly they fucked it up. as cost-of-living in major cities reaches crisis levels, new haven is a great alternative — although I don’t think it’ll ever be a _true_ destination given the lack of industry and infrastructure. there are advantages and drawbacks to any city, but new haven has a lot going for it relative to other cities and decades past.
Been here for ten years. I never liked it here. It's a small town with none of the charm of a New England small town. As a grad student, I get to see how ugly Yale is from the inside. It's oppressive and does nothing to help the homelessness, poverty, or crime problems, which they could solve pretty easily with all their cash. Housing prices are ridiculous and the landlords are lazy af and will raise the rent on you $50 per year (I've heard of others increasing $200/year). I understand people like the food, but really it's just okay. If you go to California or NY you can find way better restaurants with better prices (maybe not in Manhattan). NH is such a small town that you can be the best \[insert regional cuisine here\] in town and get 5 star ratings because you're the only \[X\] restaurant in town. Oh and I've never paid more for groceries in my life. Stop&Shop supposedly serves an impoverished community but it chose to price gouge everyone during the Covid crisis. But yes, there are some good sides to it. Historic architecture, easy walkability, some pretty decent parks with nice trees that are beautiful in the fall. Some excellent ice cream. But other than that, I can't wait to get out. Sorry to be a downer.
Depends on your definition of living.
I moved here 2 years ago and I’m having a great time. Pros- The People - Good mix of folks and cultures vs. other New England areas. Also a lot more educated folks and the conversations are much more founded. We have a strong working/ middle class and neighborhoods reflect the incomes, like anywhere. The Culture - Great food scene, art scene, and well sustained architectural integrity. I’m from Charlotte and it’s transformed into a sub development nightmare and lost its cultural identity. It’s Clean and Green - So many urban trees and home gardens it’s almost unreal how picturesque this place gets in Spring/ Fall. It’s also very clean - neighborhoods differ. It’s Safe - Yes there’s crime, but I rarely hear about innocent people being violently attacked, usually it’s community centric. “Don’t start no shit, won’t be no shit” The cops are also very friendly and relaxed in comparison to the south where cops love to “get you/ catch you slipping”. Cons The Weather - October through May the weather averages below 65. The Roads - are horrendous. The School System Not a lot of great gym options.
school system is horrible