New Haven, CT

Founded almost 400 years ago, New Haven is Connecticut's third largest city, with a core population of 124,000 and a metropolitan area population of 600,000 inhabitants. The city is home to the world-renowned Yale University, and much of the city's employment and industry surrounds the college. Although it is most-often associated with its prestigious university, New Haven has long struggled with poverty and crime in many of its neighborhoods. In recent years, the historic downtown has been revitalized architecturally and economically, based on the New Haven Green in the heart of the city.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

• Downtown New Haven: New Haven's original "Nine Square Plan" makes up the downtown area. This includes the business district, which represents much of the city's employment; a large portion of the Yale campus; and the 16-acre New Haven Green. The grid plan was widely imitated and became the norm for city planning in New England towns.
• Dixwell: Though a good portion of Yale's campus is located in the Dixwell neighborhood, the area is one of the poorest in New Haven. Due to the widening problem of crime in New Haven, and with Dixwell contributing to increased crime rates, the Yale Police Department has relocated into this Northwestern district.
• Cedar Hill: Cedar Hill encompasses the areas of East Rock, Quinnipiac Meadows, and Mill River. East Rock is a popular area for Yale students and faculty. Quinnipiac Meadows contains a large wetlands preserve with nature trails. The city dump, nicknamed "Mt. Trashmore," is also located there. Mill River is a small area often affiliated with the connecting "Little Italy" Wooster Square.
• Westville: The predominantly Jewish area is vibrant with restaurants, art galleries, and a center for antique shopping. Every summer, there is a weekly Farmer's Market in Westville's Edgewood Park.
• The Long Wharf: The waterfront neighborhood off the New Haven Harbor is a partially residential, industrial, commercial, and maritime area. It is home to The Long Wharf Theater, Long Wharf Maritime Center, and a lifelike replica of the Amistad slave ship. A number of popular restaurants and bars occupy the harbor.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

• The city's economy is largely based around Yale University and its affiliate, the Yale-New Haven Hospital. Consequently, education and healthcare are the two biggest industries in New Haven.
• There has also been a revitalization of the commercial district, where legal, marketing, engineering, and architectural business has been growing. However, many people who work in the business district live outside the city in the greater New Haven metropolitan area.
• The unemployment rate was at 6.9% in 2007, well above the state's average of 4.3%.
• Like in many other cities, manufacturing was once the leading industry, but it has been since supplanted by service industries such as health care, financial services, and retail.

BEST BETS

• Yale University: This Ivy League school enrolls a highly select student body of 5,300 undergraduate students and 6,000 graduate students. It has produced a number of U.S. presidents, foreign heads of state, famous writers, and other political and intellectual luminaries. The historic grounds were modeled after Cambridge University in England. Many of the campus buildings were constructed by such celebrated architects as James Gamble Rogers, Henry Austin, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Yale receives tremendous funding, boasting the second biggest annual endowment of any university in the world. The school has the second largest university library system with 12 school libraries.
• Knights of Columbus World Headquarters: The headquarters of the world's largest Catholic Fraternal Service Organization.
• Five Mile Point Lighthouse: The over 200-year-old lighthouse sits majestically on the harbor of the Long Island Sound.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

• Yale Center for British Art: The Yale museum houses the largest collection of British Art outside of the U.K.
• Yale University Art Museum: The museum is the oldest college art museum in the country. The collections include American, Ancient, Modern, and Contemporary pieces.
• Toad's Place: This concert venue has welcomed some of music's biggest stars to its stage, as well as indie/punk bands.
• New Haven Symphony Orchestra: The nation's fourth oldest orchestra has played with the likes of James Galway, Benny Goodman, and Yo-Yo Ma.

EVENTS

• International Festival of Art and Ideas: A festival of music, dance, lectures, and discussion, which takes place for fifteen days on the New Haven Green in June.
• New Haven Jazz Festival: The annual music festival that takes place the first week of August.

EDUCATION

In addition to Yale, students may attend other local colleges and universities:

• Albertus Magnus College
• Southern Connecticut State University
• Gateway Community College

LOCAL MEDIA

• New Haven Register
• New Haven Independent
• New Haven Advocate
• Yale Daily News
• Yale Herald