New Haven Neighborhoods

New Haven has been home to Yale University for nearly three centuries. Founded in 1638, New Haven  is rich in history of innovation and artistry. The Elm City is the first planned city in America built on a grid system and is best explored on foot through a network of pedestrian-friendly streets. As a center for business and a mecca for the arts, New Haven is recognized as a city of innovation, culture and prosperity. Approximately 20 square miles with nearly 130,000 residents and conveniently located between Boston and New York, New Haven is “large enough to be interesting, yet small enough to be friendly.” Follow this link to learn more about the history of New Haven . 

There are several neighborhoods that scholar tend to gravitate toward. 

• Downtown: As its name implies, this neighborhood includes the heart of the city bordering the New Haven Green, where outdoor concerts and other events are held during the summer. Close to bookstores, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and entertainment, this area is popular with students and scholars because of its proximity to both the Medical School and Yale’s main campus. Streets in the downtown area are served by the Yale shuttle and nighttime minibus. Housing in this area is frequently in apartment buildings or above retail establishments, but some older homes have been divided into apartments as well.

• Wooster Square: This neighborhood lies east of Yale and is convenient to main campus. At the center is Wooster Square Park, which glows with cherry blossoms in the spring. Wooster Street is home to New Haven’s “Little Italy,” including two famous pizza restaurants, Sally’s and Pepe’s, among other eateries. Some of the brick townhouses in this neighborhood boast beautiful small gardens for their residents. Wooster Square is served by the nighttime minibus.

• East Rock: This neighborhood is often referred to as “Grad Haven” because of the high percentage of graduate and professional students who live there, but it is also home to many faculty members and local residents. This neighborhood is more residential but has several groceries, bars, restaurants, laundromats, dry cleaners, and coffee shops. It is on the Yale shuttle and nighttime minibus routes. The apartments and houses in East Rock are generally quite nice, and the neighborhood is convenient to central campus and Science Hill. Many rental apartments are in older multi-family homes and townhouses.

Click the map above to view as a Google map. Map tiles by Stamen Design, CC BY 3.0 /static neighborhood labels added to image