[NekitaJ]

Hi, My husband and I are moving to New Haven, CT in March of next year. He's navy and will be stationed out of Groton. I on the other hand, have a bachelors degree and non profit background. I'm really just trying to gain some forehand knowledge on the area, housing (renting) costs, nightlife, recreation, and non profit field in the new haven area. Any advice helps!!! Oh and we're 24yrs old. If that means anything Thanks

[mels]

Budget, as always, will be the main consideration. Name your monthly budget and we can direct you to what will fit the bill. Are you looking for a more urban area or a more residential feel (you can find both in New Haven). Also, are you thinking of only New Haven proper or its suburbs as well? Lastly, "nonprofit" is awfully broad. What field are you in (health care, environmental, workforce development, etc.)?

[belleislerunner]

New Haven to Groton is 50 miles each way. Are you sure you want to endure that commute every day? Seems like an awful distance to live from work. What about living in the Mystic, Groton, Waterford, Ninantic area...

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by NekitaJ

Hi, My husband and I are moving to New Haven, CT in March of next year. He's navy and will be stationed out of Groton. I on the other hand, have a bachelors degree and non profit background. I'm really just trying to gain some forehand knowledge on the area, housing (renting) costs, nightlife, recreation, and non profit field in the new haven area. Any advice helps!!! Oh and we're 24yrs old. If that means anything Thanks

So what's his travel schedule to Groton like? I'm assuming it's not a 5 day a week 9-5 commute? That would be rough. Otherwise you should be fine.

The thing about New Haven is you have some nice neighborhoods and you have some really nasty ones. There's a fairly big divide. The nice neighborhoods are the areas in/around Yale campus in downtown, East Rock (one of my favorites), Wooster Square and Westville. You really don't even want to consider other areas. It would be downright dangerous for you to live in Newhalville/Dixwell, The Hill, Fair Haven, etc.

Expect to pay around $1100-1500 for a nice 1BR in a good area.

Good age to be in New Haven. I'm in my late 20's and enjoy going out there. You have 7 colleges in/around New Haven, which really helps with the younger vibe.

Nightlife is fantastic. Lots of cool bars, music venues and restaurants that can go head to head with those in NYC. Recreation, you've got Yale museums, theaters, and nice parks within a short driving distance.

There are a decent number of non-profits. I'm not an expert on this, but am definitely aware that many do exist in the city.

You could also consider Branford, which is a nice suburb of New Haven.

[smarcus]

Don't be so quick to put Fair Haven into the nasty neighborhood category.
Fair Haven and Fair Haven Heights have very nice areas. Remember cities are urban. Hello! I agree, I'd look downtown, East Rock/Orange St or East Rock/State St, Westville Center area, all before Fair Haven, but others might like the Fair Haven feel.

There are other good New Haven neighborhoods, but there just less for 20 somethings.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by smarcus

Don't be so quick to put Fair Haven into the nasty neighborhood category.
Fair Haven and Fair Haven Heights have very nice areas. Remember cities are urban. Hello! I agree, I'd look downtown, East Rock/Orange St or East Rock/State St, Westville Center area, all before Fair Haven, but others might like the Fair Haven feel.

There are other good New Haven neighborhoods, but there just less for 20 somethings.

Yes, not all parts of Fair Haven are bad. Totally true. All of Newhalville is bad in comparison.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by belleislerunner

New Haven to Groton is 50 miles each way. Are you sure you want to endure that commute every day? Seems like an awful distance to live from work. What about living in the Mystic, Groton, Waterford, Ninantic area...

I was going to ask the same question. It is a long commute from New Haven to Groton. I would not want to do it on a daily basis. Are you sure you want to live in New Haven or are you thinking New London? Jay

[anon860]

New Haven has more nonprofits than any other city in CT, by a wide margin, so it's a good place to look.

[wxjay]

Originally Posted by anon860

New Haven has more nonprofits than any other city in CT, by a wide margin, so it's a good place to look.

I still wouldn't live in New Haven if my spouse was working in Groton.

Personally, I don't like New Haven. I had a friend who lived there while in grad school at Yale. I found the city to just be boring, dull, and kind of dirty. They were always complaining about bad areas through which you had to walk (and I saw them), the lack of even some basic amenities (like a reasonable grocery store nearby), etc. Granted, I didn't live there and so my sampling was in small doses only, but it just never stuck me as a great place.

Personally, given the commute, I would look further east for a place to rent that might be equidistant between Groton and New Haven. I understand that you are looking for work, but that makes you a tad more flexible. Don't do a 100 mile round trip commute. New Haven is not worth it for that,

[anon860]

wxjay, I understand not every place is for everyone, but Downtown New Haven has a large Stop & Shop, and another large supermarket (run by someone who has started 10 different Whole Foods chains) is opening a block from the New Haven Green in a few weeks. There are also now numerous gourmet food markets that carry increasing amounts of basic groceries. The city has changed in recent years and large sections of it are now extremely desirable. Wish we could say the same for Hartford, New London, Middletown, Bridgeport, etc., but those urban areas are still very far behind.