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Old 02-07-2012, 05:50 PM
 
28 posts, read 46,648 times
Reputation: 13

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Hello all once again! I will be moving / transferring to CT for a position at the West Haven VA Medical Center. I'm looking for a "good" place to live and area.

A little about me and what I need information on:

Single mother of a four year old
Afr. Amer.
late 20's
I have a vehicle but I will probably do PT if neccesary

Safe neighborhood
rental- apartment, home, townhouse, condo
price range- up 1200
1 or 2 bdr
Safe neighborhood
Great preschools/childcare
Commute that would not be longer than 30 to include dropping my daughter off to school
Churches in the area

I do not know anything about CT and I will be coming to visit so It would be of great help to get a headstart on the best areas to visit. Any suggestions, advice, and best places would be very helpful!!
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Old 02-07-2012, 08:18 PM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,758 posts, read 28,086,032 times
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Definitely Milford, preferably near downtown. Lots of cool old churches in town. Crime is very low.

Although there are a few nice sections of West Haven too. I'm just not a fan of it personally and think Milford is a far better city.

Orange is nice, but not many rentals.

Generally "safe" in New Haven means pretty expensive, but of you can find a place in Westville, East Rock or Wooster Square, they are good family neighborhoods. Would I feel as safe as in Milford walking alone at night? No, but otherwise they are pretty safe areas.
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Old 02-08-2012, 03:33 AM
 
4,738 posts, read 4,434,679 times
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I would second Milford, ct. I live here right now (lexington green) and love it. Easy access to target, sams club, etc. Cute downtown with the BEST BAKERY IN CONNECTICUT (Scratch Baking).

So far - i've found anything with a Haven in it as sketchy, though I love my visits to New Haven for breakfast/lunch/dimsum.
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Old 02-08-2012, 06:58 AM
 
Location: Connecticut
34,936 posts, read 56,945,109 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisFromChicago View Post
So far - i've found anything with a Haven in it as sketchy, though I love my visits to New Haven for breakfast/lunch/dimsum.
Check out North Haven. It is not anything close to being sketchy. Jay
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Old 02-08-2012, 07:00 AM
 
Location: Connecticut
34,936 posts, read 56,945,109 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stylo View Post
Definitely Milford, preferably near downtown. Lots of cool old churches in town. Crime is very low.

Although there are a few nice sections of West Haven too. I'm just not a fan of it personally and think Milford is a far better city.

Orange is nice, but not many rentals.

Generally "safe" in New Haven means pretty expensive, but of you can find a place in Westville, East Rock or Wooster Square, they are good family neighborhoods. Would I feel as safe as in Milford walking alone at night? No, but otherwise they are pretty safe areas.
I agree Milford would be a good place to look. It is convenient to the VA and has good schools and a lot of shopping and entertainment options. I am not sure what you are going to find in your price range there but you should find something decent. Jay
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Old 02-08-2012, 09:10 AM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,758 posts, read 28,086,032 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisFromChicago View Post
the BEST BAKERY IN CONNECTICUT (Scratch Baking).
I'm glad someone else noticed.
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Old 02-08-2012, 09:52 AM
 
21,620 posts, read 31,207,908 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisFromChicago View Post
So far - i've found anything with a Haven in it as sketchy, though I love my visits to New Haven for breakfast/lunch/dimsum.
Not really. Most parts of East Haven and North Haven are very nice. If I were the OP, I'd check out Milford, Stratford and Branford. North Haven and Wallingford are also good too.
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Old 02-09-2012, 10:59 AM
 
184 posts, read 292,362 times
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Good luck with your move!

I would definitely recommend the central Westville area of New Haven (between Fountain, Forest, Yale Ave, and Derby) and "upper" Westville (west of that, along the Woodbridge border). There are some other parts of town near that that are also nice.

Out of the "best" neighborhoods on the list I came up with, http://www.city-data.com/forum/22295790-post11.html it is by far the most convenient neighborhood to the VA and also fits your description.

If you want to keep your commute under 30 minutes including the day care dropoff you probably should cross North Haven, Wallingford, and Branford off the list unless you will be commuting at odd hours. Every minute you save commuting is another you can spend building your family.

Other places you might look at that are fairly close to the VA include Milford, Orange, and the East Rock and East Shore sections of New Haven. Some sections of West Haven and East Haven might fit your bill too but see the post I linked to above and the related thread, for more detail on that (diversity, educated population etc).

I doubt that the person above who thinks that more urban areas are "less safe" understands crime statistics. In fact, with the exception of truly "bad" neighborhoods, the denser inner areas close to the VA are multiple times safer than outer suburbs are, once you consider the enormous risk of traffic crashes per mile driven. Even if you just went by the crime statistics themselves, and ignored the fact that many crimes are not random, Westville, East Haven, and East Shore for example are significantly safer than the statewide CT average and have lower crime rates than some of the other suburban towns around New Haven.
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Old 02-09-2012, 11:37 AM
 
21,620 posts, read 31,207,908 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by anon860 View Post
If you want to keep your commute under 30 minutes including the day care dropoff you probably should cross North Haven, Wallingford, and Branford off the list unless you will be commuting at odd hours. Every minute you save commuting is another you can spend building your family.
Huh? It takes me 15 minutes at the most to get from Pine Orchard in Branford to the VA. Find a preschool on the way in Branford and the dropoff won't be more than 5 minutes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by anon860 View Post
In fact, with the exception of truly "bad" neighborhoods, the denser inner areas close to the VA are multiple times safer than outer suburbs are, once you consider the enormous risk of traffic crashes per mile driven.
This has been discussed and you were proven wrong by another poster. You have no idea what you're talking about.
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Old 02-09-2012, 11:49 AM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,758 posts, read 28,086,032 times
Reputation: 6711
Quote:
Originally Posted by anon860 View Post
I doubt that the person above who thinks that more urban areas are "less safe" understands crime statistics. In fact, with the exception of truly "bad" neighborhoods, the denser inner areas close to the VA are multiple times safer than outer suburbs are, once you consider the enormous risk of traffic crashes per mile driven. Even if you just went by the crime statistics themselves, and ignored the fact that many crimes are not random, Westville, East Haven, and East Shore for example are significantly safer than the statewide CT average and have lower crime rates than some of the other suburban towns around New Haven.
I love New Haven and all, but muggings, theft and other crime happens more often even in the nice neighborhoods than many suburbs. In a few decades of living in CT, no one I know has ever been a victim of any such crimes in the suburbs. A few months ago, my friend parked in downtown New Haven when we were going out on Orange Street and has his window smashed in his brand new truck. The perpetrators left the rock and a 40 in the truck bed and rummaged through his stuff, finding nothing. Downtown is one of those places I would say is a great place to live in New Haven, but spillover crime does happen and more often than in suburban areas with very low crime. Fact.

http://www.newhavencrimelog.org/
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