[willow wind]

When you do visit a neighborhood in New Haven with the thought of living there, always be sure to make one of your visits at 11 PM on a Saturday night. The drug dealers are all asleep at 11 AM on Wednesday morning, etc. It can all look peaceful then.

It's those evening visits that will really tell you who your neighbors are, what kind of foot and car traffic there is in an area.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by willow wind

When you do visit a neighborhood in New Haven with the thought of living there, always be sure to make one of your visits at 11 PM on a Saturday night. The drug dealers are all asleep at 11 AM on Wednesday morning, etc. It can all look peaceful then.

It's those evening visits that will really tell you who your neighbors are, what kind of foot and car traffic there is in an area.

Agreed for the most part, although I don't recommend anyone drive into Fair Haven at 11 PM on a Saturday night.

[wma152]

Fair Haven = Ghetto
It's not as bad as Hartford Ghetto.

[AnonChick]

I think Fair Haven has gotten a bum rap for a long time, because of specific neighborhoods and sections of Grand Ave. The Front St. area around the yacht club is very "humble" but also very neighborhoodish. The people who live there mostly know each other, or recognize each other, and though not everyone's the best of friends they tend to keep an eye out for each other.

There's also several streets off Ferry, between State and Grand, that are "neighborhoodish."

I'd avoid James and -that- area, and I'd avoid the neighborhoods within a block of Grand Ave all the way down past the old brewery and tracks to the south. From there to the fire station and the Chapel St. area, the one side leads to section 8 housing projects and the other leads to Wooster Square.

Then there's the Fair Haven on the -other- side of the Grand Ave Bridge, where it abutts the Foxon section of New Haven. Up the hill has some amazing old architecture - grand colonials and victorian homes, many of them multi-family, and again, more "neighborhoodish" areas. The closer you get to the Annex from this side of the Ferry Street Bridge, the less desireable the area. Then once you get *through* the Annex toward Lighthouse, things brighten up and become much more desireable.

The problem with the Lighthouse side of the Annex, is there's only one way in and out. So rush hour leaving in the morning, and returning in the afternoon, and ALL hours on weekends in the summer, is mostly - a nightmare.

Really though, the thing with Fair Haven is, there are pockets of good and bad scattered throughout, and stretches of desolate nothingness that is neutral territory, mostly because neither side has any interest in going there. So if you can find a "good" pocket, that has a stretch of neutral on one side, you'll do fine living in the pocket.

[motocicleta]

Hi all, so we went and checked out the apartment and we pleasantly surprised. The apartment is in the section of Fair Haven that is super close to the river and the neighborhood is all old houses in various states of remodeling. I cornered a nice looking woman walking her dog who told me that she's lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and that "the neighborhood gets better every year!" and that she always feels safe out walking her dog. We took the apartment and feel pretty secure in our decision. Hopefully everything will work out fine and we'll make sure we watch out carefully where we go at night. Thanks everybody and anonchick for making feel like we made a good decision!

[kidyankee764]

Lock your doors.

[AnonChick]

Originally Posted by motocicleta

Hi all, so we went and checked out the apartment and we pleasantly surprised. The apartment is in the section of Fair Haven that is super close to the river and the neighborhood is all old houses in various states of remodeling. I cornered a nice looking woman walking her dog who told me that she's lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and that "the neighborhood gets better every year!" and that she always feels safe out walking her dog. We took the apartment and feel pretty secure in our decision. Hopefully everything will work out fine and we'll make sure we watch out carefully where we go at night. Thanks everybody and anonchick for making feel like we made a good decision!

The Q River district is definitely very lovely, and built up. But it's one of those "pocket" areas that abutt a darker side, and the area has a darker history. On the Front Street side of the river, it used to be section 8 housing projects, not even a decade ago. Very derelict, lots of crack-houses, and generally a nasty nasty place to be stuck in. It was all torn down and rebuilt. I'm pretty sure it's still section 8 (welfare housing, if you're not familiar with the term) but the people living there are making an effort to take better care of their homes now.

The Q River district has undergone, and still undergoes, a renaissance of sorts, a mini-gentrification.

Not even two blocks away, there are still crack houses. But they're fewer and further between than they have been for over 20 years, slowly but steadily being dissolved by people who want to "take back" the neighborhood and turn it into liveable space.

You still have to be cautious, and still wouldn't want to wander out there in the middle of the night alone. But it should be fine during the day and into the evening.

One thing you might need to watch out for, is mice and other small vermin, that live among the rushes at the riverbank. They tend to be timid, preferring not to deal with humans, but they'll get defensive if you get too close to their nests.

[smarcus]

Fair Haven has beautiful areas, and I'm glad you took that apartment by the river.
You'll enjoy the area, and let us know how it goes.

[jxzz]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Agreed for the most part, although I don't recommend anyone drive into Fair Haven at 11 PM on a Saturday night.

I used to drive past fair haven in the day time. But I would never consider driving there at night. Fair Haven is well known trouble place in Great New Haven area.

[anon860]

The section along the Q river (e.g. Front and Downing) is fine, as are most areas on the other side of the Q river, which is technically called Fair Haven Heights. You'll find beautiful, spacious Victorian (or older) houses and mansions on both sides.

The suburbanites who make up the vast majority of posters here tend to think cities are dangerous and should be avoided, but the fact is that most areas of them are actually safer than most of the suburbs due to the dramatically decreased risk of car crashes (and the fact that crime is hyper concentrated in certain pockets and among certain demographics). I have posted about this elsewhere and see no need to argue with the same people about it. Even if you simply look at the per capita personal crime rates without factoring in what the crimes really are, places like Fair Haven Heights are as safe as many suburbs.

If you are looking at the entire New Haven region, it is true that Madison, East Rock, Westville, Spring Glen, etc., are nicer in many regards overall particularly if you are looking at things like educational achievement. But they also tend to be more expensive. See http://www.city-data.com/forum/22295790-post11.html and http://www.city-data.com/forum/22298226-post17.html.