[impresso]

Hi,
I'm a single woman living in Norwalk. I'm planning to buy a nice looking 2 bedroom condo in New Haven. I'm planning to go back to college as well. Is New Haven a safe place to live? I heard the crime rate is quite high. Which are the safe areas of New Haven?

[mels]

I lived in NH as a single woman and had no problems at all, obviously I used common sense street smarts and all of that. I lived in Westville, the majority of which is safe. The area around Valley St is dicey, other than that I can't think of any bad parts. I am not sure where different condo complexes are located, I rented one of the typical New Haven apartments (house with 3 apartments).

Other nice areas include East Rock, downtown, and Annex over by East Haven across the river, though Annex feels more like East Haven than New Haven. Stay far away from Newhallville (lower Dixwell), Fair Haven, and parts of the Hill section. I would not feel comfortable as a single woman living in those areas.

[nhctguy]

New Haven can be a very safe city depending on where you live and travel. I would suggest a condo in the East rock neighborhood (Whitney Ave area) as this neighborhood is extremely safe (except for bad drivers) with many people walking dogs, jogging, etc throughout the day and into the night. East rock is also close to downtown New Haven (walking distance) and there are no seedy neighborhoods between downtown and east rock.

[Malle18]

I have to agree with Westville. It's close to all areas but safe enough to live. I have lived in many parts of New Haven but find Westville to have great apartments.

[CT by choice]

Westville is nice but very separate from downtown and all the great attractions, night life, shops, and cultural offerings that make it such a great place to spend time. East Rock is a great neighborhood and is within easy walking distance to downtown too. Like any place, all areas of New Haven are not the same. Most of New Haven is very safe, but of course any city has areas where crime rates are higher.

[new_haven_fan]

As others have said, Westville and East Rock are both very safe and both good bets, but there are also a lot of really nice options in downtown New Haven these days. Ninth square has exploded with very upscale units right in the heart of it all. Most of New Haven is extremely safe and the areas you have to be careful in are not areas you would ever accidentally buy a condo in. Having said that, I suppose there are areas that while they are on the rise and are probably a good investment might be risky for a single woman. Fair Haven might fit in this category - It's had a bad reputation for the past few years but is seeing a real rebirth along the shores of the Quinnipiac where bargains are becoming more and more scarce as gentrification sets in.

Good Luck.