[CTtoVA]

Hey guys, long time New Haven area resident here. I just wanted to know what you all felt the stereotypes/image surrounding each individual New Haven suburb are. I will weigh in, just wanted some input from others first. Thanks in advance!

[Beeker2211]

'Staven - Like Long Island, But on the North North shore
West Haven - Working class with some ritzy areas. UNH.
North Haven - Quiet and a maze of roads
Hamden - Like West Haven with the ritzier areas a bit cuter. QU.
Woodbridge - Like it's name, wooded.
Milford - "Wait, we aren't part of Greater Bridgeport??"
Orange - Cows would feel at home.
Branford - "The Country Home" town for the well to do New Havenites with distinction.

All in good fun, I love that area.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Beeker2211

Milford - "Wait, we aren't part of Greater Bridgeport??"

It is for at least one definition, the Bridgeport-Stamford NECTA.

[kidyankee764]

East Haven - Estelle, Tony, apeetz, cannolis. Working class. Gaudy town center with a marble faced city hall
West Haven - Diverse, higher crime areas mixed with safe middle class neighborhoods, boardwalk, Jimmy’s, chicks.
North Haven - An upscale East Haven.
Guilford (southern) - quaint, colonial, quintessential Connecticut
Guilford (northern) - rural, more conservative, somewhat hillbilly
Madison - beachy, a more exclusive address, Yale doctors/professors
Hamden - QU, suburban, a bit more aesthetically pleasing than towns with similar demographics.
Woodbridge - wealthy, Jewish, well educated, lots of doctors and lawyers.
Milford - average suburb with something for everyone (except people looking for a second beach home in a quiet, laid back small town)
Orange - upper middle class, suburban, the town of oversized well kept ranch homes.
Branford - a mixture of East Haven (short beach) and Madison/Guilford (Stony creek, pine orchard)
Bethany - “where’s that?”
Wallingford - mix of middle class and industrial. Nice town center.
North Branford - Rural, homes on larger lots, safe, affordable.

[nico7]

Here’s a stereotype WPLR keeps bringing back every December:

https://youtu.be/j1xrfgvYrBw

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by nico7

here’s a stereotype wplr keeps bringing back every december:

https://youtu.be/j1xrfgvyrbw

:d 🤣🤣🤣

[CTtoVA]

Thanks so much, guys. These are all really funny and informative. Christmas in East Haven is an instant classic. Here's how my breakdowns would go:

North Haven- Middle to upper middle class, very friendly, large Italian population, tends to be more conservative. Some areas truly rural, while most are more suburban.

Wallingford- Culturally similar to North Haven, although larger and not as wealthy as a whole.

Branford, Guilford, and Madison (shoreline)- The spot for those in the New Haven area who've "made it."

Branford, Guilford, and Madison (non-shoreline)- Pretty similar to Wallingford and North Haven, with Madison having some nicer areas. Lots of people who seem truly "New England" in every way.

North Branford- Like North Haven, but even North Havenier.

East Haven- Certain parts are more working class, while most of it is similar to North Branford.

Cheshire- Wealthier than the towns around it (and ready to make it known), well-educated, lots of medical professionals, arguably the most hated sports teams in the area.

Woodbridge- Solidly upper middle class, very educated, a strong Yale influence, very rural.

Milford- Very diverse, has some great beaches, and unfortunately many stereotype it is being "trashy."

Hamden- Strong Yale influence in the far Eastern and Western portions of the town, while most of it is middle and working class. More diverse than surrounding towns as a whole.

West Haven- Sort of like a coastal Hamden, minus the Yale influence. Very underrated beaches.

Orange- A wealthier Milford and very friendly, but beaches are a little underwhelming.

Bethany- Most consistently rural town in the county, wealthier than most would imagine.

I am not too familiar with the Northern towns in the county, although I have heard the Prospect and Oxford are pretty rural. Overall, a very friendly area and a great place to grow up. Any feedback or areas I missed?

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by CTtoVA

Thanks so much, guys. These are all really funny and informative. Christmas in East Haven is an instant classic. Here's how my breakdowns would go:

North Haven- Middle to upper middle class, very friendly, large Italian population, tends to be more conservative. Some areas truly rural, while most are more suburban.

Wallingford- Culturally similar to North Haven, although larger and not as wealthy as a whole.

Branford, Guilford, and Madison (shoreline)- The spot for those in the New Haven area who've "made it."

Branford, Guilford, and Madison (non-shoreline)- Pretty similar to Wallingford and North Haven, with Madison having some nicer areas. Lots of people who seem truly "New England" in every way.

North Branford- Like North Haven, but even North Havenier.

East Haven- Certain parts are more working class, while most of it is similar to North Branford.

Cheshire- Wealthier than the towns around it (and ready to make it known), well-educated, lots of medical professionals, arguably the most hated sports teams in the area.

Woodbridge- Solidly upper middle class, very educated, a strong Yale influence, very rural.

Milford- Very diverse, has some great beaches, and unfortunately many stereotype it is being "trashy."

Hamden- Strong Yale influence in the far Eastern and Western portions of the town, while most of it is middle and working class. More diverse than surrounding towns as a whole.

West Haven- Sort of like a coastal Hamden, minus the Yale influence. Very underrated beaches.

Orange- A wealthier Milford and very friendly, but beaches are a little underwhelming.

Bethany- Most consistently rural town in the county, wealthier than most would imagine.

I am not too familiar with the Northern towns in the county, although I have heard the Prospect and Oxford are pretty rural. Overall, a very friendly area and a great place to grow up. Any feedback or areas I missed?

For the most part those aren't really stereotypes, they're just your description of the towns. A stereotype would be something like, Woodbridge is snobby, or Madison is WASPy and the "Westport of the eastern shoreline". (I don't agree with either, for the record)

That's the first I've heard anyone refer to Milford as "trashy" FWIW, outside of maybe a few neighborhoods in Devon. Usually that's reserved for towns like Derby or West Haven.

Orange doesn't have beaches.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by CTtoVA

Thanks so much, guys. These are all really funny and informative. Christmas in East Haven is an instant classic. Here's how my breakdowns would go:

North Haven- Middle to upper middle class, very friendly, large Italian population, tends to be more conservative. Some areas truly rural, while most are more suburban.

Wallingford- Culturally similar to North Haven, although larger and not as wealthy as a whole.

Branford, Guilford, and Madison (shoreline)- The spot for those in the New Haven area who've "made it."

Branford, Guilford, and Madison (non-shoreline)- Pretty similar to Wallingford and North Haven, with Madison having some nicer areas. Lots of people who seem truly "New England" in every way.

North Branford- Like North Haven, but even North Havenier.

East Haven- Certain parts are more working class, while most of it is similar to North Branford.

Cheshire- Wealthier than the towns around it (and ready to make it known), well-educated, lots of medical professionals, arguably the most hated sports teams in the area.

Woodbridge- Solidly upper middle class, very educated, a strong Yale influence, very rural.

Milford- Very diverse, has some great beaches, and unfortunately many stereotype it is being "trashy."

Hamden- Strong Yale influence in the far Eastern and Western portions of the town, while most of it is middle and working class. More diverse than surrounding towns as a whole.

West Haven- Sort of like a coastal Hamden, minus the Yale influence. Very underrated beaches.

Orange- A wealthier Milford and very friendly, but beaches are a little underwhelming.

Bethany- Most consistently rural town in the county, wealthier than most would imagine.

I am not too familiar with the Northern towns in the county, although I have heard the Prospect and Oxford are pretty rural. Overall, a very friendly area and a great place to grow up. Any feedback or areas I missed?

A few points-

Woodbridge is more than upper class - it’s the wealthiest town in the metro area. Similar to Ridgefield demographics.

I wouldn’t consider Milford “trashy”, as much as I’d consider many parts working class.

And Orange’s beaches are underwhelming, because they don’t have any.

Oxford is fairly rural and affluent, but I wouldn’t consider it part of greater New Haven. It’s association is more with Bridgeport, Danbury and Waterbury.

Prospect isn’t very rural from what I’ve seen. It’s very working class. It identifies mostly as a Waterbury suburb.

[CTtoVA]

Alright, my bad about the Orange beaches folks, I lumped it in too much with Milford I guess. And the Milford "trashy" thing was mostly what I've heard from friends. Still, most of the Prospect I have seem and driven through was much more spaced out in terms of residential zoning than most of the county.