[acs12798]

Hi everyone,

I am starting my first job out of college soon and will be working in Shelton. In order to try and keep my rent down I was thinking about living in the New Haven area. Google maps pins most of these commute at around 25-30 minutes each way with about half of it on 95. I was curious how bad the traffic is on 95 during rush hour that far out east. Is it really bad or does the bad traffic not occur until closer to the city? I assume traffic wouldn't be too bad once I turn north since at that point I would be going away from the city?

Also, I don't know if this should be posted in another thread, but if anyone has a recommendation for me on what is a good area to live in New Haven I would appreciate it. Like I said, I am a recent college grad so I am not worried about schools. I mostly want a safe, decent area to live in. Ideally, I am trying to keep rent under 900 dollars + Utilities(which is why I was looking outside of Fairfield County to begin with).

Thanks for your help everyone.

[JayCT]

Traffic on I-95 southbound from New Haven to Milford can brutal in the morning. To get to Shelton though you can take Route 34 which has traffic but not real bad.

That said I think you can find more affordable rents in the lower Naugatuck Valley towns like Derby and Ansonia. you might even check Shelton, Stratford and Milford. You may be able to find a modest apartment there for your rent. Jay

[kidyankee764]

There are some very nice areas in New Haven - downtown and near Yale, Westville and East Rock are decent places. There are also more than a few dicey neighborhoods in the southern end of New Haven and around Rt 34 so do your homework. Keep in mind, if it's "cheap", it's cheap for a reason. You might be better off checking out Milford. It's a nice suburban town not far from Shelton that is on the water and with plenty of restaurants, shopping and nightlife (around the Milford Harbor has a great nightlife). It is also along Metro North so you can hop on the train into NYC for the day if you want.

Traffic on 95, especially in New Haven, is a nightmare. The interchange with I-91 was recently ranked one of the worst intersections in the country for traffic. If you lived in Milford you would be able to take Rt 110 through Stratford to get to Shelton (depending on where you'll work - Bridgeport Ave?) to Warner Hill Rd near Sikorsky. You can also take the Milford Connector to the Merritt Parkway South but you might hit traffic. Your best bet is to do a few test runs during rush hour to see how bad it is.