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No, i'd have to disagree. It's a little more violent than Providence but it has nearly identical socioeconomic demographics it's not the New Haven of old.
It had 12 homicides in 2019 9 in 2018 and 7 in 2017.
So you're looking at a city of 130k averaging 9-10 homicides a year with a 3.5% unemployment rate and 64% labor force participation and 35% College Graduates (more than Worcester and Providence) as a 'ghetto'. It also objectively more visually appealing than Worcester.
But yes poverty is high at 26% and median HHI is low at 41k (in 2016). I wouldn't call New Haven a ghetto anymore than I would Providence. There are ghetto people and ghetto sections but i wouldn't go further than that.
Boulder (Colorado) has barely over 100,000 people and is basically a suburb of Denver itself. Lots of people live in Boulder and work in Denver and its burbs, and vice versa. However, taking Boulder on its own:
Downtown area Nice pedestrian outdoor "mall" (Pearl St) with mostly restaurants and boutique-y stores. Great bookstore (Boulder Book Store) Bars/Clubs Many Jobs Many, including professional jobs. One of the lowest UE rates in Colorado/nation Nearby Schools Home of University of Colorado, the flagship school of the U of CO system. Front Range CC has a nearby campus. University of Colorado at Denver in Denver, Metropolitan State in Denver, University of Denver in Denver, Colorado School of Mines in Golden. All are within driving distance. Scenery Fantastic scenery with mountains just to the west Surburbs Louisville is a cute little town, ditto Lafayette. Superior is more of a suburb of Louisville. Niwot is more of a burb of Longmont. Opinion Good place to live if you like a college town and can afford it.
I spent many weeks over the years at CableLabs in Louisville between focus team meetings developing specs and bake-offs/product testing so I'm no stranger to Boulder. I'd be just fine at 502 Highland Ave if somebody bought it for me at $4.5 million and paid the property taxes. Eldora is a fun little ski area. With light rail, getting to Denver and the airport is now pretty easy and you don't have to battle the Boulder Turnpike. The only thing missing is salt water.
It's really not a contest head-to-head against failed New England cities. I've been in Worcester twice so far the last couple of months. Providence Place in December and I grew up in Massachusetts 35 minutes drive to the east in 'West Portugal' where I still have a summer house. My girlfriend lives in West Hartford and works in Hartford a day or two per week. I'm in New Haven a few times per year. My mom lived in Guilford two towns east of New Haven around Y2K.
I could afford Barrington with a Providence job. That would be fine. On the coast. Salt water activities after work the warm 6 months. Bus route to Providence with good service. The east side of Providence around Brown is the only place in the city where you can live. Personally, I wouldn't pay the premium and I wouldn't want to deal with the city problems.
Guilford with a New Haven job would be similar but there's a commuter rail option as well. There is no way in the world I would ever consider living in New Haven.
Worcester is close enough to the 495 belt jobs to be viable but I'd live well east of Worcester and use Boston. I used to work 495 belt many years ago in Westborough and Marlborough reverse commuting and I see no redeeming qualities about anything outside 495 west of Boston.
Hartford has a few nice suburbs and housing prices are affordable in those towns. For a white collar professional doing the baby factory thing, there are worse places than Avon, Simsbury, West Hartford, and Glastonbury.
I don't see how Kansas City KS makes this list. It abuts an NFL city that will be on TV on Sunday. I don't have enough first hand experience with Charleston SC or Columbia to comment.
So if I'm ranking and I don't have to pay for the real estate, it's:
Boulder >>> Providence = New Haven > Worcester. Worcester is the only place where I might opt to commit suicide rather than living there.
1) Providence
2) Charleston
3) New Haven
4) Columbia
5) Hartford
6) Worcester
Haven’t been to Boulder or Kansas City, but I imagine KC would rank highly.
Yea on second thought this might be my list. Never been to Charleston proper but have spent time in the area and like it. Columbia has no appeal to me-i might put hartford a head of it simply because vie lived in Hartford and never been to Columbia or heard anything about it.
Worcester is just Worcester. A destination/bus stop of last resort. If I were a single person I'd much rather live in one of the new apartments in downtown Hartford than a similar one in downtown Worcester. Hartford is more walkable, cleaner, and has better transit options IMO.
I was in Bolder briefly, not rally my cup of tea but I get the appeal. Most would rank it above Worcester and Hartford but ill put i in between the two I guess.
I haven't been to Charleston, but I'm guess this would be my list.
Charleston vs Providence was a tough one.
Downtown Charleston is way prettier than Downtown Providence, and the neighborhoods that are immediately adjacent are generally very wealthy and also very pretty. However, once you’re north and east of downtown (the epicenter of which I’d place around King & Market ish) things get very mundane very quickly. North Charleston (the only suburb I’ve explored) is nothing to write home about.
Providence is nicer over a larger area, I think, and it has the better suburbs. However it’s downtown is way less active than Charleston’s, and you’d have to go to Newport to find an area that feels as fancy as South of Broad.
Columbia has no appeal to me-i might put hartford a head of it simply because vie lived in Hartford and never been to Columbia or heard anything about it.
Columbia has the University of South Carolina, so it has the nightlife of a major college town. Also has a nice zoo.
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