UNH PhD student moving to West Haven/New Haven

Holmgard · 03-11-2014, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nonny

Have you asked your advisor for help? They usually know of complexes and areas suitable for grad students.

I don't have an adviser yet. I have to confer with the program director yet to determine which faculty member would be the best fit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by arete

Congratulations on your acceptance to grad school. What field are you working in?

My wife and I are both postdocs at Yale. While both our main offices are on Science Hill (Whitney Ave just north of downtown) I spend a bit of time out at Yale's West campus. We live in the East Rock area of New Haven - it's a nice neighborhood, lots of small Italian groceries, restaurants, bars, laundromats all in walking distance. Unfortunately it would be a bit of a commute from where we are to UNH - we've moved once within the neighborhood and our rent has been $1250 and $1650 per month. All of the grad students from our department who live in the area have housemates and split the rent - which would put shared rent in the area at your upper limit.

One area that is nice, with a pretty good shopping strip and things to do is the Westville area of New Haven - only a short, probably walkable commute from the UNH campus.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/We...8e2b030f6c5410

Best of luck .

I'll be in Criminology/Criminal Justice. Congrats on the postdocs! I would love to do a postdoc there. I have heard a lot of yale students/grads live in East Rock but yes, judging from the bus commute it does seem a bit far for me. I am really trying to see if I can get a car before I move up there - that would definitely expand my horizons as far as neighborhoods go but for now I have to work with with the likelihood of not having one.

Sharing is probably something I'd consider once I was up there and maybe met some of my cohort who I got along with well enough to want to live with. I've had enough years of living with roommates and I just really want my own space for a time.

I'll definitely take a look at Westville.

Stylo · 03-11-2014, 05:58 PM

I would not recommend Westville, unless you have a car or plan to commute by bike. The walk will be 45 minutes to an hour, and there's no direct bus. If you're OK with biking on some potentially non-bike-friendly side streets, it would be a good place to live. I don't know what you'd do during winter weather though. Also, Westville is walkable, but it's bit of a hike to groceries and other needs. Westville itself is mostly galleries and restaurants, and a few convenience stores and gas stations.

Holmgard · 03-13-2014, 04:23 PM

Thanks, that's good to know. The school is on the B line directly so I've though about some of the areas around the route of the B line like Whalley Ave. I've seen a fair few places available at "reasonable" rates in the outer areas of East Rock but I don't know yet how lengthy of a commute it would be by bus to UNH.

I'll be going up there next week for a grad open house so I'll get to walk around the area a bit and get a feel for the neighborhood surrounding the school.

So far from internet searching: this place is in my price range but I don't know anything about the streets Crestwood Apartments - West Haven, CT

This place also has properties in my price range with two places in WH and a few in NH, mostly in Dixwell I believe. http://www.harvest-properties.com/co...westhaven.html

Stylo · 03-13-2014, 10:28 PM

Crestwood in West Haven is cheap, but not the nicest apartments. The area is fine and relatively safe, but very noisy right next to I-95.

You could live near the westernmost B Line stop on Whalley. It gets sketchy east of Edgewood.

Those Harvest Properties are in pretty abysmal areas of New Haven. Cheap for a reason. Don't do it if you value your safety.

arete · 03-14-2014, 05:41 AM

I definitely second avoiding the area between Science Hill and Edgewood Park. There is a high concentration of violent crime in the strip that makes up Dwight/Dixwell/Newhallville. We had a lab tech unknowingly move into an apartment at the corner of Winchester and Basset, and had a murder occur quite literally at the doorstep of the building within a couple of months. He moved out and wound up in the grad student ghetto of East Rock with the rest of us.

For a visual of the area I'm talking about: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=...496&dg=feature

Apologies, I didn't realize it was quite as much of a hike from Westville to UNH as Stylo is saying. For what it's worth I often drive down 1st ave to Beach St and that neighborhood doesn't look too bad, at least from driving past...

Holmgard · 03-20-2014, 10:42 AM

I took the Metro North up there yesterday (that is a long ride!) and got to see a bit of West Haven in the limited time I was there. I think I've narrowed a few things down. Crestwood does have some newly renovated building that do look promising, but I'm not sure yet about those particular streets (Claudia Drive). Though the price is right in my affordability. It also looks as though I will get more in fellowship money than I thought, hopefully. (YAY!) It doesn't really change the amount I'll have to work with, but it will mean less loans. There are also some 1 bed reasonable properties with Hadley Inc. in the $850-905 range on Elm and Main Sts. They do have some nice studios for $780 in East Rock. I think primarily I want to try and stick with those areas as they are both provide easy access either via transportation or school shuttle to UNH.

Edit: One thing I did see a lot of was a number of affordable studios and 1 beds on Chapel St. From looking at google, some parts of that of that stretch seem quite nice but others are a bit sketchy.

Stylo · 03-20-2014, 12:28 PM

Chapel Street is nice between Dwight and I-91. Beyond those, ehhh.

Stephy0519 · 03-21-2014, 10:19 AM

Check out these apartments : Apartments in New Haven, CT by Hadley, Inc

They have places on Elm Street in West Haven. Older apartments, pre war, but well maintained and small communities. You can get one of their smaller apartments for $825/850, and that includes heat and hot water. The area is safe--I live over there myself and have for three years (single female, 30). I'm also friends with a few of the WHPD and they too have said that this area is safe. Also, you are right on the bus line, it is a reasonable distance to UNH, even with biking, and the beach is just a run away. There is a grocery store and a Krauzers, two diners, and a bunch of smaller restaurants right on Elm, as well. You just have to catch them when they have an apartment that fits your needs open.