[mtb2008]

What is your opinion of North Haven as a place to live? Haven't found much info. on North Haven, although what we have seen (data sheets and a few photos on-line) give us the impression that it is nice. Our three biggest priorities are safety, affordability, and accessibility to New Haven. We appreciate your thoughts!

[Lizzie007]

North Haven is a great place to live! It was rated one of Money Magazine's 2007 top places to live in the country which was a huge deal for the town (you could probably find the article online somewhere).
Great highway accessability (91 and Route 15) makes it an easy commute to New Haven. Schools are very good and property values cover a wide range of prices....nice sized homes from the $200k's, up through the millions. Plenty of retail and restaurants too.
Overall, it's as safe as you can ask for. Obviously no one should leave doors unlocked in this day and age, but the town is not known for having crime.

[skytrekker]

North Haven as Lizzie elaborated on so well, is a great town to live. Crime is very low, housing is certainly affordable for the region, and its close to New Haven.

[mtb2008]

This is great - thank you!!
We've heard that communities west of New Haven have more of a mid-Atlantic/NY feel and communities east of New Haven have a more New England feel. How do Milford and North Haven measure up to this standard?

[skytrekker]

I disagree with the concept that towns west of New Haven will have more of a NY or mid Atlantic 'feel'. A visit to even Greenwich, which is on the NY border will certainly look visually like a New England town. A similar sized town in NY,NJ or PA, will lack this kind of Connecticut New England visual uniqueness.

Even in southwestern CT which has a strong pull from NYC in the media, sports, and to a lesser degree overall culture- the 'House form and Culture' attributes- meaning population density, roads and local transportation, architecture, town and urban design (towns in western CT near the NY border still have the traditional New England 'town green' found from southwestern Connecticut to down east Maine.

Milford resembles a New England town as well as North Haven.

[JayCT]

North Haven is great town. The schools are very good and it has excellent access to New Haven. North Haven is a very safe community and there is a wide range of housing options. North Haven has a traditional town green with a church and the town hall located on it. Up until World War II, North Haven was primarily a rural community. After the war it developed into a suburban community, so most of the homes there are newer. North Haven does not have that traditional walkable business area.

Milford is an older more developed town, so there are some older homes. Milford therefore may have a more traditional New England look with a walkable downtown area. I hope this helps. Jay

[Rich Lee]

I'm a little confused, but I'm guessing that most folks don't believe town greens and white churches are unique to New England.

I can recall several town centers in Dutchess and Putnam Counties where town greens and white churches were the norm (Pawling, Dover Plains, Carmel, Cold Spring). However, in the '70s and early '80s, small shops joined the grocery stores, now referred to as supermarkets, in new strip malls leaving their downtown locations. The same occurred in Fairfield and New Haven Counties in the late '60s and '70s.

I make the analogy that Fairfield and New Haven Counties are similar to mid-Atlantic states because they, too, experienced a very similar shift. They also have very similar population densities (Fairfield County: 910,000/23 towns = 39,565 people per town), mile-upon-mile of retail, folks commuting 45 minutes or more to work, and subdivisions galore.

mtb2008, the best way to test this is to explore New Haven County and come to your own conclusion.

[skytrekker]

Rich

the difference between traveling in western CT and the Hudson valley is quite different-
the house form and culture is distinctly different.

A friend of mind who is a native New Yorker could even see the difference between driving down route US 7 in western CT and NY 22. Houses are different, the population density is less, town greens may exist in lower Hudson valley, but it does not look like New England- Geography was my major- I understand the differences quite clearly. Hopefully you can as well.
There are in fact very definitive differences.

An dare I bring up Wikipedia again

New England is the only North American region to inherit the name of a kingdom in the British Isles. New England has largely preserved its regional character, especially in its historic places.

The region is geographically isolated from the rest of the United States, and is relatively small. It has a climate and a supply of natural resources such as granite, lobster, and codfish, that are different from many other parts of the country. Its population is concentrated on the coast and in its southern states, and its residents have a strong regional identity.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

Rich

The difference between traveling in western CT and the Hudson valley is quite different-
the house form and culture is distinctly different.

I believe a friend of mind who is a native New Yorker could even see the difference between driving down Route US 7 western CT and NY 22. Houses are different, the population density is less, town greens may exist in lower Hudson valley, but it does not look like New England- Geography was my major- I understand the differences quite clearly. Hopefully do can by now.

In my 20 years of living in Connecticut, I would say that the culture of Fairfield and New Haven Counties is closer to that of Westchester-Putnam-Dutchess Counties than it is to Tolland-Windham-New London-Middlesex Counties.

[skytrekker]

The Social culture may be tied to NYC- but the visual look is still New England!
When I say 'House form and Culture' a geographical term- the term 'Culture' does not mean the interaction between people- it describes the culture of the geographic surroundings- lets try and draw that distinction. This is where the confusion may be coming from. I do not deny the social culture of southwestern CT is not in some way tied to NY- I said that in my earlier post above- I am describing something geographical- I feel this is where you are confused.