New Haven, CT

[spock&kirk]

I've got questions about moving to New Haven for Divinity School too. I'll be moving with my wife, and we want to rent an apt. in a safe neighborhood. I know everyone says don't live in New Haven because it's not safe, but proximity to the school is important. What is the neighborhood breakdown? I've heard that living in unsafe parts of New Haven is risking your life, so what are the safer neighborhoods? Which neighborhoods are unsafe?

[shriikant]

Hey people, I just got through Yale IDE program. Can anyone tell me what can be be approximate living expenses in New Haven. Also can I find some part time work? how is the campus accommodation?

[Aceflyer]

I've got questions about moving to New Haven for Divinity School too. I'll be moving with my wife, and we want to rent an apt. in a safe neighborhood. I know everyone says don't live in New Haven because it's not safe, but proximity to the school is important. What is the neighborhood breakdown? I've heard that living in unsafe parts of New Haven is risking your life, so what are the safer neighborhoods? Which neighborhoods are unsafe?

I've heard that East Rock and Westville are safe...

[retiredwaif]

We're native New Yorkers, the husband and I, and we're, moving up from a not-so-nice part of the Bronx and are having a bit of trouble seeing New Haven as terrifically unsafe. WeI spent some time walking around allllll over New Haven with the kidlets, and determined that there are some crap neighborhoods, but few seemed "OMG you're taking your life in your hands!"

That said, I thought East Rock was lovely, although I think we're going to Div School family housing or one of the university properties on Prospect. I think that's technically past the borders of East Rock proper. Deciding factor? That hill. I want to be on TOP of that hill, rather than dealing with it every morning.

[Stories]

It seems like it's tough to land a spot in the university affiliated housing options, they're a little expensive, but seems like they're in high demand. I was turned down for units I was interested in... and it's only April!

[PhD4metoo]

Does anyone have any information or experience on spouses finding jobs at Yale or around New Haven? Any info (approx.) on the cost of living?

Any info is appreciated, PMs welcome.

Check out the info on the website about employment in the NH area-http://www.yale.edu/livingnh/services/employment.html

Yale HR also has an open house for G&P spouses in August

-ask your school Finaid office for cost of living info- they calculate it each year for need-based aid, by size of the household.

[bryanwitha_y]

I'm not insinuating much about New Haven, but when I went there just to visit for a couple of days, I definitely did not get the very safe cozy feeling that the residents seem to claim (though I might have been just unlucky). Cutting through the crap, when I arrived, I had a very short distance to walk to the hotel (very close to campus), and I just about got mugged. I say "just about" because he only got out to give him my money and credit cards before a cop trolled down the street and he scrammed. Oh, and then when I toured the physics building, I talked to some professor about New Haven, and he joked about how a lot of people living off the west side of campus had been "dying of lead poisoning", if you get his meaning.

Yes, I know, I was walking alone that night, and it's one thing to joke about crime near by and another to have to worry about it. Still though, it really detracted from the attractiveness of the locale as opposed to a place with good restaurants and night life sans the thrill of danger. I could do without that thrill.

That being said, I'm from South Chicago, and if you like it in places like that and get by well enough, then you'll do plenty fine in New Haven. It's no better, no worse.

Good lord though, the campus itself is beautiful, and of course, you feel quite safe when there.

[fut18000]

I'm currently an undergrad at Yale and I just stumbled onto this thread to see what people were saying. After living in New Haven for 3 years, I must say that it's no more or less safe than any other urban environment. There are really nice areas (west haven, east rock etc...) and areas that you really should never go (down whalley avenue, the dixwell community, past howe st. etc.). The housing in downtown around the green can be really nice and affordability ranges. The apartments on or near Chapel st. all have great locations and are generally pretty nice with prices that range from $700-$1100 per person in arrangements ranging from studios to three bedrooms. The Taft, Townsend, and the Warner are all pretty nice buildings. Lots of grad students live in downtown, in the grad school ghetto, or in east rock. I'm living in and around the lynwood st. area, which is also pretty safe, but I'm pretty sure only undergrads live there. HGS seems worse than undergrad housing at yale to me, although it has the benefit of being in the center of campus and it houses its own dining hall. This is a good resource: www.elmcampus.com

In terms of part-time jobs, Ithere are a bunch on listings on the student employment office website (www.yale.edu/seo) ranging from babysitting to library and part-time research jobs. I'm sure it's fairly easy to get a job at a local cafe or coffee shop as well and I've had friends who do that. Yale jobs, however, have a minimum wage of like $11 an hour which is probably higher than working at Koffee or something.

In terms of LGBT life, there is huge LGBT community at Yale both at the undergraduate and gradaute levels. Gay nightlife, however, is lacking although if you really want to go out, there's no reason not to go to New York. There is Gotham which has gay night on either fridays or saturdays and BAR is lgbt on Tuesdays. Other than that, I only know of Partners on crown and park st. and York St. Cafe which are both pretty sketchy. That being said, in terms of support, house parties, etc... yale is really gay-friendly.

Hope this helps!

[Stories]

New Haven doesn't seem terrible from what I saw during my interview day. I'm sure a lot of it is what we make of it!

[sceleris]

Hi all, does anyone have any insight into the Mansfield St. area near campus? I'm headed to Yale this fall and have found a potential apartment in that area (Mansfield and Munson) but discovered that there's an abandoned factory close by with a few other apparently empty industrial buildings around as well, which lend the surrounding blocks a bit of a dodgy feeling. Any opinions on this?

[stuart]

I have lived in New Haven for over two years, going to graduate school. I've really disliked the city. I think people who don't are probably mainly undergrads who successfully remained in the Yale / downtown bubble, or people who just have bizarre tastes in towns.

Some more specific thoughts. When I say I dislike New Haven, I am not suggesting you not come here if you got into Yale and are excited about it and strongly want to come for academic reasons. You can make NH work, and you can go to school and be happy here. Just be aware that the city will probably be detracting from that happiness, not adding to it, so if Yale is in a tie with another school, and city is the determining factor, I'd guess Yale probably loses.

Why does New Haven suck? Well, most obvious would be the crime. It's never comforting to get messages biweekly or so from the campus police about how some Yale student (usually grad) was mugged. Note that I live in East Rock, and as other people have noted, it does feel safer, though my (short) street was terrorized by an armed robber for a few weeks, and my car has had the window smashed and been broken into while parked behind my apartment building.

Next, it is crowded, traffic is terrible and badly engineered, and everything is expensive, including parking. On the other hand, if you are going to come to New Haven without a car, you should be aware that the town itself holds essentially none of the conveniences of modern life. The only supermarket near the downtown / Yale (arguably the only one in town) is about to close. There are no chain stores of essentially any type anywhere close to downtown (though some people probably find this charming); and the only cinema in town is expensive and spotty in coverage (it's as likely not to carry a blockbuster as to carry it. Upside: it does carry some obscure artsy stuff). One of the real comforts while living here has been getting out of town to the much superior suburbs.

So, if you are going to come here, here are some nice places that have made life better for me. First, and notably, Wooster Street pizza. This may be the best thing about living in New Haven -- you must try it! Heck, if you live in NYC or Providence, you should come try it, too. Sally's is amazing, and Pepe's is pretty good.

If you like late-night restaurants and have a car, there's an amazing diner in Branford, a 10 minute drive away. I-95 exit 55 and turn right at the end of the ramp. It's the best diner you'll ever have eaten at. There's also a movie theater on this exit, one that shows normal movies and is open late like normal theaters.

Go to five mile point (the lighthouse). It's charming and cool and there are swings.

Exit 8 on I-91 is your friend (turn right onto 80). So is exit 9 (turn left under the freeway and right onto Universal Drive). Between the two, you will find most of the modern conveniences you have come to expect while living in America, and come to miss while living in New Haven.

Go eat at Swagat in West Haven -- it's right off route 1. It's wonderful and inexpensive Indian food with great service. Don't ask me -- check the New York Times review.

And if you like Mexican food, check out the awesome "Taqueria Mexicano #2," also on Rte. 1 in West Haven.

Well, that's all that occurs to me right now. These places have made life in New Haven a lot better, so I hope you enjoy them. Life here can be OK, but it's because it's life, not because it's here.

Stuart

PS. I wanted to add that my interactions with Yale itself have been much more positive. I feel bad if the above post tends to convince people not to come here, because the school has been good to me and has been, overall, a worthwhile experience. I just felt that a realistic and knowledgeable assessment of New Haven might be helpful.

Edited March 1, 2010 by stuart

[straightshooting]

One of the real comforts while living here has been getting out of town to the much superior suburbs.

I get the sense that you tend to prefer suburban environments to cities in general, especially from your comment that you wish there were more chain stores and supermarkets. I do suspect that many people who attend Yale come from hermetically sealed white flight suburban communities, so I don't discount your assessment at all for people from such backgrounds, but everything that you mention (sans the crime, naturally -- though that's just how it goes in a city) seems more positive than negative to me. Not that I have any illusion that New Haven will be the bee's knees, but little about your description makes it seem bad. If anything, it seems less urban than I'd prefer.

[stuart]

That's certainly possible, straightshooting. Though I will mention that I have lived in the downtowns of far larger cities than New Haven and greatly preferred them inasmuch as they were efficient and convenient to get around, either on foot or by car.

But yes, some people may like New Haven's quirkiness I suppose. If you are one, then I hope my message was helpful in letting you know what kind of place it is.

Two notes, though -- if you think that crime like New Haven's is "just how it goes in a city," then I'm sorry your urban experience has been so negative, and assure you that many of the United States's largest cities offer much more than you apparently have so far demanded of them. Second, even most of those in Yale who like a pedestrian, urban lifestyle far more than I do seem to be nonplussed by the unavailability of such basic necessities as food without going to the suburbs.

Good luck!

[SomeoneTakeMe]

Okay, so far Yale is my top choice for places I've been accepted as far as fit and research go. My concern is living as a grad student in New Haven. I've read the stuff on stores and chains and that does not bother me in the slightest. In fact, currently living in downtown Boston, I have to drive to get to a normal grocery store unless I was to pay $20 for a loaf of bread. My concern lies in the social scene there. I will be a single female in my mid to late twenties. What is it like trying to meet people and find friends? What is the social scene like? Dating possibilities? The city doesn't have much industry so I'm nervous there aren't many people outside of undergraduates other than townies. Is this true?

[cogneuroforfun]

Okay, so far Yale is my top choice for places I've been accepted as far as fit and research go. My concern is living as a grad student in New Haven. I've read the stuff on stores and chains and that does not bother me in the slightest. In fact, currently living in downtown Boston, I have to drive to get to a normal grocery store unless I was to pay $20 for a loaf of bread. My concern lies in the social scene there. I will be a single female in my mid to late twenties. What is it like trying to meet people and find friends? What is the social scene like? Dating possibilities? The city doesn't have much industry so I'm nervous there aren't many people outside of undergraduates other than townies. Is this true?

There are more other grad students than there are undergraduates. I'm not single, so I can't comment personally. Every time I've been to the grad student pub, there have been tons of people there. There are lots of events for grad students, so you'll meet people that way. Take a look at the graduate school's events calendar for some ideas, but there are other events going on too.

[Theoretical2010]

Hi everybody!

I am an international student, and I am admitted to Yale Physics PhD Program , my financial aid is a 32,500$ University fellowship for tuition and a 29,000$ stipend; I have no idea of living expenses at New Haven , and I will appreciate it if you could tell me whether is this enough for a decent student life in New Haven? taking this fact into account that I am not going to share my apartment with anybody else! I also wonder if you could tell me that which percent of this money will be gone by tax?

Thanks!

[stuart]

Congratulations!

I think the money you list should be plenty. I pay just under $900 a month for a nice if somewhat old-fashioned one-room East Rock apartment (including heat). Food and stuff is expensive, but probably no moreso than elsewhere on the east coast. This is especially true if you have a car. You'll pay a no-car premium.

As for the social scene, I too can't comment too personally, but there are certainly a lot of popular and busy downtown restaurants and bars, and the grad school has mixers and happy hours and such that usually seem to be very well attended. There are lots of graduate students, as was pointed out.

[Theoretical2010]

Congratulations!

I think the money you list should be plenty. I pay just under $900 a month for a nice if somewhat old-fashioned one-room East Rock apartment (including heat). Food and stuff is expensive, but probably no moreso than elsewhere on the east coast. This is especially true if you have a car. You'll pay a no-car premium.

As for the social scene, I too can't comment too personally, but there are certainly a lot of popular and busy downtown restaurants and bars, and the grad school has mixers and happy hours and such that usually seem to be very well attended. There are lots of graduate students, as was pointed out.

thanks,

what's the differences between out-campus and on-campus housing? is there any difference in the money you pay?

[stuart]

On 3/9/2010 at 12:16 PM, Theoretical2010 said:

thanks,

what's the differences between out-campus and on-campus housing? is there any difference in the money you pay?

I have no personal experience with graduate housing, I'm afraid. So I can't comment at all on the quality or style of the apartments. Perhaps somebody else can? In any case, check out here of course: http://www.yale.edu/gradhousing/gateways/students.html

As far as rates, the rates listed on the website are certainly not less expensive than off-campus housing. Perhaps the convenience of the apartments makes up for it, or perhaps they're nicer than average; I don't know. In any case, I think you could do better than the more expensive ones, but the less expensive ones are about comparable to market.

[Theoretical2010]

Does anybody have any idea that whether I can live at New Haven without a car?

[straightshooting]

Does anybody have any idea that whether I can live at New Haven without a car?

Of course it's possible, but whether you want to will depend on the degree of convenience that you demand. Yale has a shuttle system (free for students) that goes between Yale, the East Rock neighborhood, and the New Haven train station. See the following for information about routes and schedules: http://www.yale.edu/transportationoptions/shuttle/index.html. Note that there is late night service. Like all campus bus systems (or bus systems at all), yes, there are going to be times when you have to wait longer than the theoretical maximum amount of time between buses, but you can survive. There is also a relatively extensive bus system in New Haven that can get you around to other parts of the city if you plan your travel appropriately. Also, graduate students tend not to live much farther than 1.5 - 2 miles from the main part of the Yale campus, which makes for a rather low-impact bicycle ride.

[ezypeezy]

Hi, Yale is one of two schools I am torn between. Safety is a big issue for me and the other school I am considering has a pretty safe reputation. I work best in the later part of the day and I like staying late to study or do experiments. Primarily, I'll be working in the medical school/ Anlyan centre area and I'll like to find out what your impressions are of the safety of walking around that area after dark/late. Also, are there any libraries or cafes conducive for studying that are open until late? Thanks.

[fluttering]

Hi, Yale is one of two schools I am torn between. Safety is a big issue for me and the other school I am considering has a pretty safe reputation. I work best in the later part of the day and I like staying late to study or do experiments. Primarily, I'll be working in the medical school/ Anlyan centre area and I'll like to find out what your impressions are of the safety of walking around that area after dark/late. Also, are there any libraries or cafes conducive for studying that are open until late? Thanks.

The nighttime shuttle route goes past the med school, plus there is a door-to-door shuttle service that you can call after hours and they will send a car or a minibus to come and fetch you and take you home (depending on how busy they are, it can 5-45 mins to arrive). There are several cafes and libraries that are open late - any place with decent coffee is usually filled with students working on laptops.

[Musette]

Anyone have any insight or information about the yale owned houses on Prospect st. (254 and 276) available for graduates?

[Theoretical2010]

Hi!

I am moving to New Haven in the late August, when should I begin to look for off-campus housing in East Rock neighbourhood and how? is there a specific website for renting a house in the East Rock?