New Haven is the third largest city in the US state of Connecticut, after Bridgeport and Hartford, and is located in New Haven County, on the Long Island Sound coast. It has an area of 52.4 km². According to estimates from the Census Bureau in 2009, the city had a population of 123,330, and a density of 2,549 inhab/km². Yale University is located in the city. It was founded in 1638 by a group of Puritans from England. It is considered the first planned city in the United States. George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States of America, was born here in 1946.
Before Europeans
arrived, the New Haven area was home to the Quinnipiac tribe of Native
Americans, who lived in villages around the harbor and subsisted on
local fishing and corn farming. The area was briefly visited by the
Dutch explorer Adriaen Block in 1614. Dutch traders established a small
system of trading beaver furs with the local inhabitants, but the trade
was sporadic and the Dutch did not settle permanently in the area.
In 1637, a small group of Puritans reconnoitred the New Haven harbor
area and overwintered. In April 1638, the main group of five hundred
Puritans who had left the Province of Massachusetts Bay under the
leadership of the Reverend John Davenport and the London merchant
Theophilus Eaton embarked in the harbor. They hoped to establish a
theological community with the government more closely related to the
church than that of Massachusetts, and to exploit the excellent
potential of the area as a port. The Quinnipiacs, who were attacked by
the neighboring Pequots, sold their land to the settlers in exchange for
protection.
By 1640, "Qunnipiac" theocratic rule and the
nine-square grid plan were in place, and the city was renamed New Haven,
with "haven" meaning port or harbor. (However, the area to the north
remained Quinnipiac until 1678, when it was renamed Hamden.) The
settlement became the seat of the Province of New Haven, distinct from
the previously established Province of Connecticut in the north centered
on Hartford. Reflecting its theocratic roots, the New Haven Colony
forbids the establishment of other churches, while the Connecticut
Colony allowed it.
Economic disaster struck Newhaven in 1646,
when the city sent its first ship fully laden with local goods to
England. It never reached its destination, and its disappearance
hampered the development of New Haven against the rising commercial
powerhouses of Boston and New Amsterdam.
In 1660, the wishes of
the Colony's founder, John Davenport, were fulfilled and the Hopkins
School in New Haven was founded with money from the estate of Edward
Hopkins.
In 1661, the Regicides who had signed the death warrant
for Charles I of England were persecuted by Charles II. Two of them,
Colonel Edward Whalley and Colonel William Goffe, fled to New Haven for
refuge. Davenport arranged for them to hide in the West Rock Hills
northwest of town. Later a third judge, John Dixwell, joined the others.
In 1664, New Haven became
part of the province of Connecticut when the two colonies merged under
political pressure from England, according to folklore as punishment for
harboring the three judges (actually to strengthen the case for the
seizure of control of nearby New Amsterdam, which was rapidly losing
territory to immigrants from Connecticut). Some members of the New Haven
province seeking to establish a new theocracy elsewhere established
Newark.
It became a co-capital of Connecticut in 1701, a status
it held until 1873.
In 1716 the Collegiate School moved from Old
Saybrook to New Haven, establishing New Haven as a center of learning.
In 1718, in response to a large donation from British East India Company
merchant Elihu Yale, former Governor of Madras, the name of the
Collegiate School was changed to Yale Yale University.
For more
than a century, the citizens of New Haven had fought in the colonial
militia alongside regular British forces, such as in the French and
Indian War. As the American Revolution approached, General David Wooster
and other influential residents hoped that the conflict with the
government in Great Britain could be resolved before the rebellion. On
April 23, 1775, which is still celebrated in New Haven as Dust House
Day, the Second Company, the Governor's Guard, from New Haven, entered
the fight against the British parliament. Under the command of Captain
Benedict Arnold, they broke into the powder house to arm themselves and
began a three-day march to Cambridge. Other members of the New Haven
militia were present to escort George Washington from his stay in New
Haven on his way to Cambridge. Contemporary reports, from both sides,
comment on the professional military behavior of the New Haven
volunteers, including the uniforms.
On July 5, 1779, 2,600
British Loyalists and regulars under the command of General William
Tryon, Governor of New York, landed in New Haven harbor and stormed the
city of 3,500 people. A Yale student militia had been preparing for
battle, and former Yale president and Yale Divinity College professor
Naphtali Daggett came out to confront the Redcoats. Yale president Ezra
Stiles recounted in his diary that, although he moved the furniture
before the battle, he still could not believe that the revolution had
begun. New Haven was not burned down as the invaders did with Danbury in
1777, or Fairfield and Norwalk a week after the New Haven raid, so many
of the city's colonial features were preserved.
New Haven was incorporated as a city in
1784, and Roger Sherman, one of the signers of the Constitution and
author of the "Connecticut Compromise", became the first mayor of the
new city.
The city made its fortune in the late 18th century with
the inventions and industrial activity of Eli Whitney, a Yale graduate
who stayed in New Haven to develop the cotton gin and establish a gun
factory in the northern part of the city. , near the town of Hamden.
That area is still known as Whitneyville, and the main road that runs
through both cities is known as Whitney Avenue. The factory is now the
Eli Whitney Museum, which has a particular emphasis on children's
activities and exhibits belonging to the A. C. Gilbert Company. His
factory, along with Simeon North's, and the lively watch and brass
manufacturing industries, helped make Connecticut a powerful
manufacturing economy; so many gun manufacturers sprang up that the
state became known as "America's Arsenal." It was at the Whitney Gun
Manufacturing Plant that Samuel Colt invented the automatic revolver in
1836. Many other talented machinists and firearms designers would go on
to found successful firearms manufacturing companies in New Haven,
including Oliver Winchester and O.F. Mossberg & Sons.
The
Farmington Canal, created in the early 19th century, was a short-lived
carrier of goods in the interior regions of Connecticut and
Massachusetts, stretching from New Haven to Northampton.
New
Haven was home to one of the first major events in the burgeoning
anti-slavery movement when, in 1839, the trial of mutinous Mende
tribesmen being transported as slaves in Spanish slavery was held at
Amistad Court. District of the United States for the District of
Connecticut. There is a statue of Joseph Cinqué, the informal leader of
the slaves, next to the Town Hall. See "Museums" below for more
information. Abraham Lincoln gave a speech on slavery in New Haven in
1860, shortly before clinching the Republican nomination for president.
The American Civil War boosted the local economy with wartime
purchases of industrial goods, including that of the New Haven Arms
Company, which would later become the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.
(Winchester would continue to produce arms in New Haven until 2006, and
many of the buildings that were part of the Winchester plant are now
part of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company Historic District.) After
the war, the population grew and doubled in the early 20th century,
mostly due to the influx of immigrants from southern Europe,
particularly from Italy. Today about half of the populations of East
Haven, West Haven, and North Haven are of Italian origin. Jewish
immigration to New Haven has left a lasting mark on the city. Westville
was the center of Jewish life in New Haven, though today many have
fanned out to suburban communities like Woodbridge and Cheshire.
Yale University has several interesting places:
1 Yale
University Visitors Center, 149 Elm St, ☎ +1 203-432-2300. Mon-Fri
9:00-16:30, SUN 11:00-16:00. Guided tourː Mon–Fri 10:30 and 14:00, Sat.
Sun. 1:30 p.m.
2 Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University
(Whitney Avenue and Sachem Street, Science Hill section of the Yale
campus), ☎ +1 203-432-8967e-mail: peabody.admissions@yale.edu. Mon-Sat
10:00-17:00, Sun: 12:00-17:00. Adults $7, 3-18 $5.
3 Yale University
Art Gallery, Chapel at High St, ☎ +1 203-432-0600, e-mail:
artgalleryinfo@yale.edu. Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00, Thu. to 8:00 p.m. from
September to June, Sun. 13:00-18:00. Free
4 Sterling Memorial Library
at Yale University, 120 High St, ☎ +1 203-432-1775. It includes the Yale
Babylonian Collection donated by J.P. Morgan in 1910 and many other
world-renowned artifacts and collections.
5 Yale Center for British
Art, 1080 Chapel Street, ☎ +1 203-432-2800. Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00; Noon-5
p.m. Free.
6 Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, 121 Wall St,
☎ +1 203-432-2977, e-mail: beinecke.library@yale.edu. Mon. 10:00-19:00,
Tue.-Thurs. 9:00-19:00, Fri. 9:00-17:00, Sat. Closed for holidays and
special events, check website or call. Beinecke preserves rare Yale
books and manuscripts. The building is impressive from the outside, but
especially beautiful inside because of the glow that the translucent
veined marble walls have on a sunny day. There are always rotating
exhibits and the Gutenberg Bible to see. Free.
7 Yale Musical
Instrument Collection, 15 Hillhouse Ave, ☎ +1 203-432-0822, e-mail:
mustinst@yale.edu. Tue-Fri 1-4pm, Sun 1-5pm (closed August, National
Holidays and Yale Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring Break). Free
Outside of Yale, New Haven has many notable landmarks:
8 The
Green Public Park in the city center. It is over 350 years old and is
recognized as one of the top 100 public spaces in the United States.
Frequent festivals are held here.
9 Knights of Columbus Museum, 1
State St, ☎ +1 203-865-0400. Every day, 10:00-17:00. Free
10
Lighthouse Point Park, 2 Lighthouse Road Lighthouse Point Park offers
scenic views of the New Haven shoreline and is perfect for those looking
to leave the hustle and bustle of downtown. The park hosts Hawkfest, a
celebration of local wildlife, and a carousel at Lighthouse Point. Visit
their website for department phone numbers, park hours and parking
information
11 Pardee Morris House, 325 Lighthouse Road, ☎ +1
203-562-4183. Visit a Colonial New Haven landmark. Built in 1750 and
burned in 1779 during a British raid on New Haven Harbor, the Pardee
Morris House offers insight into New Haven's history. Classes, trips and
summer camps take place throughout the year. Visit the Pardee Morris
House section of the New Haven Museums website for a schedule of events.
12 Fort Nathan Hale Park, 50 Woodward Avenue, , e-mail:
info@fort-nathan-hale.org. Take in spectacular views of the New Haven
coastline and learn about the city's colonial history. See Fort Black
Rock with the Betsy Ross flag and recreate the battles of New Haven's
past. Fish from the expansive pier or take the nature trail that leads
from the park to the Pardee Seawall. The visitor center is open Memorial
Day through Labor Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit their website for
more information.
13 Yale University Leitner Family Observatory and
Planetarium, 355 Prospect St, ☎ +1 203-432-3000, e-mail:
info@leitnerobservatory.org. Tuesday shows $5/person (under 13 free).
Shows in the planetarium theater on Tuesday evenings, followed by
viewing the night sky through telescopes (weather permitting). Check the
website for current shows as well as special events on other nights.
14 New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Ave, ☎ +1 203-562-4183, e-mail:
info@newhavenmuseum.org. Tue-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat. 12:00-17:00. 1st
Sunday of the monthː 13:00-16:00. Adults $4, seniors $3, students $2,
under 12 free, 1st Sunday of the month free.
15 Artspace, 50 Orange
St, ☎ +1 203-772-2709, e-mail: info@artspacenh.org. Wed-Sat noon-6pm.
Free.
16 Marsh Botanical Garden, 265 Mansfield St, ☎ +1 203-432-6320.
17 Amistad Memorial, 165 Church St This 14-foot bronze sculpture of
slave trader Joseph Cinqué, commonly known as Sengbe Pieh, commemorates
the events of the Amistad Affair of 1839, which involved the kidnapping
of 53 Mende captives who led a mutiny aboard a two-masted schooner La
Amistad. It is located in front of the town hall where slaves were
imprisoned during their trial.
Free community bike rides leave various bookstores and cafes every
day; check out Devil's Gear Bike Shop to rent bikes or find out about
community rides. Local beaches are just a short bike ride or drive from
the city center and provide additional recreational opportunities.
Dine at one of the popular Italian restaurants on Wooster Street. New
Haven is famous for its old style pizza.
Visit the Crypt, an ancient
cemetery beneath Center Church on the Green. Open from April to October,
on Thursdays and Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
St. Patrick's
Day Parade, one of the oldest in the United States.
Visit the peaks
of East Rock Park and West Rock Park, where you can see the Cave of the
Three Judges and hike miles of trails.
Yale University Tour.
See
an avant-garde jazz concert at Firehouse12, a firehouse converted into a
modern bar and a state-of-the-art concert hall and recording studio.
See a performance at the famous Toad's Place, a must-see for every music
lover.
Bike along the Farmington Canal or the waterfront bike trails.
Pilot Pen Tennis, Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, 45 Yale Avenue, ☏
+1 203-776-7331. Also known as the New Haven Open at Yale, this
week-long event held during the summer showcases the talent of America's
top tennis players. The tournament takes place at the end of August.
Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Dr, ☏ +1 203-787-4284. Not only does
this stage produce some of the best theater in the North East, the
theater also gives back to the community by hosting classes and sessions
for people interested in theater and wanting to get involved in the
performing arts.
Shubert Theatre, 247 College St, ☏ +1 203-562-5666.
Box officeː Mon-Fri 9:30-17:30, Sat. 10:00-14:00 and before all
performances.
By plane
Tweed New Haven Regional Airport (IATA: HVN), 155 Burr
Street, ☏ +1 203 466-8833. Avelo Airlines is the only commercial airline
that flies to Tweed. As of July 2022, flights are available to
Baltimore, Charleston, Chicago (Midway), Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers,
Myrtle Beach, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh, Sarasota/Bradenton, Savannah,
Tampa, West Palm Beach and Wilmington.
Bradley International Airport
(IATA: BDL) in Windsor Locks (near Hartford), from which I-91 leads
directly to New Haven, is a much larger airport with flights to cities
in the eastern United States and Canada and seasonal connections to
Mexico. It is about an hour by car.
LaGuardia Airport (IATA: LGA) is
another large airport in the area, in Queens. It operates flights to
cities in the eastern United States and Canada and to several
destinations in the Caribbean. It's about 1.5 hours by car. There is an
airport shuttle available to New Haven, or you can get to Grand Central
Terminal in New York and then take the train to New Haven.
International Airport John F. Kennedy (IATA: JFK, also in Queens, is a
major international airport. An airport shuttle is available to New
Haven, or you can get to Grand Central Terminal in New York and then
take a train to New Haven.
Newark Liberty International Airport
(IATA: EWR in northern New Jersey is the main international airport.
Airport shuttle to New Haven or Amtrak to New Haven or train from Grand
Central Terminal is available.
By train
The Metro-North
Railroad provides service between New Haven, New York City and
intermediate points.
Amtrak provides direct service from Virginia to
Boston and points in between (including all major cities on the
Northeast Corridor). Amtrak also provides direct service between St.
Albans, Vt. and New Haven and points in between (including to and from
Springfield, Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut).
Shore Line
East provides service between New Haven and New London, Connecticut, and
points in between. It also operates a small number of trains between New
Haven and Stamford, Connecticut.
The Hartford Line is a commuter rail
service between New Haven, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts.
This service includes 17 trains daily between New Haven and Hartford (12
of which continue to Springfield). It also connects to New Haven Line
service to New York City, Amtrak Northeast Corridor rail service and
Shore Line East service, as well as CTfastrak bus rapid transit service
in the Hartford/New Britain area.
There are two stations, 3 New Haven
Union Station (IATA: ZVE) is located south of downtown at 50 Union Ave,
while 4 New Haven State Street is located west of downtown at 259 State
St. All trains stop at Union Station, while only local trains stop at
State Street.
By car
New Haven is located at the intersection
of Interstates 91 and 95. Be careful to lock your doors as New Haven's
crime rate has been known to break windows. Do not leave the GPS
receiver or its accessories (such as mounting hardware, suction cups or
suction cup marks on the window) in plain view. In such cases, personal
belongings are usually not taken.
By bus
Megabus. Service from
Boston and Hartford. Buses stop at Union Station. Prices from $1 and up.
Greyhound also serves New Haven, but if you're coming from New York, you
may find the Metro-North Railroad cheaper and more convenient.
Downtown New Haven is small enough to traverse on foot.
The
city is also served by an efficient public bus system.
CT
Transit, ☏ +1 203-624-0151. Bus stops are in some cases marked with
signs or a white stripe around electricity poles. All buses have bicycle
racks.
Other transportation options include:
EcuaMex Taxi,
☏ +1 203-624-3333.
Metro Taxi, ☏ +1 203-777-7777.
Devil's Gear
Bicycle Shop, 151 Orange St, ☏ +1 203-773-9288. Provides cheap daily or
weekly bike rentals.
Pick up a copy of the City Center Guide when you visit your local
shop or restaurant. It will provide you with up-to-date information on
hundreds of downtown restaurants and shopping opportunities. New Haven
is home to hundreds of retailers, from pricey local boutiques to art
galleries to national chains like Ann Taylor.
1 Ikea Home
Furniture, 450 Sargent Drive, ☏ +1 203-865-4532. Located just off Long
Wharf Drive, visit Connecticut's only Ikea store and check out their
selection of affordable furniture and restaurant
2 Ann Taylor Shop
001, 968 Chapel Street. The first Ann Taylor in the country. Small but
focused on women's suits.
3 J Press, 260 College Street. Elegant
men's suit.
The New Haven metro area had a gross domestic product of $44 billion in 2016, ranking 62nd among the metropolitan areas of the United States. The unemployment rate in the metro area was 4.2 percent, higher than the national average of 3.8 percent. (Status: March 2018). The personal per capita income in 2016 was 53,595 US dollars, which means that New Haven has a slightly above-average income level.
The city is directly connected to New York City, Boston and Springfield by several train stations served by the Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad railroads. The Interstate 95 and Interstate 91 also run in the catchment area of New Haven, which also ensure problem-free access to New York. Philadelphia can be reached directly daily via Tweed-New Haven Airport with US Airways.