New Haven tourist information

Before European arrival, New Haven was the home of the Quinnipiack tribe of Native Americans, who lived in villages around the harbor and subsisted off local fisheries and the farming of maize. The area was briefly visited by Dutch explorer Adriaen Block in 1614. Dutch traders set up a small trading system of beaver pelts with the local inhabitants, but trade was sporadic and the Dutch did not settle permanently in what would become New Haven.

In April 1638, five hundred Puritans who left the Massachusetts Bay Colony under the leadership of the Reverend John Davenport and the London merchant Theophilus Eaton sailed into the harbor. These settlers were hoping to establish a more perfect theological community than the one they left in Massachusetts and sought to take advantage of the excellent port capabilities of the harbor. The Quinnipiacks, who were under attack by neighboring Pequots, agreed to sell their land to the settlers in return for protection from hostile tribes.

During the American Revolution, New Haven was a town of approximately 3,500 citizens and was a major hotbed of revolutionary activity — so much so that the British invaded the town during the course of the war; however, the British forces did not torch New Haven as they had done with many other coastal New England towns they seized, leaving many of its colonial features preserved.

During the Civil War, the city received another economic boost as demand for industrial goods increased nationally. New Haven's population doubled in the time between the war and the start of the 20th century, most notably due to the influx of immigrants from southern Europe, particularly Italy.

New Haven's growth continued during the two World Wars, with most new inhabitants being African Americans from the South and Puerto Ricans. The city reached its peak population after World War II, and it can be argued that it was in decline when post-war suburbanization began. However, other factors, such as decreasing family sizes, explain most of the decline in population - because of the very small land footprint of the city (only 17 square miles), new housing after 1950 was built primarily in adjacent, suburban towns which, in many other parts of the United States, would be considered part of New Haven proper.

Like other cities in 1954, New Haven was suffering from a perceived exodus of middle-class workers and the development of slums as the population grew. Then-mayor Richard Lee attempted to stem the tide with one of the earliest major urban renewal projects. Large sections of downtown New Haven were destroyed and rebuilt with new office towers, a hotel, and large shopping complexes. Other parts of the city were affected by the construction of Interstate 95 along the Long Wharf section and Interstate 91. The partial construction of a highway to the western suburbs of the city, known as Route 34, remains visible to this day in the form of a strip of open fields running along the edge of the poor Hill section. Today, Route 34 is being filled in with biomedical space and housing.

From the 1960s through the early 1990s, New Haven continued to decline both economically and in terms of population despite many attempts to resurrect the city through renewal projects. During this period, the city and Yale argued over taxation and land use.

At present, New Haven has stabilized. The city is working to attract biomedical and pharmaceutical research facilities, and many have done so to take advantage of the city's connections with Yale. Downtown New Haven is revitalizing itself as a center of shopping, and Crown Street and Chapel Street host a burgeoning nightlife and bar scene. Thousands of luxury apartments, including million-dollar loft condominiums, are under construction in the downtown and have sold rapidly. The university, and other local schools, continue to draw young people from around the world. But poverty remains a problem for New Haven, as it does for many New England post-industrial cities.

A major point of public discontent is the cost of housing in New Haven proper. Connecticut as a whole has generally high housing prices, as the state is wealthier on average than the rest of the United States, has a relatively low unemployment rate, a high quality of life in most regions, relatively mild coastal weather compared to other locations throughout the Northeast, and close proximity to other large cities. Some residents believe the housing-price problem is exacerbated in New Haven by the presence of Yale University. They contend that the large student population in New Haven provides a constant and steady demand for apartment housing, which is in limited supply. Thus, landlords are able to charge inflated rents. In response, the City of New Haven has undertaken several subsidy programs, in conjunction with the State, to try to provide affordable housing units for certain working-class families and residents.

Railroad
New Haven is connected to New York City by both intercity and commuter rail, provided by Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad respectively, and some New Haven residents commute to work in New York City (a trip of close to two hours). The city's main railroad station is Union Station, which serves Metro-North trains to New York, Shore Line East commuter trains to New London, and Amtrak trains to New York, Boston, and Springfield, Massachusetts. An additional station at State Street provides SLE and a few Metro-North passengers easier access to the Central Business District.

Going on a trip? Why not browse some of the luggage at eBags.com ^{(external source)}

Major highways
New Haven lies at the intersection of Interstate 95, which provides access to New York and the coastal regions further east, and Interstate 91, which leads northward to the interior of New England. Within the city itself there is the Oak Street Connector/Route 34 which intersects just south of the I-95/I-91 interchange and runs northwest as a spur into downtown. The Route 15 Parkway, also known as the Wilbur Cross Parkway, runs just north of the city, through the outer rim of New Haven, and Hamden. New Haven is also the site of the only highway tunnel in the state (Route 15). The tunnel runs through West Rock, home to West Rock Park and 3 Judges cave.

Airports
Tweed-New Haven Airport located along the New Haven/East Haven border provides daily service through US Airways. Jet service returned to Tweed New Haven in May 2004 after a long absence, but was discontinued in January 2006. It is quite common for locals to use Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, or New York City's LaGuardia Airport or JFK International or Newark, New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport, when flying overseas or to a non-Eastern destination.

Why use a taxi? Reserve with Carmel and ride in a Lincoln Town Car for prices that are the same or less than a taxi ^{(external source)}

Your vacation. A time to lose yourself. And sometimes your luggage, too. Need Travel Insurance? Why not try Travel Guard ^{(external source)}