New Haven, the second-largest city in Connecticut, is on Long Island Sound, only 75 miles northeast of New York, New York. Two major highways, I-95 and I-91, converge here. Metro-North commuter trains take you to to Manhattan in two hours, and Amtrak trains take you to Boston, Massachusetts, in three hours.
New Haven is home to Yale University and its 12,000 students. The 300-acre campus is known for its lush quads and beautiful Colonial and Victorian Gothic buildings. The school's vast resources are a boon to the community. The Yale School of Music hosts regular classical and jazz concerts at reasonable prices, and the Yale Bulldog athletics teams are popular with sports fans. If that's not enough, consider attending events at one or more of the city's seven other colleges.
Many apartments for rent in New Haven cater to grad students. Yale's campus, with its well-preserved 19th- and early-20th-century buildings, sprawls around downtown. The neighborhood has all the attendant shops and restaurants. Other popular neighborhoods just beyond campus are Prospect Hill and leafy East Rock, named for the 425-acre East Rock Park along Mill River. East Rock's Upper State Street has bars, restaurants and a seasonal farmers market. If you're moving to New Haven for the pizza, cross the train tracks to visit Wooster Square. The historically Italian enclave is home to warring pizza parlors: Pepe's, original home of the white clam pie; and Sally's, Frank Sinatra's favorite pizzeria.
For those times when you want to head out of the city, the Green Mountains are due north on I-91. Stratton Mountain, in Vermont, is less than a three-hour drive away, perfect for a weekend ski trip. The Berkshires are even closer. A ferry from Bridgeport will take you to Port Jefferson, New York, while ferries from New London go to Block Island in Rhode Island and to Orient Point, New York. You can drive to Cape Cod, Massachusetts in three hours, and to Newport, Rhode Island, in two hours.
New Haven has a tight rental market thanks to the large student population. If you want to be in a Yale-friendly precinct, act fast.
