Fair. Yet they were typically quite busy, though if I'm honest if they weren't busy in their respective locations they'd really be screwing up. If anything, the owners picked solid spots for foot traffic.

Right here, been here for more than a decade, making money and having some fun too. Didn't even leave for college, I was here cooking for all those preppy folks.

I'm 28, grew up here, went to high school here, but have connections to NYC where I was born and have also lived in the suburbs. I find New Haven interesting, fun, yet a bit expensive. And when you find the places that aren't frequented by Yale underclass-folks, you'll notice a very artsy, progressive, and weird vibe that is really cool. When you come, check out Never Ending Books on State St.

Gateway is decent from what I hear. I'm not a college grad though so what do I know.

The library is a great resource and there are ALL types of people here. It's a Connecticut thing, we have literally everything.

Good luck

I was never a fan. I found their locations to be uniformly overpriced and low on character. They never felt comfortable to me, and I was never tempted to spend an afternoon there lounging with a cup of coffee and a good book.

Musical Intervention, Crown St directly across from Stella Blues. Thursdays at 7. Very fun and welcoming. House band included

Never Ending Books (Volume Two), State St--Poetry, Tuesdays at 6:30. Also Sundays at 3, "Bad Singers United"

Stella Blues, Crown St Tuesday sign-up at 8:30. Also house band included

I forget when Cafe Nine is doing theirs these days, or if it's any good

Wow! Trumpy Italians. Thats not racist?

Where are the young people thriving outside of Yale

New haven

And that's all you focused on in my comment. 😂🤣🙄

Where?

You really can’t go wrong with anything from the new haven staples to mom and pop places. But modern is my personal goat

Community colleges are free if you’re going for the first time and no vocational degrees/training. . Not sure of residency requirements

East Haven schools are not good. All my cousins went to private school

I'm born & raised and though I'm Yale affiliated, I can honestly say that there's still plenty of community spaces and scenes outside of the Yale bubble that make New Haven a great place to live.

The indie live music scene is something we have a lot of pride in and have cool, small music events from time to time. Obviously, pizza and way better soul food than you'll find in nyc. Check out some bars, Elm City Sounds, Atticus, Lower form vintage, Plush96 orange skate shop and the general downtown area to get a sense of new haven for younger people.

Southern Connecticut State has great programs I've heard and translate well to the CUNY system should you choose to transfer. One of my friends did undergrad and grad there and had excellent professors and internships etc.

Maybe in your reality.

Yale doesn't dominate the city nearly as much as you would think. Sure, it's prominent in terms of owning large quantities of real estate...but in terms of culture and psychology and day to day commerce, Yale isn't such a major presence in the city. (Strange but true: I was actually born in New Haven and yet to this day I have never been inside a Yale building.) By contrast, I used to live in Manhattan very close to New York University, and just walking around the neighborhood was an ordeal: packed with students rushing to their next class, local businesses focused on servicing their needs. The difference between there and here couldn't be more stark.

Congratulations and best of luck with the move. My first piece of advice is to carefully reconsider buying a home until you have lived here for at least a couple years. New Haven and the surrounding towns all have neighborhoods that will probably meet all your needs. You need to get to know the area to find the area that suits your specific needs. Don't rely on a real estate agent or, even worse, a bunch of opinionated strangers!

Safe neighborhoods are not hard to find in New Haven and elsewhere. I let my kids walk and bike all over the place without supervision. They walk to friends' houses, stop for a soda, etc. There are plenty of good schools to choose from. This is Connecticut, not Alabama. You will be fine.

Musical Intervention, New Haven

But I’m raising a large child.

And that's your opinion.

My wife is from bmore and we visit often. NHV is wayyyyy different lol. It’s an awesome city with tons of young people. You will love it

Staven born and raised (for full disclosure, not proud of it) I've heard Wallingford is equally racist

1. New haven is plenty diverse and there’s tons of young people who have zero interest or affiliation with Yale that are thriving.

2. Gateway is an excellent community college, and there are plenty of other very good, very affordable options around.

New Haven is very diverse …there’s gateway community college downtown as well you’ll fit right in with no problem plus there’s plenty of restaurants if you still want to be a line cook …. Good luck !!

I moved to West Haven a month ago and have been completely floored by how nice, quiet, peaceful it is here. Fwiw