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Living
in New Haven Want
to know what it's like to live in New Haven? Check
out the perspective of some of the Department's locals!
Founded in 1638, New Haven
is a city of about 125,000 people and is situated on Long Island Sound
near the center of the Connecticut shoreline. It is a major Northeast
port facility and transportation junction. New York is only one and
a half hours away and Boston three hours away from New Haven. Frequent
train service is available to both cities, as are commuter airline flights.
Yale and New Haven have grown up together since 1716, and the university
and the city interconnect and work along side each other in significant
ways. New Haven offers many cultural
attractions itself entirely apart from Yale such as the Long
Wharf Theatre (one of the nation's most highly honored regional
theatre companies)and the Shubert
Theatre (the site for many years of the final pre-New York performance
of renowned Broadway musicals). Theatre in New Haven ranks second only
to New York in the Northeast. The
city is also prominent in New England for its thriving fine arts scene.
It is the home of symphony orchestras (New
Haven Symphony Orchestra, Yale
Symphony Orchestra), numerous classical, rock and jazz groups, several
museums and concert venues, many cafes and shops, and a manifold of
culturally rich ethnic neighborhoods.
The
interesting architectural attractions found in many of its neighborhoods
are well known and much studied, and at its center is a classical town
green. The green is the site of many outdoor events, especially during
summer months, such as The International
Festival of Arts & Ideas, and the New Haven Jazz Festival, and
other interesting events.
There are many annual
events throughout the year in the Greater New Haven area.
In
addition, New Haven is the home of dozens of excellent restaurants with
many types of cuisine. Not only is New Haven the birthplace of the pizza
and the hamburger (the restaurants where they originated are still here),
but many other "firsts"
took place in New Haven.
The New Haven Parks Department has its own
Outdoor Adventure Program featuring environmental activities designed to enhance
nature appreciation including canoeing, fishing, hiking, kayaking, white water
rafting, a portable climbing wall, rock climbing, mountain biking, snorkeling,
scuba diving, a ropes course, and ice climbing excursions.
Close to New Haven are numerous state
parks such as Sleeping Giant,
which offers a wide variety of hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing.
New Haven is also close to many state beaches and its unique location
on the water offers its residents many water activities such as fishing,
swimming, and sailing. Farther away but still readily accessible by
car are Cape Cod, Martha's
Vineyard, Nantucket Island,
Block Island and other famous
New England vacation spots. For the winter months the Berkshires, and
the Green and White Mountains of central and northern New England, offer
the best skiing in
the Northeast and are only a few hours away by car.
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