Is New Haven a bad area??

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
81

<p><a href="http://ope.ed.gov/security/Search.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ope.ed.gov/security/Search.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, Berkeley
you do the math</p>

<p>Yale University OPE ID: 00142600</p>

<p>The crime data reported by the institutions have not been subjected to independent verification by the U.S. Department of Education. Therefore, the Department cannot vouch for the accuracy of the data reported here.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On Campus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
5 4 11
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
8 4 4
f. Aggravated assault
0 0 0
g. Burglary
63 82 63
h. Motor vehicle theft
7 10 5
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On-Campus Residence Halls
(Residence Halls are a subset of On Campus) 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
1 1 5
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
0 0 0
f. Aggravated assault
0 0 0
g. Burglary
28 38 35
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Noncampus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
0 0 0
d. Sex offenses - Non-Forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
0 0 3
f. Aggravated assault
0 0 1
g. Burglary
1 6 2
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Public Property 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
3 10 1
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
12 34 19
f. Aggravated assault
3 2 0
g. Burglary
0 0 0
h. Motor vehicle theft
19 18 10
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Harvard University
OPE ID: 00215500
The crime data reported by the institutions have not been subjected to independent verification by the U.S. Department of Education. Therefore, the Department cannot vouch for the accuracy of the data reported here.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On Campus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
16 30 12
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
2 0 1
f. Aggravated assault
6 2 5
g. Burglary
451 372 327
h. Motor vehicle theft
6 7 2
i. Arson
0 1 1
Caveat:
2004 Forcible Sex Offenses increased by 1 due to earlier misclassificaton.
2004 Aggravated Assaults - 2 reclassifed from campus to public.
2004 Arsons increased by 1 due to earlier misclassification.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On-Campus Residence Halls
(Residence Halls are a subset of On Campus) 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
15 26 12
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
0 0 0
f. Aggravated assault
0 0 3
g. Burglary
119 89 88
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
0 1 0
Caveat:
2004 Arson increased by 1 due to earlier misclassification.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Public Property 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
10 23 17
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
23 17 16
f. Aggravated assault
11 24 19
g. Burglary
13 0 0
h. Motor vehicle theft
30 25 31
i. Arson
0 0 0
Caveat:
2004 Aggravated Assault increased by 2 due to earlier misclassification.</p>

<p>Princeton University OPE ID: 00262700</p>

<p>The crime data reported by the institutions have not been subjected to independent verification by the U.S. Department of Education. Therefore, the Department cannot vouch for the accuracy of the data reported here.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On Campus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
10 3 5
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
0 0 0
f. Aggravated assault
2 1 0
g. Burglary
63 58 42
h. Motor vehicle theft
13 13 19
i. Arson
2 0 6
Caveat:
1. Forcible Sex Offenses: Statistics include incidents reported to the Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources, and Education (SHARE) Office
2. Arsons - 4 Arson Offenses were committed by one individual who was arrested.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On-Campus Residence Halls
(Residence Halls are a subset of On Campus) 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
8 3 3
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
0 0 0
f. Aggravated assault
0 1 0
g. Burglary
37 31 26
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
1 0 4 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Noncampus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
1 0 1
d. Sex offenses - Non-Forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
0 0 0
f. Aggravated assault
0 0 0
g. Burglary
4 5 0
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 2 1
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Public Property 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
0 0 0
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
1 0 1
f. Aggravated assault
1 3 1
g. Burglary
0 0 0
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Columbia University in the City of New York OPE ID: 00270700</p>

<p>The crime data reported by the institutions have not been subjected to independent verification by the U.S. Department of Education. Therefore, the Department cannot vouch for the accuracy of the data reported here.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On Campus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
6 3 6
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
8 4 4
f. Aggravated assault
1 6 7
g. Burglary
28 113 131
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
0 1 1
Caveat:
Burglary figure for 2004 reflects a change from last year's reported number. The number for 2003 should read 104. these changes are the result of clarifications provided by the U.S. Department of Education.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On-Campus Residence Halls
(Residence Halls are a subset of On Campus) 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
6 2 0
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
0 0 1
f. Aggravated assault
1 0 4
g. Burglary
3 42 58
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
0 0 1
Caveat:
Burglary figure for 2004 has been changed. The number for 2003 should read 44. These changes are the result of clarifications from the U.S. Department of Education.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Public Property 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
0 0 1
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
27 14 21
f. Aggravated assault
6 3 0
g. Burglary
0 1 0
h. Motor vehicle theft
6 1 3
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>University of Pennsylvania OPE ID: 00337800</p>

<p>The crime data reported by the institutions have not been subjected to independent verification by the U.S. Department of Education. Therefore, the Department cannot vouch for the accuracy of the data reported here.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On Campus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 1
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
5 4 3
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
12 12 19
f. Aggravated assault
5 5 5
g. Burglary
54 41 33
h. Motor vehicle theft
2 2 2
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On-Campus Residence Halls
(Residence Halls are a subset of On Campus) 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
4 2 2
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
1 1 0
f. Aggravated assault
1 1 0
g. Burglary
7 1 2
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Noncampus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
0 0 2
d. Sex offenses - Non-Forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
1 0 1
f. Aggravated assault
0 1 1
g. Burglary
4 3 7
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Public Property 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
3 4 2
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
44 53 64
f. Aggravated assault
2 3 6
g. Burglary
6 5 4
h. Motor vehicle theft
20 15 25
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Brown University OPE ID: 00340100</p>

<p>The crime data reported by the institutions have not been subjected to independent verification by the U.S. Department of Education. Therefore, the Department cannot vouch for the accuracy of the data reported here.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On Campus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
1 3 4
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
2 1 1
f. Aggravated assault
2 1 3
g. Burglary
49 40 16
h. Motor vehicle theft
7 3 4
i. Arson
0 0 0
Caveat:
Please note that burglary statistics for 2004 and 2003 include larcenies. This error, which inflated statistics for those two years, has been corrected in 2005. For 2005, the total includes burglaries only.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On-Campus Residence Halls
(Residence Halls are a subset of On Campus) 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
1 3 3
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
0 0 0
f. Aggravated assault
0 0 2
g. Burglary
44 27 11
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Noncampus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
0 0 0
d. Sex offenses - Non-Forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
0 0 1
f. Aggravated assault
0 0 1
g. Burglary
0 1 0
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Public Property 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
3 0 3
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
12 8 11
f. Aggravated assault
15 2 3
g. Burglary
1 0 3
h. Motor vehicle theft
3 1 2
i. Arson
0 0 0 </p>

<p>University of California-Berkeley OPE ID: 00131200</p>

<p>The crime data reported by the institutions have not been subjected to independent verification by the U.S. Department of Education. Therefore, the Department cannot vouch for the accuracy of the data reported here.</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses</p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On Campus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
16 22 5
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
10 6 15
f. Aggravated assault
9 5 5
g. Burglary
80 84 69
h. Motor vehicle theft
30 19 19
i. Arson
7 5 4 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - On-Campus Residence Halls
(Residence Halls are a subset of On Campus) 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
9 17 2
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
1 1 0
f. Aggravated assault
2 2 1
g. Burglary
20 12 32
h. Motor vehicle theft
0 0 0
i. Arson
0 4 0 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Noncampus 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
4 9 5
d. Sex offenses - Non-Forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 0 0 0
e. Robbery
6 0 0
f. Aggravated assault
7 0 4
g. Burglary
78 65 32
h. Motor vehicle theft
18 10 4
i. Arson
1 0 1 </p>

<p>Criminal Offenses - Public Property 2003 2004 2005
a. Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter
1 0 1
b. Negligent manslaughter
0 0 0
c. Sex offenses - Forcible
4 0 1
d. Sex offenses - Non-forcible (incest and statutory rape only) 1 0 0
e. Robbery
55 17 21
f. Aggravated assault
24 6 6
g. Burglary
0 0 0
h. Motor vehicle theft
190 45 65
i. Arson
3 1 0</p>

82

<p>Someone above was referring to Providence, a similarly sized city. Here's a recent article about it.</p>

<p>Article from Providence Journal - August 30 2007 (I've only posted excerpts here)</p>

<p>"Another weekend and another shooting.... Over the past month there has been an explosion of gun violence and bloodshed in different neighborhoods, some less than a mile or two from downtown. </p>

<p>"In terms of violence, the Providence police say August has been the worst month in at least five years.... </p>

<p>"A review of the gunfire by The Providence Journal reveals that since Aug. 1, there have been at least 26 shootings in the city that have been reported to the police....The police have yet to make an arrest in the latest homicide. </p>

<p>“It kind of reminds me of 30 years ago, when there were a lot of mob shootings,” said City Council President Peter Mancini. “I haven’t had any formal meetings with the council or the police, but the whole council is concerned about these shootings.” </p>

<p>"He said that many of the shootings can be attributed to long-simmering feuds between rival gangs, the recent release of violent felons from prison and drug-related disputes. </p>

<p>"On July 22, Justin T. Potter, 26, of East Providence, was grazed in the head by a bullet as he was hanging outside the same apartment on Pleasant Street. </p>

<p>"The neighborhood, described as a trouble spot for decades, is just a few hundred yards from Hope High School and less than a mile from Thayer Street and Brown University. </p>

<p>"JOHN J. LOMBARDI, a city councilman from the Federal Hill neighborhood, said that many people do not feel safe, and he said he talks with elderly residents who are afraid to leave their homes after 4:30 p.m.</p>

83

<p>I'm reading the threads to try and get a more specific reason why parts of New Haven have a bad reputation as I've never been within 400 miles of there.</p>

<p>Is it due to a large population of a certain minority group - many of which must live close to Yale ?</p>

<p>Can anyone show a list of the population make up?</p>

84

<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven,_Connecticut%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven,_Connecticut&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 123,626 people, 47,094 households, and 25,854 families residing in the central municipality, the City of New Haven. The population density was 2,532.2/km² (6,558.4/mi²). There were 52,941 housing units at an average density of 1,084.4/km² (2,808.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 43.46% White, 37.36% African American, 0.43% Native American, 3.90% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 10.89% from other races, and 3.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.39% of the population.</p>

<p>There were 47,094 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.5% were married couples living together, 22.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.19.</p>

<p>The ages of New Haven's residents are as follows: 25.4% under the age of 18, 16.4% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.</p>

<p>The median income for a household in the city was $29,604, and the median income for a family was $35,950. Males had a median income of $33,605 versus $28,424 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,393. About 20.5% of families and 24.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.2% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.</p>

<p>The above figures are for the municipal boundaries only, which cover an extremely small area and are thus not comparable with other communities, particularly those outside of New England. The U.S. Census-Bureau defined urban area shows that New Haven is the third-wealthiest metropolitan region in the United States, after San Francisco and Silicon Valley, California [1]. Analyzing just the tiny immediate urban area around New Haven, from New Haven to Milford, the city ranks among the top 10% of wealthiest cities in the United States [2].</p>

85

<p>I hate to bring up dead topics. But since I just visited Yale about a week ago, I sorta wanted to say what I thought about it. I was really surprised when I got there because I was expecting to see broken down buildings, gangs on the corners, dirty (NY, if you will) streets, the way some people have described the area. But the area around Yale was really quiet, calm, pretty and seemed safe. I would deffinately attend it.</p>

<p>However, it is true that the rest of New Haven might still be dangerous so precautions still have to be taken. A friend of mine was showing me around and he sorta gave me the "scoop" on campus security. He said that a lot of thefts happen when students walk around at night, drunk or when students go run at night or something like that. And he also mentioned a bike gang that comes and taunts the white students at Yale. One point he did make though that really stuck was that the New Haven locals don't really mess with the students because of the retaliation from the police. </p>

<p>But, this is just from what I saw and heard from this one student. Current students might have a different view, and seeing that they're there for longer than a couple of hours, I would take their voices over mine.</p>

86

<p>One thing I find lacking is lack of police presence in New Haven. It could really help cleanup the town and the unsafe image Yale has. By the way, Columbia is in one of safer areas in NYC. There are lot worse neighborhoods.</p>

<p>Princeton is very boring. That's probably why folks go to eating clubs and stay there.</p>

87

<p>
[quote]
Same deal with Brown, a lot of red brick buildings

[/quote]

Moviebluff, the buildings at Brown are...well brown.</p>

88

<p>
[quote]
One thing I find lacking is lack of police presence in New Haven

[/quote]

Have you actually been to New Haven? If Yale has a problem, it isn't lack of a police presence. In fact, many students might say that, if anything, police have been too present of late (stepping up enforcement of drinking laws). If you're on or near the Yale campus, there is a very significant police presence.</p>

89

<p>The problem is New Haven is a large college town for police to patrol. It's not a quaint small town like Hanover.</p>

90

<p>I've been here for about a month now and don't feel this way at all. Campus security is very much present, even farther into the city. The scoop would be not to get too far off campus too late at night - but to be honest, that's the same basic rule I'd stick to wherever I am. People get mugged not from attending Yale, but from walking around the shadier areas of town alone around 2AM. </p>

<p>There've been some muggings and burglaries where this hasn't been true too. To put that into perspective, this is just something to be aware of at any bigger college situated in the middle of a city. Personally I wouldn't trade that small risk for living in a place where there are 24/7 open stores, active nightlife, shopping, etc.</p>

91

<p>I was at Yale earlier this year. There was a constant police presence, often sirens and cop cars at all hours of day and night. The green has a sea of homeless people, and there are panhandlers right on campus. The city isn't great, but you don't have to like it because Yale is great on its own.</p>

92

<p>"There was a constant police presence, often sirens and cop cars at all hours of day and night. The green has a sea of homeless people, and there are panhandlers right on campus"</p>

<p>I think this is suppose to be good as it shows how well all the diversity is working.</p>

93

<p>Wow, I don't know how to take the blatant racism in the post above me. A "sea" of homeless people? I've seen one or two, and it's no worse than what was the case in some of the other cities I've lived. Granted, some prospective elite college students are bound to have lived in a comfy, condescending little bubble.</p>

<p>The panhandler across from my residential college always says good morning. She's helped me cut down on smoking and is, in general, hilarious - mostly because some of the froshies with golden spoons portruding out of their buttocks seem so terrified everytime she hollars "hey! hey GIRLFRIEND!". </p>

<p>If you're honestly going to let a fear and covert disgust of poor people get in the way of attending the coolest place around - well, again, I just don't know what to tell you. And PS, the diversity is quite awesome, thank you very much.</p>

94

<p>I totally agree frrrph,
White sheets have been replaced by website screen names these days. Yale is obviously a great school, with obviously a lot of racist ***holes. There's always Keene St. (Cressida and you other idiots)</p>

95

<p>What makes the area bad? </p>

<hr>

<p>I'm reading the threads to try and get a more specific reason why parts of New Haven have a bad reputation as I've never been within 400 miles of there.</p>

<p>Is it due to a large population of a certain minority group - many of which must live close to Yale ?</p>

<p>Can anyone show a list of the population make up?</p>

<p>This is a post Cressida made a few weeks ago. Funny thing is, the thread had been dead for a while, then Mr. Grand Wizard himself decides to make it active again with that crap. Wow Cressida, is it possible you meant large population of "black people" instead of "a certain minority group?" You're what those homeless people are looking for when they rummage through the garbage on campus.</p>

96

<p>
[quote]
You're what those homeless people are looking for when they rummage through the garbage on campus.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>LMAO. This deserves to be printed out and FRAMED</p>

97

<p>This is typical of the kind of business that has opened in New Haven in the past few years: Firehouse 12, which has one of the best recording studios, one of the best lineup of jazz concerts, and best selection of specialty beers in the United States, was recently featured with a huge spread in the New York Times Sunday Edition.</p>

<p>In keeping with local traditions in New Haven, it's also a "mom and pop" establishment -- the owner, a graduate of Yale's School of Music, lives above the recording studio in a palatial apartment with his wife, a philosophy professor who commutes to SUNY-Stony Brook. The place is a 100+ year old converted firehouse.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.firehouse12.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.firehouse12.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<hr>

<p>Here are a handful of other examples of New Haven businesses that have opened just within the past few years:</p>

<ul>
<li>Ibiza (named the best Spanish Restaurant in the United States by Esquire, Wine Spectator, and the New York Times -- see <a href="http://www.ibizanewhaven.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ibizanewhaven.com/&lt;/a> to see what's on the $58.00 tasting menu tonight);</li>
<li>Criterion Cinemas (an upscale, palatial movieplex that even serves its own beer and wine, has 45 apartments above it renting for about $3,000 per month, and sometimes shows movies that are only premiering in Manhattan and Los Angeles), see <a href="http://www.criterioncinemas.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.criterioncinemas.com/&lt;/a> ;</li>
<li>Bespoke/Sabor (<a href="http://www.bespokenewhaven.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bespokenewhaven.com/&lt;/a> , actually two different restaurants in one building taking up a basement, first floor, second floor, and rooftop terrace... and often referred to as the best restaurant in New England)</li>
<li>I could go on for about 30 pages, because there are 400+ other restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, theaters, bars and stores throughout the three or four block area surrounding Yale University and the New Haven Green, 70 of which have opened just within the past 24 months.</li>
</ul>

<p>The main problem in New Haven isn't the homeless (homeless people are actually a sign of a vibrant city, because they gravitate from 100s of miles around towards places that are safe, where they won't be harassed as much - they cluster around places like Midtown Manhattan, the upscale parts of downtown Chicago, and Harvard Square), it's that the area is becoming way too upscale and too many luxury mega loft apartments are being built for it to be affordable to the average college student. Also, chain stores are starting to move in in greater numbers, which means eventually downtown New Haven may turn into a characterless, boring, dead mall-of-America type place, like what happened to Harvard Square.</p>

<p>It will be a very sad day for New Haven (and Yale) when Mamoun's, one of the nation's first Middle Eastern restaurants, which is open until 3AM 365 days per year, finally gets driven out by the skyrocketing rents.</p>

98

<p>By a "sea of homeless people" I mean at least 20-30 on the Green during summer, all over benches and under the trees by the churches... I was warned by one local not to wear anything that said "Yale" outside of campus.</p>

<p>I love Yale to death, but the fact remains- no matter how much new commerce is on the way in, New Haven is a less-than-perfect college city. Good thing the campus is so awesome.</p>

99

<p>If by "perfect" you mean one of those dead dinosaur (plastic) towns inside a glass sno-globe, then maybe.</p>

100

<p>"at least 20-30 on the Green" </p>

<p>20-30 people? Keep in mind that the 400-year-old New Haven Green covers 17 acres, an area the size of the former World Trade Center. Named as one of the 10 greatest public spaces in the United States, the Green is large enough to host upwards of 50,000 people during concerts by Ray Charles, etc and hundreds of people eating lunch during any typical lunch hour. Maybe some of those "homeless" people were actually just the office workers looking a little scruffy that day, perhaps a few of them had spilled their lunch on their shirts. Within a few blocks of the Green, there are 30,000 office workers on any typical work day. Not to mention the 800,000 people in the surrounding urban area who often go downtown for various reasons.</p>

<p>As a point of comparison, there were 20-30 homeless people living in cardboard boxes just on the one block of Midtown Manhattan where I lived for a year, i.e., within 300 feet of my front door. That area has an estimated homeless population of about 40,000. Which is not surprising considering that I was paying $1,000+ per month for a closet with no windows -- I mean, I was practically homeless myself even though I was making great money! Of course, it is a good reason to take precautions whether you are in a city with 1 homeless person or one with 100,000.</p>