<p>Yesterday's NYtimes ran a nice little piece on the New Haven's realty renaissance. You should read it if you either plan on attending Yale next year or naively think that Yale is in a ghetto:</p>
<p>here are some excerpts (Eleanor Charles):</p>
<p>DOWNTOWN New Haven has been transformed over the last five years from Yale's mundane backyard into a vibrant neighborhood of shops, theaters and restaurants. In 1999, Mayor John DeStefano Jr. decided to take a chance on energizing the city's stagnant economy by capitalizing on its theaters, symphony orchestras, art galleries, ballet company, museums and the presence and participation of the university. But it needed new, attractive housing and an infusion of businesses and shops.</p>
<p>With $30 million in seed money from the state, the city began restoring housing stock. Developers took notice and largely financed the more than 1,300 apartments and condominiums built downtown to date. Some are new construction, and many are reconfigured from office and industrial buildings, resulting in a preponderance of rental units. Condo conversions are beginning to take place. Yale has spawned 40 biotechnology firms and invested $100 million in upgrading retail and commercial properties adjacent to its campus. Entrepreneurs were encouraged to do the rest. </p>
<p>Today, a population of more than 5,000 inhabits the roughly 50 square blocks of downtown New Haven (excluding Yale students and including the four-square-block New Haven Green). With median two-bedroom condo prices at around $280,000 and median two-bedroom rents at $995, the current catchphrase is, "If you can't afford New York, come to New Haven." ...</p>
<p>...Other attractions on Audubon Street are the Educational Center for the Arts, the Creative Arts Workshop, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra headquarters, the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, the New Haven Ballet and the Neighborhood Music School. The New Haven Symphony Orchestra and a star-studded roster of musicians from opera, the concert stage and jazz appear regularly at Yale's Woolsey Hall and Sprague Hall. </p>
<p>Independent of Yale, the Shubert Theater, where Irving Berlin and Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals of the 40's and 50's had their tryouts, now houses Broadway shows on tour. Foreign and independent films are shown at the York Square Cinema, and the new five-screen Criterion shows first-run movies. There are 10 bookstores to browse, 31 nonchain clothing stores and 14 grocers and specialty food stores. No one seems to miss a supermarket. </p>
<p>Have a great time if you attend!!!</p>