looking for better summers...

[Sparky]

I lived in CT ages ago (near Hartford) and still have friends there. Never was too familiar with the New Haven area. My understanding from CT friends is that both major cities (Hartford and New Haven) as well as Bridgeport are the pits these days. CT has one of the highest per-capita incomes in the country and there are many well off folks in Fairfield County, along the coast and in the NW corner, but my friends report that you don't want to go near the major cities these days: poverty, crime, deteriorating infrastructure, etc. It's ironic because when I left the Hartford area to go to college in Providence, RI in 1963, Hartford was a much nicer city than Providence. But Providence has been through a Renaissance and is now a really neat, chic, upscale city whereas my friends report quite the opposite about Hartford.

Take everything I say (except for the comments about Providence) with a grain of salt because I haven't been to Hartford or New Haven in years and am only going by what my CT friends tell me.

I know Hartford has been bad for awhile; Bridgeport can't seem to rise above it's bad rap. I went to school in New Haven about 20 years ago, and it seems the same as then, there are certain areas (around Yale and Chapel Street) that are very cool, fun and totally safe, filled with great restaurants and theater, but the rest of the city is really dangerous. I don't know why - I thought maybe because it's a sanctuary city - but then again so is San Francisco.

I know CT is known for some expensive real estate in Fairfield County and also some of the most dangerous cities in the US are here. The suburbs around New Haven are still affordable and seem to be okay.

I live next to a Yale professor, asked her why she's not living in New Haven, and she replied, "too dangerous".