Edgehill Team

Downtown is the heartbeat of New Haven; an inspired and inspiring blend of the arts, culture, retail, commercial and residential offerings. It is a thriving metropolis with a vibrant daylight culture and nightlife defined by its myriad offerings, from the traditional to the innovative.

Interwoven into the fabric of Downtown are many disparate and yet complementary components, from its rich history dating back to the 17th century to its contemporary special events and activities like the annual International Festival of Arts and Ideas and movie nights on Pitkin Plaza.

Those who live in the Downtown district can say their home is in the Culture Capital of Connecticut. Downtown denizens are within easy walking distance of history and art museums, Yale University, music halls, dozens of eateries, retail shops and upscale boutiques. And they can take advantage of a full calendar of events that are scheduled throughout the year.

Downtown New Haven is home to the Yale Center for British Art, Yale University Art Gallery, Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center (formerly the Knights of Columbus Museum), and the Yale Peabody Museum – one of the oldest and largest natural history collections in the world.

Some of the world’s greatest musicians have filled downtown streets with every genre of music in concerts under the stars on the Green, in high-end auditoriums, and in a café lovingly referred to as a “musician’s living room.” Some of the world’s best loved actors have performed on New Haven’s stages – including the famed Shubert Theatre and Yale Repertory Theatre. Legendary rock stars have graced the stage of Toad’s. Literary luminaries and many world leaders have lectured at Yale auditoriums.

Restaurants provide a wide range of culinary offerings to please any palate from vegetarian and vegan to upscale French cuisine.

Downtown New Haven also serves as a transportation hub for city buses with an elaborate network of routes to various destinations throughout the Greater New Haven region, and it is also home to Union Station, which provides Metro North and Amtrak train service.

Located just north of the Yale University campus, East Rock is a sophisticated urban neighborhood with a suburban feel, far from its early roots as an agricultural center. It borders the town of Hamden and provides easy access to the university, downtown New Haven, retail shopping, and a host of eateries from casual to fine dining.

This section of the Elm City comprises a wealth of cultural, recreational and educational amenities. The East Rock area offers a very neighborly sensibility. In this bicycle-friendly and walkable neighborhood residents often take leisurely rides and strolls to the many coffee shops, markets, and restaurants, almost all of which provide outdoor seating. City buses and Yale shuttles have generous operating schedules to provide access to points farther afield. Plans are in the works to extend the existing bike paths on city streets.

Among the mix of houses, in many attractive architectural styles, sits the centerpiece: East Rock Park, a 426-acre preserved municipal open space with 10 miles of pedestrian trails, picnic pavilions, canoe and rowboat launches, fenced playgrounds, ballfields, bird sanctuary, and the Trowbridge Environmental Center manned by urban park rangers. Lighted tennis and pickleball courts are open to the public at nearby Wilbur Cross High School.

East Rock provides easy access to the Eli Whitney Museum just to the north in neighboring Hamden and the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History to the south, both within walking distance for many East Rock residents.