New Haven

Sister cities

• Huế
• Avignon
• Freetown
• San Francisco Tetlanohcan Municipality
• León
• Afula
• Amalfi

History

Before Europeans arrived, the New Haven area was the home of the Quinnipiac tribe of Native Americans, who lived in villages around the harbor and sustained an economy of local fisheries and the farming of maize. The area was briefly visited by Dutch explorer Adriaen Block in 1614. Dutch traders set up a small trading system of beaver pelts with the local inhabitants, but trade was sporadic and the Dutch did not settle permanently in the area. In 1637, a small party of Puritans did a reconnaissance of the New Haven harbor area and wintered over. In April 1638, the main party of five hundred Puritans, who had left the Massachusetts Bay Colony under the leadership of Reverend John Davenport and London merchant Theophilus Eaton, sailed into the harbor. It was their hope to set up a theological community with the government more closely linked to the church than that in Massachusetts, and to exploit the area's potential as a port. The Quinnipiacs, who were under attack by neighboring Pequots, sold their land to the settlers in return for a pledge of protection. By 1640, "Quinnipiac's" theocratic government and nine-square grid plan were in place, and the town was renamed New Haven, with 'haven' meaning harbor or port. However, the area to the north remained Quinnipiac until 1678, when it was renamed Hamden. The settlement became the headquarters of the New Haven Colony, distinct from the Connecticut Colony previously established to the north centering on Hartford. Reflecting its theocratic roots, the New Haven Colony forbade the establishment of other churches, whereas the Connecticut Colony permitted them. Economic disaster struck New Haven in 1646, when the town sent its first fully loaded ship of local goods (the "Great Shippe") back to England. It never reached its…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 6.67%, is water. New Haven's best-known geographic features are its large, shallow harbor, and two reddish basalt trap rock ridges which rise to the northeast and northwest of the city core. These trap rocks are known respectively as East Rock and West Rock, and both serve as extensive parks. West Rock has been tunneled through to make way for the east–west passage of the Wilbur Cross Parkway (the only highway tunnel through a natural obstacle in Connecticut), and once served as the hideout of the "Regicides" (see: Regicides Trail). Most New Haveners refer to these men as "The Three Judges". East Rock features the prominent Soldiers and Sailors war monument on its peak as well as the "Great/Giant Steps" which run up the rock's cliffside. The city is drained by three rivers; the West, Mill, and Quinnipiac, named in order from west to east. The West River discharges into West Haven Harbor, while the Mill and Quinnipiac rivers discharge into New Haven Harbor. Both harbors are embayments of Long Island Sound. In addition, several smaller streams flow through the city's neighborhoods, including Wintergreen Brook, the Beaver Ponds Outlet, Wilmot Brook, Belden Brook, and Prospect Creek. Not all of these small streams have continuous flow year-round. According to the Köppen classification, New Haven experiences a bordering a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa), bordering on a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). The city has hot, humid summers and cool to cold winters. From May to late September, the weather is typically hot and humid, with average temperatures exceeding on 70 days per year. In summer, the Bermuda High creates as southern flow of warm and humid air,…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  37,510
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  36,905
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  35,599
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  35,021
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  34,516
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  30,177
• American herring gull, Smithsonian Gull

  Larus smithsonianus Coues, 1862 · Aves
  26,945
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  26,828

Largest nearby schools

• West Haven High School
  High · West Haven · 1,780 students · 15:1 ratio
• Hamden High School
  High · Hamden · 1,672 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• Wilbur Cross High School
  High · New Haven · 1,633 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• Amity Regional High School
  High · Woodbridge · 1,318 students · 10.4:1 ratio
• James Hillhouse High School
  High · New Haven · 1,139 students · 15:1 ratio
• Amistad Academy
  Other · New Haven · 1,116 students · 10:1 ratio
• North Haven High School
  High · North Haven · 921 students · 11:1 ratio
• Carrigan 5/6 Intermediate School
  Middle · West Haven · 876 students · 11.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-08-05
  1 km N of Hillsdale, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2015-01-13
  2 km E of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 3.3 — 2015-01-12
  0 km NE of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 2.66 — 2014-08-14
  6 km SW of Deep River Center, Connecticut