You may know that Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut. But what else have you learned about the "Elm City" from the comforts of the Yale bubble?
Here are some facts to think about:
New Haven's biggest employer in the city is currently Yale University (Yale New Haven Hospital comes in second).
At least six colleges/universities lie in New Haven's immediate vicinity.
Several films have recently been shot in the city of New Haven, including a recent Indiana Jones film.
If we can say anything about New Haven, we can say that this city has seen a lot since its foundation in 1638. In that year, Puritan settlers bought the New Haven area from the Quinnipiac natives, more than a century before the United States of America declared its independence from Britain. In 1716, the Collegiate School relocated itself to New Haven, and would eventually be renamed "Yale College" in honor of the merchant Elihu Yale.
In the late eighteenth century, New Haven along with the rest of Connecticut prospered with new industrial and manufacturing activity. However, the latter part of twentieth century was not so kind to the city of New Haven. As the manufacturing industry declined and white middle class workers began leaving the city in droves after World War II, New Haven began to slump economically.
In response, the mayors of New Haven since the 1950's have made many efforts to effect urban renewal on the city. Though economic development (among other urban issues) still remain on the New Haven mayor's agenda, much progress has been made in the meantime. Yale is only one of the many players that has been responsible for this recent progress. With continued involvement of Yale with the greater New Haven community, the city's prognosis is looking much better.
This concludes our brief history of New Haven. For more information about New Haven, please consult the following links.
