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85-574: Much of the connector has been closed to traffic as part of the first phase of the New Haven Downtown Crossing Project. As of 2022, most of the road is a surface street. As originally planned in 1957, the Connector was supposed to extend as a full expressway extending ten miles (16 km) westward from New Haven to a proposed interchange with Route 8 in the vicinity of the towns of Derby or Shelton , depending on

170-532: A 2010 population of 129,779, with 47,094 households and 25,854 families within the city of New Haven. The population density was 6,859.8 inhabitants per square mile (2,648.6/km ). There were 52,941 housing units at an average density of 2,808.5 per square mile (1,084.4/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 42.6% White , 35.4% African American , 0.5% Native American , 4.6% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 12.9% from other races , and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 27.4% of

255-442: A U.S. Senator and judge on Connecticut's highest court. Daggett denigrated African Americans, denied they were citizens, and presided over the trial of a woman persecuted for trying to admit an African American girl to her boarding school and, having that effort blocked, running a boarding school for African American girls. New Haven was home to one of the important early events in the burgeoning anti-slavery movement when, in 1839,

340-469: A female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size 3.19. The ages of New Haven's residents were 25.4% under the age of 18, 16.4% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

425-584: A financial services firm, United Illuminating , the electricity distributor for southern Connecticut (NYSE: UIL), and Transpro Inc. (AMEX: TPR). The American division of Assa Abloy (one of the world's leading manufacturers of locks) is located in the city. The Southern New England Telephone Company (SNET) began operations in the city as the District Telephone Company of New Haven in 1878; the company remains headquartered in New Haven as

510-602: A hotel, and large shopping complexes. Other parts of the city, particularly the Wooster Square and Fair Haven neighborhoods were affected by the construction of Interstate 95 along the Long Wharf section, Interstate 91 , and the Oak Street Connector . The Oak Street Connector ( Route 34 ), running between Interstate 95, downtown, and The Hill neighborhood, was originally intended as a highway to

595-520: A new interchange with the Merritt Parkway was completed in 1982. This constituted the completion of the freeway from Bridgeport to Winchester, 35 years after construction began. The Route 8 freeway was envisioned to continue beyond its present northern terminus in Winsted to either Massachusetts or southern Vermont. In 1972, Massachusetts and Connecticut requested an interstate designation for

680-520: A powerful manufacturing economy; so many arms manufacturers sprang up that the state became known as "The Arsenal of America". It was in Whitney's gun-manufacturing plant that Samuel Colt invented the automatic revolver in 1836. Many other talented machinists and firearms designers would go on to found successful firearms manufacturing companies in New Haven, including Oliver Winchester and O.F. Mossberg & Sons . The Farmington Canal , created in

765-523: A short 0.33-mile (0.53 km) northwesterly overlap with US 44 and Route 183, Route 8 continues north as a mostly rural surface road. It intersects the western end of Route 20 on the northern edge of town, and continues through Colebrook to the Massachusetts state line, becoming Massachusetts Route 8 upon entering Sandisfield . The section from I-95 to the Route ;25 split

850-560: A subsidiary of Frontier Communications and provides telephone service for all but two municipalities in Connecticut. SeeClickFix was founded and has been headquartered in the city since 2007. Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company (a candy-making division of the Hershey Company ) was formerly located in the city. Achillion Pharmaceuticals and Alexion Pharmaceuticals were also formerly headquartered in New Haven. New Haven

935-816: Is also known as the Colonel Henry Mucci Highway (designation continues on Route 25). The section from Shelton to Beacon Falls is known as the General Samuel Jaskilka Highway . The section from Constitution Boulevard in Shelton to Route 334 at the Seymour–Ansonia town line is known as the Ansonia–Derby–Shelton Expressway . The section from Waterbury to the freeway end in Winchester

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1020-602: Is known as the James H. Darcey Memorial Highway . Most of the alignment of Route 8 was part of an improved toll road known as the Waterbury River Turnpike , which ran from Naugatuck , via Torrington , Winchester Center and Colebrook Center, to the Massachusetts state line. The turnpike was chartered in 1801 and collected tolls until 1862. Two other sections of Route 8 were also old turnpikes:

1105-519: Is noted for its local style of pizza . A study of the demographics of the New Haven metro area, based on age, educational attainment, and race and ethnicity, found that they were the closest of any American city to the national average. New Haven's economy originally was based in manufacturing, but the postwar period brought rapid industrial decline ; the entire Northeast was affected, and medium-sized cities with large working-class populations, like New Haven, were hit particularly hard. Simultaneously,

1190-575: Is now a National Historic Landmark , and the "Nine Square Plan" is recognized by the American Planning Association as a National Planning Landmark. New Haven is the home of Yale University , New Haven's biggest taxpayer and employer, and an integral part of the city's economy. Health care, professional and financial services and retail trade also contribute to the city's economic activity. The city served as co-capital of Connecticut from 1701 until 1873, when sole governance

1275-470: Is still known as Whitneyville , and the main road through both towns is known as Whitney Avenue. The factory is now the Eli Whitney Museum , which has a particular emphasis on activities for children and exhibits pertaining to the A. C. Gilbert Company . His factory, along with that of Simeon North , and the lively clock-making and brass hardware sectors, contributed to making early Connecticut

1360-558: The 1932 state highway renumbering . The main road connecting Bridgeport and Shelton (following Noble Avenue, Huntington Turnpike, Shelton Road, Bridgeport Avenue, and Center Street), which was designated as State Highway 316 in 1922, was renumbered as Route 65 in the 1932 renumbering. In 1951, the Ansonia–Derby–Shelton Expressway portion between Constitution Boulevard in Shelton and Pershing Drive in Derby (including

1445-574: The 1950s , New Haven began to suffer white flight of middle-class workers. One author suggested that aggressive redlining and rezoning made it difficult for residents to obtain financing for older, deteriorating urban housing stock, thereby condemning such structures to deterioration. In 1954; then-mayor Richard C. Lee began some of the earliest major urban renewal projects in the United States. Certain sections of downtown New Haven were redeveloped to include museums, new office towers,

1530-900: The American Revolution approached, General David Wooster and other influential residents hoped that the conflict with the British parliament could be resolved short of rebellion. On April 23, 1775, Captain Benedict Arnold commanded the Second Company, Governor's Foot Guard , of New Haven to break into the powder house to arm themselves for a three-day march to Cambridge, Massachusetts , an event still celebrated in New Haven as Powder House Day . Other New Haven militia members were on hand to escort George Washington from his overnight stay in New Haven on his way to Cambridge. Contemporary reports, from both sides, remark on

1615-536: The Commodore Isaac Hull Memorial Bridge ) opened to traffic. As part of the freeway upgrades to Route 8, the southern terminus was shifted west from Stratford to Bridgeport, taking over old Route 65. The original southern end of Route 8 was assigned to an extended Route 110 . By 1957, the entire length of the Ansonia–Derby–Shelton Expressway portion was open, with the extension from Pershing Drive to Route 334 at

1700-999: The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) to study removing part of the existing Oak Street Connector (re-routing traffic onto Legion Avenue and M.L.K. Jr. Boulevard in the process) and replacing it with buildings and developments. The project would remove the portion of the Oak Street Connector west of Orange Street, creating two large parcels of land divided by College Street on which buildings and developments could be built. Inbound traffic would be re-routed onto Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (aka North Frontage Road) while outbound traffic would be re-routed onto Legion Avenue (aka South Frontage Road). In addition, both roads would be rebuilt and widened to accommodate increased traffic, and furnished with landscaping and bicycle lanes. The road bed of

1785-567: The Northeast Corridor and Vermont . The vision for this corridor is to restore the alignment to its original route via the Knowledge Corridor in western Massachusetts , improving trip time and increasing the population base that can be served." Set for construction in 2013, the "Knowledge Corridor high speed intercity passenger rail" project will cost approximately $ 1 billion, and the ultimate northern terminus for

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1870-587: The Route 34 interchange, the road takes on more of a semi-rural character as it winds its way along the Naugatuck River through the towns of Ansonia , Seymour , and Beacon Falls before it becomes more suburban in nature in Naugatuck and then more urban as it enters Waterbury . In Waterbury, Route 8 meets with I-84 at the interchange known locally as the "Mixmaster". After the Route 73 interchange,

1955-462: The 1960s through the late 1990s, central areas of New Haven continued to decline both economically and in terms of population despite attempts to resurrect certain neighborhoods through renewal projects. In conjunction with its declining population, New Haven experienced a steep rise in its crime rate . Since approximately 2000, many parts of downtown New Haven have been revitalized with new restaurants, nightlife, and small retail stores. In particular,

2040-641: The Ansonia/Seymour town line complete. In the 1960s and 1970s additional sections of the Route 8 freeway opened in stages: in 1960, the segment from Route 63 to South Main Street in Waterbury opened; in 1962, the section from Route 334 to Route 67, including the elevated highway portion through central Seymour, opened; in 1966, the Mixmaster interchange with I-84 is completed and

2125-702: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 . As a result, a district court subsequently ordered the city to promote 14 of the white firefighters. In 2010 and 2011, state and federal funds were awarded to Connecticut (and Massachusetts) to construct the Hartford Line , with a southern terminus at New Haven's Union Station and a northern terminus at Springfield's Union Station. According to the White House , "This corridor [currently] has one train per day connecting communities in Connecticut and Massachusetts to

2210-548: The Collegiate School relocated from Old Saybrook to New Haven, establishing it as a center of learning. In 1718, in response to a large donation from East India Company merchant Elihu Yale , former Governor of Madras , the Collegiate School was renamed Yale College . For over a century, New Haven citizens had fought in the colonial militia alongside regular British forces, including the French and Indian War . As

2295-533: 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

2380-472: The New Haven volunteers' professional military bearing, including uniforms. On July 5, 1779, 2,600 loyalists and British regulars under General William Tryon , governor of New York, landed in New Haven Harbor and raided the town of 3,500. A militia of Yale students had been preparing for battle, and former Yale president and Yale Divinity School professor Naphtali Daggett rode out to confront

2465-433: The Oak Street Connector in 2011, and in mid-2013 construction began on phase one of Downtown Crossing began which completed the aforementioned upgrades to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, as well as construction of 100 College Street. The Oak Street Connector west of Orange Street officially closed to westbound traffic on July 14, 2014, with traffic re-routed onto the newly-rebuilt Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. A portion of

2550-611: The Oak Street Connector. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals purchased a portion of the Oak Street Connector right-of-way, and built a US$ 35 million research facility on it. The Pfizer deal ensured the Oak Street Connector could not be extended beyond its terminus at the Air Rights Parking Garage near Yale-New Haven Hospital . After the completion of the Pfizer research facility in 2005, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. and several leaders of local civic groups began pushing

2635-492: The Redcoats. Yale president Ezra Stiles recounted in his diary that while he moved furniture in anticipation of battle, he still couldn't quite believe the revolution had begun. New Haven was not torched as the invaders did with Danbury in 1777, or Fairfield and Norwalk a week after the New Haven raid, preserving many of the town's colonial features. New Haven was incorporated as a city in 1784, and Roger Sherman , one of

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2720-630: The Route 8 corridor that included completed and yet-to-be-built sections in both states. That request was denied by the Federal Highway Administration. In the ensuing 40 years, on-and-off discussions and engineering studies to designate Route 8 as an interstate route have continued, with the most recent study being completed in 2011. In that report, the study noted that not all of the Route 8 freeway meets interstate standards, particularly sections that were designed and built before

2805-411: The alignment selected for construction. The current connector section was completed in 1959. The entire project was conceived with a dual purpose: urban renewal and traffic flow. The first goal was to completely clear this area of New Haven's downtown. The highway replaced Oak Street (formerly Morocco Street) which had been a poor area since the days when leather workers congregated along West Creek. In

2890-556: The area surrounding the New Haven Green has experienced an influx of apartments and condominiums. In addition, two new supermarkets opened to serve downtown's growing residential population: a Stop & Shop opened just west of downtown, while Elm City Market, located one block from the Green, opened in 2011. The recent turnaround of downtown New Haven has received positive press from various periodicals. Major projects include

2975-500: 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

3060-470: The beginning of the twentieth century, the area became home to many Jewish and Irish immigrants. The freeway was also meant to bring cars into the city and facilitate the east–west flow of traffic between New Haven and its growing western suburbs. Due to its limited completion, only the first goal can be said to have been fully achieved. Other plans for the highway to be extended into a larger expressway from New Haven to Peekskill, New York were shelved in

3145-532: The bridge that carries the Oak Street Connector over the New Haven Railyard. The removal of part of this freeway stub would be part of a larger project called New Haven Downtown Crossing which seeks to reconnect New Haven's street grid which was originally disconnected by the construction of the connector. ConnDOT and the City of New Haven began preparing the environmental impact statement for removing

3230-522: The central square was left open, in the tradition of many New England towns, as the city green (a commons area). The city also instituted the first public tree planting program in America. As in other cities, many of the elms that gave New Haven the nickname "Elm City" perished in the mid-20th century due to Dutch elm disease , although many have since been replanted. The New Haven Green is currently home to three separate historic churches which speak to

3315-410: 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

3400-515: The city's first settlement , opened in 1900. New Haven's expansion continued during the two World Wars, with most new inhabitants being African Americans from the American South , and Puerto Ricans . The city reached its peak population after World War II . The area of New Haven is only 17 square miles (44 km ), encouraging further development of new housing after 1950 in adjacent, suburban towns. Moreover, as in other U.S. cities in

3485-565: 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 humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ), bordering a hot-summer humid continental climate ( Dfa ). The city has hot, humid summers and cool to cold winters. From May to late September,

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3570-554: The city's western suburbs but was only completed as a highway to the downtown area, with the area to the west becoming a boulevard (See "Redevelopment" below). In 1970, a series of criminal prosecutions against various members of the Black Panther Party took place in New Haven, inciting mass protests on the New Haven Green involving twelve thousand demonstrators and many well-known New Left political activists. (See "Political Culture" below for more information). From

3655-608: The city. The city has many distinct neighborhoods. In addition to Downtown, centered on the central business district and the Green , are the following neighborhoods: the west central neighborhoods of Dixwell and Dwight ; the southern neighborhoods of The Hill , historic water-front City Point (or Oyster Point), and the harborside district of Long Wharf ; the western neighborhoods of Beaver Hills , Edgewood , West River , Westville , Amity , and West Rock-Westhills ; East Rock , Cedar Hill , Prospect Hill , and Newhallville in

3740-463: The city. In 2017, New Haven was ranked by a Verizon study as one of the top 10 cities in America for launching tech startups, and top two in New England. Industry sectors : Agriculture (.6%), Construction and Mining (4.9%), Manufacturing (2.9%), Transportation and Utilities (2.9%), Trade (21.7%), Finance and Real Estate (7.1%), Services (55.9%), Government (4.0%) The Knights of Columbus ,

3825-480: The city. The suit involved the 2003 promotion test for the New Haven Fire Department. After the tests were scored, no black firefighters scored high enough to qualify for consideration for promotion, so the city announced that no one would be promoted. In the subsequent Ricci v. DeStefano decision the court found 5–4 that New Haven's decision to ignore the test results violated Title VII of

3910-588: The coming year. Additionally, foundation and ramp work to widen I-95 to create a new harbor crossing for New Haven, with an extradosed bridge to replace the 1950s-era Q Bridge , has begun. The city still hopes to redevelop the site of the New Haven Coliseum , which was demolished in 2007. In April 2009, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear a suit over reverse discrimination brought by 18 white firefighters against

3995-416: The current construction of a new campus for Gateway Community College downtown, and also a 32-story, 500-unit apartment/retail building called 360 State Street . The 360 State Street project is now occupied and is the largest residential building in Connecticut. A new boathouse and dock is planned for New Haven Harbor, and the linear park Farmington Canal Trail is set to extend into downtown New Haven within

4080-414: The early 19th century, was a short-lived transporter of goods into the interior regions of Connecticut and Massachusetts, and ran from New Haven to Northampton, Massachusetts . New Haven was to be the site of the first college for African Americans in the United States, but the plan was obstructed by efforts led by Yale Law School founder and former New Haven Mayor David Daggett , who went on to serve as

4165-593: The estate of Edward Hopkins . In 1661, the Regicides who had signed the death warrant of Charles I of England were pursued by Charles II . Two of them, Colonel Edward Whalley and Colonel William Goffe , fled to New Haven for refuge. Davenport arranged for them to hide in the West Rock hills northwest of the town. A third judge, John Dixwell , later joined the others. None of the three were ever returned to England for trial; Dixwell died of old age in New Haven,

4250-742: The freeway was also extended to Route 262 in Watertown. An additional section from Route 118 in Litchfield to Kennedy Drive in Torrington also opened. By 1970, the portion from Route 262 in Watertown to Route 118 in Litchfield opened. By 1972, the segment from I-95 to Route 108 in Trumbull, including the overlap with Route 25 , was completed. The freeway was also extended from Kennedy Drive in Torrington to its present terminus at Route 44 in Winsted. By 1975,

4335-744: The freeway was completed between Huntington Turnpike at the Trumbull/Shelton town line to Constitution Boulevard in Shelton. The early 1980s saw the completion of the Route 8 freeway with the 4-lane surface route from Route 67 in Seymour to Route 63 in Naugatuck (originally built in the 1940s) upgraded to a freeway, including the portion that bypasses Beacon Falls. The original alignment of Route 8 through Beacon Falls became part of Route 42 . The last segment of freeway between Route 108 in Trumbull and Huntington Turnpike, including

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4420-604: The growth and expansion of Yale University further affected the economic shift. Today, over half (56%) of the city's economy is now made up of services, in particular education and health care; Yale is the city's largest employer, followed by Yale – New Haven Hospital . Other large employers include Southern Connecticut State University , Assa Abloy lock manufacturing, the Knights of Columbus headquarters, Higher One, Alexion Pharmaceuticals , Covidien and United Illuminating . Clothing stores Gant and Ann Taylor were founded in

4505-489: The interstate highway era. Newer sections between Bridgeport and Shelton, around Beacon Falls, and from the I-84 interchange in Waterbury to Winsted were designed and built from the late 1960s to the early 1980s and either meet interstate standards or require minimal spot upgrades to meet interstate standards. The report noted the sections that do not meet interstate standards include the 8-mile segment from Shelton to Seymour, which

4590-709: The local economy with wartime purchases of industrial goods, including that of the New Haven Arms Company , which would later become the Winchester Repeating Arms Company . (Winchester would continue to produce arms in New Haven until 2006, and many of the buildings that were a part of the Winchester plant are now a part of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company Historic District ). After the war, population grew and doubled by

4675-520: The mid-1970s, following successful challenges by highway opponents . The right-of-way between South Frontage Road and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (originally North Frontage Road) in New Haven to Route 10 was preserved for a future extension of the connector past Route 10 to rejoin the existing Route 34 at a signalized intersection west of Route 122 in Orange . A small portion of

4760-704: 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

4845-613: 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

4930-604: The northern shore of Long Island Sound and is part of the New York City metropolitan area . With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census , New Haven is the third largest city in Connecticut after Bridgeport and Stamford , the largest city in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region , and the principal municipality of Greater New Haven , which had a total population of 864,835 in 2020. Prior to 1960, it

5015-536: The northern side of town; the east central neighborhoods of Mill River and Wooster Square , an Italian-American neighborhood; Fair Haven , an immigrant community located between the Mill and Quinnipiac rivers; Quinnipiac Meadows and Fair Haven Heights across the Quinnipiac River; and facing the eastern side of the harbor, The Annex and East Shore (or Morris Cove). The U.S. Census Bureau reports

5100-594: The old roadbed remains in use as a driveway to and from the Air Rights Garage. Eastbound traffic was officially rerouted to Legion Avenue in 2018. The entire route is in New Haven , New Haven County . All exits are unnumbered. Connecticut Route 8 Route 8 is a 67.36-mile (108.41 km) state highway in Connecticut that runs north–south from Bridgeport , through Waterbury , all

5185-427: The original highway would be reused as a driveway to and from the Air Rights Garage, allowing commuters to reach the Air Rights Garage while avoiding traffic on College and Church streets. The segment of the Oak Street Connector east of Orange Street was retained as a freeway stub connecting the new frontage streets with the I-91/I-95 interchange, which itself was also rebuilt from 2011 to 2016. The remaining stub includes

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5270-541: The original theocratic nature of the city. The Green remains the social center of the city today. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1970. Downtown New Haven , occupied by nearly 7,000 residents, has a more residential character than most downtowns. The downtown area provides about half of the city's jobs and half of its tax base and in recent years has become filled with dozens of new upscale restaurants, in addition to shops and thousands of apartments and condominium units which subsequently help overall growth of

5355-407: The others likewise elsewhere in New England. In 1664, New Haven became part of the Connecticut Colony when the two colonies were merged under political pressure from England. Seeking to establish a new theocracy elsewhere, some members of the New Haven Colony went on to establish Newark, New Jersey . New Haven was made co- capital of Connecticut in 1701, a status it retained until 1873. In 1716,

5440-411: The past, including 1938 Hurricane ( Long Island Express ), Hurricane Carol in 1954, Hurricane Gloria in 1985. The hardiness zone is 7a. New Haven has a long tradition of urban planning and a purposeful design for the city's layout. The city could be argued to have some of the first preconceived layouts in the country. Upon founding, New Haven was laid out in a grid plan of nine square blocks;

5525-420: The planned freeway extension that was built in Orange during the 1980s was used as a commuter parking lot for more than two decades, but now serves as part of an access road for the Yale-New Haven Health Regional Operations Center. During Connecticut's budget crisis of 2002, the State of Connecticut sold off land acquired for numerous planned expressways throughout the state, including land set aside for extending

5610-463: The population were living below the poverty line , including 32.2% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over. It is estimated that 14% of New Haven residents are pedestrian commuters, ranking it number four by highest percentage in the United States. This is primarily due to New Haven's small area and the presence of Yale University . New Haven is noted for having the highest percentage of Italian American residents of any US city, and

5695-484: The population. Non-Hispanic Whites were 31.8% of the population in 2010, down from 69.6% in 1970. The city's Latino population is growing rapidly. Previous influxes among ethnic groups have been African-Americans in the postwar era, and Irish, Italian and (to a lesser degree) Slavic peoples in the prewar period. As of the 2010 census, of the 47,094 households, 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.5% include married couples living together, 22.9% had

5780-464: The portion north of Torrington was known as the Still River Turnpike chartered in 1815; the portion between Seymour and Naugatuck was known as the Humphreysville and Salem Turnpike chartered in 1825. In 1922, the six New England states began a region-wide highway numbering system . The trunk highway from Stratford through Waterbury to the Massachusetts state line became part of the multi-state New England Route 8 . Route 8 remained unchanged in

5865-541: The project is reported to be Montreal in Canada. Train speeds between will reportedly exceed 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) and increase both cities' rail traffic exponentially. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 20.1 square miles (52.1 km ), of which 18.7 square miles (48.4 km ) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.7 km ), 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

5950-464: 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

6035-505: The road returns to its winding semi-rural nature, passing through Watertown and Thomaston . In the latter city, U.S. Route 6 (US 6) briefly overlaps for about a mile. The highway then continues through Litchfield and Harwinton . After a brief suburban section through Torrington where it intersects US 202 and Route 4 , it returns to a rural freeway before entering the town of Winchester . The freeway section of Route 8 ends at US 44 and Route 183 in Winsted . After

6120-523: The signers of the Constitution and author of the " Connecticut Compromise ", became the new city's first mayor. The city struck fortune in the late 18th century with the inventions and industrial activity of Eli Whitney , a Yale graduate who remained in New Haven to develop the cotton gin and establish a gun-manufacturing factory in the northern part of the city near the Hamden town line. That area

6205-470: The split between Routes 8 and 25, the road expands to six, eight, and even ten lanes. Route 8 continues northeastward into Trumbull where there is an interchange with the Merritt Parkway . From Trumbull, it briefly enters Stratford before entering Shelton passing by several exits providing access to business parks. It then crosses the Housatonic River and continues into Derby . After

6290-456: The start of the 20th century, most notably due to the influx of immigrants from southern Europe, particularly Italy. Today, roughly half the populations of East Haven, West Haven, and North Haven are Italian-American . Jewish immigration to New Haven has left an enduring mark on the city. Westville was the center of Jewish life in New Haven, though today many have fanned out to suburban communities such as Woodbridge and Cheshire. Lowell House ,

6375-470: The surrounding communities. CTDOT has not announced a renumbering schedule to mile-based exit numbers on Route 25. The "NEW EXIT NUMBERS" shown below are not confirmed, but potential numbers for when the switch to mile-based exit numbers does occur. New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut , United States. It is located on New Haven Harbor on

6460-407: The town sent its first fully loaded ship of local goods (the "Great Shippe") back to England. It never reached its destination, and its disappearance hindered New Haven's development as compared to the rising trade powers of Boston and New Amsterdam (modern day New York ). In 1660, Colony founder John Davenport's wishes were fulfilled, and Hopkins School was founded in New Haven with money from

6545-589: The trial of mutineering Mende tribesmen being transported as slaves on the Spanish slaveship Amistad was held in New Haven's United States District Court . There is a statue of Joseph Cinqué , the informal leader of the slaves, beside City Hall. See "Museums" below for more information. Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech on slavery in New Haven in 1860, shortly before he secured the Republican nomination for President . The American Civil War boosted

6630-469: The way to the Massachusetts state line where it continues as Massachusetts Route 8 . Most of the highway is a four-lane freeway but the northernmost 8.8 miles (14.2 km) is a two-lane surface road. Route 8 begins at Interstate 95 (I-95) exit 27A in Bridgeport. The first 3.75 miles (6.04 km) through Bridgeport runs concurrently with the freeway portion of Route 25 . Approaching

6715-543: The weather is typically hot and humid, with average temperatures exceeding 80 °F (27 °C) on 70 days per year. In summer, the Bermuda High creates as southern flow of warm and humid air, with frequent (but brief) thundershowers. October to early December is normally mild to cool late in the season, while early spring (April) can be cool to warm. Winters are more variable, with cool to cold temperatures, mixed with warmer spells, with both rain and snow fall. While

6800-443: The weather patterns that affect New Haven result from a primarily offshore direction, thus reducing the marine influence of Long Island Sound, the location on Long Island Sound often influences the weather along the coastline compared to inland. During summer heat waves, temperatures may reach 95 °F (35 °C) or higher on occasion with heat-index values of over 100 °F (38 °C). Tropical cyclones have struck New Haven in

6885-640: The world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization and a Fortune 1000 company, is headquartered in New Haven. Amphenol , based in Greater New Haven ( Wallingford ), is a Fortune 100 company. Eight Courant 100 companies are based in Greater New Haven, with four headquartered in New Haven proper. New Haven-based companies traded on stock exchanges include NewAlliance Bank , the second largest bank in Connecticut and fourth-largest in New England (NYSE: NAL), Higher One Holdings (NYSE: ONE),

6970-444: Was 29 years, which was significantly lower than the national average. There were 91.8 males per 100 females. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 29,604, and the median income for a family was $ 35,950. Median income for males was $ 33,605, compared with $ 28,424 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 16,393. About 20.5% of families and 24.4% of

7055-507: Was built in stages from the late 1940s through the early 1960s; and the 5-mile section through Naugatuck, which was built in the 1950s. Both of these segments include narrow cross-sections, tight curve radii, and closely spaced interchanges that do not meet current interstate standards. Because these segments wind their way through the urban centers of Shelton, Derby, Seymour and Naugatuck on elevated viaducts, upgrading (or bypassing) these segments would be costly and cause significant disruption to

7140-434: Was the county seat of New Haven County until the county governments were abolished that year. New Haven was one of the first planned cities in the U.S. A year after its founding by English Puritans in 1638, eight streets were laid out in a four-by-four grid , creating the "Nine Square Plan". The central common block is the New Haven Green , a 16-acre (6 ha) square at the center of Downtown New Haven . The Green

7225-416: Was transferred to the more centrally located city of Hartford . New Haven has since billed itself as the "Cultural Capital of Connecticut" for its supply of established theaters, museums, and music venues. New Haven had the first public tree planting program in the U.S., producing a canopy of mature trees (including some large elms ) that gave the city the nickname "The Elm City". Before Europeans arrived,

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