Milford Connecticut "The Small City With A Big Heart"  

Milford is “A Small City with a Big Heart!” The 50,000 residents of Milford make up Connecticut’s sixth-oldest town, and here you can find modern-day life elegantly blended with New England charm. Wind your way back in history as you follow the Wepawaug River past settlements dating back to the mid-1600s, memorials honoring heroes of the past, Victorian Inns, and, in the center of town, the magnificent town green—one of the largest in New England.  

Along with its historical past, Milford in the present is home to varied arts and music festivals, and offers ample recreation opportunities. With seventeen miles of coastline, you can enjoy water sports on the Long Island Sound. During the summer, enjoy the concerts in Fowler Field, with music ranging from swing, to rock, to blues, to jazz. The much-anticipated Milford Oyster Festival offers entertainment for all—with a classic car show, children’s rides and games, races, music, and of course, delicious local food. You can also enjoy a visit to one of the five beaches in the area, or visit the Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center (where more than 300 of the 399 birds known to Connecticut have been observed). The fall and winter months boast the Holiday Festival of Lights on the town green, as well as a Halloween parade. Need a “big city” experience? Drive one hour to the south and you’re in New York City! 

Along with these many cultural attractions, Milford’s vibrant economy, varied housing options, and friendly neighbors, make it a place to call home. 

LOCATION
Milford is located on Long Island Sound in south central Connecticut, 60 miles northeast of New York City and 150 miles southwest of Boston. Interstate 95 serves vehicle access to Milford, along with Route 15 (the Merritt/Wilbur Cross Parkway), and U.S. Highway 1 (Boston Post Road). New Haven is only about 10 miles to the northeast of Milford. 

TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS
Milford residents enjoy many transportation options. For international air travel, JFK and LaGuardia airports in New York are within an hour and a half’s drive away. Bradley International Airport in Connecticut is also nearby. Local airports include Tweed-New Haven, and Westchester County Airport.  

MetroNorth and Amtrak train service is accessible through Milford’s conveniently located downtown train station. It's only a short commute to Grand Central Station N.Y.C.. Local bus service is available through the Milford Transit District. Boaters can enjoy a commute via sea through the Long Island Sound to New York. 

BRIEF HISTORY
On February 1, 1639, the area now known as Milford was purchased from Ansantawae, chief of the Paugusset Tribe. Some “rich” history of the area includes a buried treasure that is said to exist on an island the Native Americans called Poquahaug, one mile off the coast. This is no surprise, as the Connecticut coast is said to have been a hiding place for Captain Kidd and other pirates. 

Milford started out as a mostly agrarian community, although its economy also grew through shipbuilding, oystering, and trade due to its location on the sea. The leather industry also grew in Milford during the early 1900s. 

Milford has much history in the making of the country. In the late 1700s, during the Revolutionary War, Fort Trumbull was built to provide protection for the troops, and George Washington even spent some time there. During the Civil War, Milford served as one of the stops on the Underground Railroad. During World War II, Norden, Milford Rivet, U.S. Motors, and Edgecomb Steel opened plants in the Milford area to support the war. 

The population of Milford grew after World War II, as the New Haven suburb of Milford became a prime location for GIs and their families. In 1960, the area became easily accessible with the completion of I-95, and development boomed and continued on an upward slope until the 1980s. The present population of Milford is now around 50,000 people, with over 2,000 businesses. 

ABOUT EDUCATION
With personalized education opportunities and low student-to-teacher ratios, Milford students continue to score above average on standardized tests. The Milford School District serves local children and teens with nine elementary, three middle, and three high schools, including one for alternative education. Educational opportunities for adults include varied courses (everything from gardening, to cooking, to finance, to computer classes) offered through the Milford Adult Education program; dance classes and recreational opportunities (including team sports and leagues), are also offered through the local recreation department. Only a short 10-mile drive away in New Haven is a nexus of research and education—Yale University. 

New Haven, Connecticut 

Best known as the home of Yale University, New Haven, known as the “Elm City” for its historic abundance of Elm trees, is the second-largest city in Connecticut with more than 123,000 people.  

Outdoor and cultural activities abound for residents of New Haven—given its location on the Long Island Sound, and its close proximity to New York City.  

With the Yale University campus and facilities, the residents of New Haven benefit from its many museums, research facilities, and arts programs. The museums in the area include the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (which contains an original copy of the Gutenberg Bible), the Peabody Museum of Natural History, the Yale Center for British Art, and the Yale University Art Gallery. The university also has an active theater company, and hosts music concerts throughout the year. Also in the area are various world-class medical facilities and hospitals including Yale-New Haven Hospital, Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital, and the Hospital of Saint Raphael. 

There’s something for every one of New Haven’s more than 123,000 residents to do—whether it be the arts, music, education, outdoor sports and boating, or a quick trip to the cultural Mecca of New York! 

LOCATION
The city of New Haven is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern coast of Long Island sound, in New Haven County. Interstates 91 and 95 intersect at New Haven, and provide easy vehicle access to New York and other parts of New England. Route 34 (Oak Street Connector) runs through the city and connects to the I-95/I-91 interchange. Generally considered to be part of the greater New York metropolitan area, New Haven’s cultural influence contains both that of New York and New England. 

TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS
New Haven is connected to locales throughout the northeast via both intercity rail (Amtrak) and commuter rail (Metro-North Railroad). New Haven Union station, the city’s primary rail station, serves Metro-North trains to New York, commuter trains to Old Saybrook, and Amtrak trains to New York, Boston, and Springfield, Massachusetts.  

US Airways and Delta Airlines provide daily service to 126 cities from the local Tweed-New Haven Airport. For international air travel, or for destinations beyond the east coast, New Haven residents often leave from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, or JFK or LaGuardia Airports in New York.  

BRIEF HISTORY
New Haven was originally the home of the Quinnipiac tribe of Native Americans, who fished and farmed maize in the area. In the spring of 1638, Reverend John Davenport and London merchant Theophilus Eaton, along with 500 Puritans, left Massachusetts Bay Colony in search of a locale to establish a better theological community. They were attracted to the harbor and its potential port capabilities, and made an agreement to purchase the land from the Quinnipiacs, who needed protection from the neighboring Pequot tribe. 

By 1640 the town was renamed Newhaven from Quinnipiac, and it soon became the headquarters of the New Haven Colony, which at that time was separate from the Connecticut Colony based out of Hartford in the north. In 1644, under pressure from England, New Haven Colony merged with the Connecticut Colony. Originally an agricultural town, Yale University’s relocation in 1718 from Old Saybrook changed New Haven into a center of education and research. In 1784 New Haven was incorporated as a city.  

Much history is found in New Haven—from the inventions of the cotton gin and the Colt revolver, to the trial held in New Haven’s court of the Mendi tribesmen from the slave ship Amistad. 

At present, New Haven an attractive locale for research and educational businesses because of its connection with Yale; and the abundance of educational opportunities draw young people to the area from around the world.  

ABOUT EDUCATION
Higher education in the New Haven area is in abundance. Yale University, which is a center for education and research in many different fields, is the heart of the city. Other educational facilities include Southern Connecticut State University, Albertus Magnus College, the University of New Haven (located in the neighboring city of West Haven), Quinnipiac University (located north in Hamden), and Gateway Community College. 

New Haven public schools serve a diverse population of more than 20,000 students, with twenty-nine elementary, nine middle, four transitional, and seven high schools. More than 1,600 teachers are on staff, with close to half of them with an average of 15 years of experience, and 80% with a master’s degree or higher. 

West Haven, Connecticut 

Pretty West Haven hugs the New Haven Harbor and the shoreline of Long Island Sound, and its residents enjoy ample recreational pursuits, from boating in summer, sledding and skating in winter; from bird watching in spring to glorious woodland walks in fall.  

Known for its excellent parks system, West Haven is one of the best places in Connecticut to spot rare shorebirds; the shoreline is on the migratory path for some of the east coast’s most endangered bird species. Designated an “important birding area” by Audubon Connecticut, Sandy Point is a great place to visit and is highlighted on the new Connecticut Coastal Birding Trail. 

Home to the University of New Haven, West Haven offers superb educational opportunities and is home to an intelligent and well informed population. 

West Haven’s historic downtown district is minutes from the shore and close to the lovely Bradley Point Park, which is a popular picnic spot.  

LOCATION
West Haven is in New Haven County, about 60 miles east of New York City, and 40 miles south of Hartford.  

New Haven is directly north and east of West Haven, and Long Island Sound is to the south; Milford is about 12 miles west. 

Interstates 95 and 91 feed into West Haven from the north and east respectively; running southwest to Milford, Bridgeport, Stamford and New York, these interstates lead to the primary New England centers. Route 162 journeys west/east across West Haven and links with these interstates. 

TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS
With the Tweed-New Haven Airport just six miles away, residents find the rest of the east coast easily accessible. Connecting flights to New York’s major international airports (LaGuardia and JFK) bring the world to the doorstep. 

Intercity (Amtrak) and commuter rail (Metro-North Railroad) services running from neighboring New Haven run into New York, Boston, and Springfield, Massachusetts.  

BRIEF HISTORY
When the first English settlers arrived in the West Haven area in the mid-1640s, they found it home to the Quinnipiac, who were masters at fishing and farming the local environment. The Puritans bought the land from the Quinnipiac in the late 1630s. 

The region was part of the agricultural settlement of New Haven until 1719, when the separate parish of West Haven was formed. In 1822, it joined with North Milford to become the Town of Orange, only to become West Haven once more when it incorporated in 1921. 

Many charming parks, streets and houses remain from West Haven’s early days. On National Register of Historic Places, the Ward-Heitmann House is the oldest, and has been lovingly restored as a museum; each room is furnished in the style of a different time period, in honor of the families who lived in it at different times.  

ABOUT EDUCATION
The West Haven School District administers the city’s eight elementary schools, two middle schools and single high school. There are several private Christian schools in West Haven, and the Notre Dame boy’s school is renowned. 

Higher education opportunities abound in this college town, not only at the University of New Haven, but at nearby Yale University, in New Haven. The Baran Institute of Technology and the Connecticut Institute of Technology are also in West Haven. 

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