If your Match Day placement is bringing you to Yale New Haven Hospital—or any health care system—it’s time to find an apartment. Before you start looking for a new home, however, you’ll first want to decide where to live in New Haven. As you take in your National Resident Matching Program results, here’s some info to help you search for New Haven apartments.
Where should medical residents live in New Haven?
Proximity to work is a top factor for many medical residents choosing an apartment. Living in New Haven is the obvious choice for residents at Yale New Haven Hospital. The same goes for the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. It’s a 10-minute drive from downtown New Haven in the neighboring city of West Haven. Connecticut’s small size also means that hospitals in many of the state’s larger cities may be within commuting distance to New Haven. Hartford Hospital, for example is 45 minutes away via I-91. Midstate Medical Center in Meriden is even closer at 26 minutes. Waterbury Hospital is a 45-minute drive without highways.
Where are there apartments near Yale New Haven Hospital?
First, get your bearings. Yale New Haven Hospital has two campuses about a mile apart. The main one is just south of downtown. The St. Raphael’s hospital campus is west of downtown. Both are convenient to several neighborhoods and many New Haven apartments.
What are the best neighborhoods where medical residents find New Haven apartments?
New Haven is a city of neighborhoods. But a few are especially sought by people moving to New Haven from out of the area.
Westville is suburban-leaning neighborhood on the city’s west side. Landmarks include Yale Bowl, Edgewood Park and West Rock State Park. The neighborhood is mostly residential, but there’s a small Main Street-style commercial area known as Westville Village. Elsewhere, stately houses sit on tree-lined streets. Apartments, however, are less common. Keep in mind, though Westville is only a few miles from the center of town, downtowners say that it feels remote. You can’t walk to downtown or the hospitals from Westville. It’s a mostly car-dependent neighborhood.
Wooster Square, New Haven’s Little Italy, is another place where people look for New Haven apartments. On the plus side, this neighborhood has a lovely small park where cherry blossoms bloom in the spring. It’s also home to some of the country’s best pizza. However, it’s just far enough from downtown that a walk home at night can feel long. If you’re looking for a modern apartment there, you may come up sort. Options there are mainly converted houses or row houses rather than luxury apartments with full amenities.
The case for living in East Rock includes a vast namesake park, lots of coffee shops, and a strong neighborhood feeling. Many people also enjoy living among Yale’s graduate student community, which flocks to East Rock. On the downside, if you’re looking for a luxury apartment with modern conveniences, they are hard to come by here. East Rock apartments are mostly in multi-family Victorian and other older homes. These old houses are charming, but you may find their third-floor apartment less so without conditioning. You can have a car there, but most houses don’t include parking. Street parking, even with a required permit, can be tricky. It’s walkable to downtown, but not quickly. You might be in for a walk of 25 minutes or more.
For apartments near Yale New Haven Hospital, what about downtown New Haven?
Downtown has a lot to offer medical residents seeking apartments near Yale New Haven Hospital. For starters, there’s convenience. That’s in part why it’s often recommended to medical residents. Your apartment can be minutes away from Yale New Haven Hospital. (See this map to put it in perspective.) Live downtown and you won’t be spending time commuting. And if you’re commuting outside New Haven? Take a break from driving during your free time and walk to restaurants, entertainment, and whatever else you need. While New Haven is hardly a 24-hour city, downtown is where things are open later. That’s important when you need to get takeout after a late shift.
Downtown New Haven also has more choices for apartments generally. If you want a modern apartment—that is, one with new kitchens and bathrooms and open layouts—it’s your best bet. Want to avoid drafty windows or subpar laundry facilities? Downtown has more new apartment options. Ditto for small conveniences like staffed buildings with someone to sign for packages. If New Haven luxury apartments are what you’re after—top-notch gyms, roof decks, and luxe resident lounges—downtown is also where you’ll want to look.
Are they any downsides to downtown living? Depends what you’re after and where you live. You won’t have a backyard—but a rooftop green space might more than make up for it. Everyday street parking can be tough—but not if your apartment offers parking. Could it be a little louder than other parts of town? Maybe, but that’s how it is in lively city with lots to do.
Know the area to find your downtown New Haven apartment
Thought downtown New Haven is small by other cities’ standards, it still has defined districts. Ninth Square, Chapel West, “near the New Haven Green,” and “apartments near Yale University” are a few descriptions you might see in listings for downtown New Haven apartments. Ninth Square is the southeast part of downtown. Chapel West is, not surprisingly, on the west side and includes New Haven’s major commercial thoroughfare, Chapel Street. And the Green, New Haven’s historic town square, is the center of downtown. Yale’s undergrad campus, Old Campus, is also in the center of New Haven. But keep in mind that the graduate and professional schools are separate from the main campus. Yale Medical School, for instance, is to the south of downtown. This map explains.
The Whitney Audubon District, on the east side, is another distinct area of downtown. It’s also where our apartments, The Audubon New Haven, are located. What’s special about Whitney Audubon? For one, location. It’s the closest downtown address to both East Rock and Wooster Square. That means you have everything downtown nearby plus easy access to both Wooster Street pizza and East Rock neighborhood shops. Whitney Audubon also has a mix of surroundings. To one side are some of New Haven’s tallest buildings. To the other are historic homes of a smaller scale. In other words, it’s where you can find New Haven apartments with a variety of views.
Here’s more background on the area around The Audubon New Haven. First, the name. It’s named for two streets, Audubon Street and Whitney Avenue. Whitney Avenue, which stretches from downtown to East Rock, includes many notable homes. Audubon Street is just two blocks, one of which feels more like a courtyard than a street—a mini campus right in the city. That block is also home to several community arts institutions. This explains its alternate name, Audubon Arts District. There are also small shops and restaurants, particularly lunch places. And more restaurants are coming soon. Some will be in the same building as The Audubon New Haven apartments. It’s one of the many convenient things about living in downtown New Haven.
Photo: Audubon Street, the heart of the Whitney-Audubon District (a.k.a. the Audubon Arts District) in New Haven is a convenient option for people looking for apartments near Yale New Haven Hospital. This street is adjacent to The Audubon New Haven apartments.
