DRAGON, FARMES, THE NECK, LITTLE PUERTO RICO, FAIRSIDE. These are just a few of the nicknames that have been given to today’s Fair Haven area in beautiful New Haven. Fair Haven is a neighborhood in the eastern part of New Haven, located between the Mill and Quinnipiac rivers. It is located about 2 miles east of Downtown. On the east and south it is surrounded by the Quinnipiac River, and on the west by the Mill River.The main streets that run through Fair Haven are Grand Avenue, Blatchley Avenue, and Ferry Street.

Walking through Fair Haven you can easily point out the diversity. Today Fair Haven’s population is mainly Hispanic and African American, but also consists of Asians and Caucasians. It was during the mid-1960s that Fair Haven’s population began to diversify. As of 2000, there were a total of 13,753 people living in Fair Haven, and approximitely 4,724 homes. Walking down Grand Avenue you can see where the nickname “Little Puerto Rico” comes from, with the Puerto Rican Flag plastered to the walls of many buildings and hanging from almost every store.

Fair Haven is a combination of new and old. Many of the homes date back to the early 1900s, while others are as recent as 2000. Many of the schools in Fair Haven have been newly renovated, such as Fair Haven Middle School or newly built like the Clinton Avenue School. Both of the schools look extremely beautiful; Fair Haven Middle has a brand new auditorium and Clinton Avenue School has an entirely new building.

All around Fair Haven you can see many youth hanging around or playing ball at the park. Many corner stores, like Appicella's Bakery, and D'Amato's Seafood, are selling products to their loyal customers. You can also see many of the children getting out of school and running up to give their parents or siblings a hug after a long day.

Fair Haven has had many improvements throughout the years of its existence. Since its major development, beginning in the early 1900’s, Fair Haven has drastically changed. The population has become more diverse and many new businesses have come along, like El Jibaro Hair Cuts. Some bad changes have been made, like closing the Ferry Street bridge and increasing traffic accidents, and some good like renovating public housing and apartment complexes, but it all has mostly been done for the improvement of the city. Many of the public housing projects that have been renovated, such as Quinnipiac Terrace, have been redone beautifully. Now not only families with low income can live there, but families with high income as well.

Above all else, when you walk through Fair Haven, you can feel the close family-like bonds. Everyone knows someone, whether it’s their neighbor next door or someone who lives two blocks down. No matter what they always look out for one another and make sure that everyone is okay. You can automatically see the closeness of the residents in Fair Haven with one another as soon as you walk by. Compared to other areas in New Haven known for violence, it’s nice to walk through a relatively diverse neighborhood where so many people can get along.

- Justine Case