You are now entering the heart of the residential city: The Hill, one of the oldest neighborhoods in all of New Haven. You can feel the community within every building and every street corner, from Congress Avenue all the way down to Kimberly Avenue and beyond.

Life within this area never ceases. It is continuously bustling with business: sneakers being sold out of the barbershop, foods of all cultures mixing with the stench of car exhaust flowing with the breeze, the sounds of all dialects and nationalities adding to the plethora of ethnicity and community within the neighborhood.

These businesses within the Hill also bring customers, residents, and visitors to this section of New Haven. For example, The Boulevard Flea Market, located at 500 Ella T. Grasso Boulevard, has a variety of goods like clothing, sneakers, knives, chains, phones, video games, and much more. Places like Dairy Queen and McDonald’s have become unofficial hangout spots for the summertime, just like Mi Barberia Favorita is known for its fresh edge-ups, fades, and blowouts.

The flowing traffic of the streets running through the Hill adds a sort of poetic symmetry to atmosphere in the neighborhood. From the guys walking down the street scoping girls to the older ladies getting off the bus with their arms full of groceries, the constant flow of action and energy in the Hill is apparent. Renovations are constant in the Hill due to the massive flow of residents, and new houses are built wherever there is free space. This just goes to show how many people live their lives in this old section of New Haven.

The Hill isn’t the perfect community, however. There is crime there somewhat often, such as robberies, drug possession and abuse, and assaults. Also, shootings and rivalries/violence between local gangs break the calm peace within the neighborhood.

The Hill is one of the oldest sections in all of New Haven and it is still filled to the brim with different ethnicities, various cultures, and businesses that supply its neighbors. Yes, there is crime in this area, but the residential charm of the Hill gives you the sense that everything is safe there. The Hill may be the oldest, but it’s still alive and kickin’.

- Andrew Carrion