Welcome! I moved from OK to New Haven around 5 years ago. New Haven’s a great town, is there a reason why you don’t want to live in NH Proper? I felt it was a good “transition city” and not a huge shock coming from the south. East rock, Wooster Square, and Westville are the great neighborhoods to be in. I think some other good towns you could consider are milford, Woodbridge, hamden, guilford, and these seem to be more “family” towns than to someone who is young and single (if that’s you). I can’t speak to the community aspects of those towns, but I’ve spent some time in each and have found charm in all of them. You would definitely need a car if you were to live outside of New Haven. For nearby hiking theres of course east rock, west rock and sleeping giant. Popular beaches are Hammonasset state park in Madison or Silver Sands in Milford. New Haven has a ton of entertainment at College St Music hall / Westville Music Bowl if that’s your thing. Food and drink are really great, but honestly too many to list!