New Haven is a great town. I'm not sure why everyone's telling you to only consider the most expensive neighborhoods and suburbs. If you're single and young you will find good people living all over the city. There's also alot of slum lords, so beware. That's probably the worst aspect of renting. And rent is not cheap anywhere around here . East rock is getting really expensive these days. Wooster square is great, but also pricey. Spot of areas are sprawling. Edgewood and West river are probably the most affordable and right between downtown and westville. There's parts of westville and beaver hills near southern where there are affordable apartments and houses as well. alot of little neighborhoods all over the city worth looking into. It depends on what you're going for, can adapt to, and afford.