Settled in 1648, West Haven (then known as West Farms) was a part of the original New Haven Colony. It remained a part of New Haven until 1822; however, it wasn’t until 1961 that the town was incorporated, making it the youngest town in Connecticut. Today, it is home to just over 52,000 residents. Nancy R. Rossi, elected in 2017, is West Haven’s first female mayor. West Haven has 3.5 miles of publicly accessible beaches, which is one-quarter of the publicly accessible beaches in Connecticut. A boardwalk along the miles of coastline allows for biking and walking.
West Haven was home to the now closed Savin Rock Amusement Park, which began in the late 19th century as a regionally renowned seaside resort. It evolved into a general amusement park in the 20th century and eventually closed in 1966. The park ran along the west side of New Haven Harbor beachfront and is today a walk and bike path. The path is part of the East Coast Greenway. Several restaurants remain as last reminders of the area including Jimmies, Turk’s of Savin Rock, both for their seafood and split hot dogs, and Mike’s Apizza & Restaurant.
West Haven was the former home to Bayer Pharmaceuticals North America until the plant was closed in 2006. The 137-acre campus was acquired by Yale University and is being used for biotechnology and other life sciences research.
The West Haven train station provides plenty of parking and a fast connection to Stamford and New York, as well as the Connecticut shoreline communities.