New Haven is located in the South Central Region of the US State of Connecticut. It is the 3rd largest municipality in the entire state of Connecticut, and as of a 2000 census estimate, New Haven has a population of 124,001. The New Haven County that the area belongs to, has a population has around 846,766 people. It was settled in 1638 and was incorporated as a city in 1784. In 1895, New Haven was consolidated.

A year after its founding, New Haven was the site of the construction of eight new streets that were laid out in a grid-like pattern. The city is nicknamed as the 'Elm City' because the first public tree planting program in America was conducted in New Haven. The program resulted in the production of a canopy of mature trees, which included Elms.

New Haven is also an important educational area in the United States because it is the home of Yale University.