Living and Working in Connecticut

From rural pastures and breathtaking autumnal colors to cities alive with excitement and entertainment, the State of Connecticut is a beautiful and exhilarating place to live. The landscape's beauty is unrivaled, and Connecticut's scenic roads provide visitors a chance to explore sea-side towns and farming villages, historic sites and more.

The communities in the Greater New Haven area, where Quinnipiac University is located, have much to offer, too—from world-class shopping in downtown New Haven to hundreds of restaurants throughout our community, offering every type of cuisine imaginable. You'll also find a dynamic fine arts community, with many local museums and art galleries, including:

• Barker Character, Comic & Cartoon Museum
• Eli Whitney Museum
• Jepp Brook Early Millsite
• Peabody Museum of Natural History
• Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale
• Yale Center for British Arts
• Yale University Art Gallery

Living in Connecticut provides you quick and easy access to other cities along the Eastern Seaboard. From the New Haven area, you are four hours from Washington D.C., two hours from Boston and 90 minutes from New York City. Our location allows you to choose the area and lifestyle that suits you and your family.

Quinnipiac University is located in charming Hamden, Connecticut, right outside of New Haven. Hamden and New Haven are both accessible by the Wilbur Cross Parkway, affording easy access to Hartford to the north and New York City and its metropolitan area to the south. Interstate 91, a north-south interstate, leads you through many of New Haven County's other picturesque suburbs, while Interstate 95 runs through New Haven and is a major artery. By train, The Metro North Commuter Rail provides easy access to New York City and Amtrak gives access to cities along the Northeastern Seaboard.

From the bustling downtown areas of New Haven, Stamford and Hartford to the more suburban communities of Shelton and Fairfield and the quiet New England charm of Guilford and the shoreline communities, you'll find our area of Connecticut a great place to call home.

New Haven County is home to many charming, up-and-coming neighborhoods and offers a wonderful blend of urban and suburban lifestyles. Whether you are looking for an exciting city with vibrant nightlife or the ideal place to raise a family-or even a combination of the two-you'll find it here. In the city of New Haven, for example, you'll find great shopping by day and exciting music and theater venues by night. Plus, a number of family-centered neighborhoods are only a short walk from the New Haven Green.

Working and living in Quinnipiac's home town of Hamden-located right outside metropolitan New Haven-gives you much in the way of choices, too. It's one of the reasons Hamden was named among the"100 Best Communities for Young People" by America's Promise Alliance in 2011 and why CNN and Money magazine consistently name Hamden among their "Best Places to Live."

From miles of parks and hiking trails to kayaking and boating along the Long Island Sound, Connecticut is an outdoor lover's paradise. The Mount Carmel campus is situated directly across from the fabled Sleeping Giant State Park, a favored destination for hikers across the area. There are hundreds of parks and recreational facilities throughout our state-many of them close to home. Take in a round of golf at our public and private golf courses or take a quick drive to the coast and take in the sun along the Connecticut shoreline.

You'll find Connecticut a great place for armchair athletes, too. Our colleges and universities offer quite a local rivalry, and Connecticut serves as a battleground for Boston and New York sports fans.

Connecticut offers a plethora of performing arts centers around the state, providing easy access to both a night out and educational opportunities. From cabaret theaters, symphony orchestras, ballet companies and opera, Connecticut seems to have a performing arts center around every corner. Hartford offers nine performing arts centers alone, including The Bushnell and The Hartford Stage, while other stages are peppered throughout Connecticut. No area in Connecticut, however, rivals what the New Haven area has to offer.

Considered to be the cultural capital of Connecticut, the city of New Haven has two nationally recognized repertory theaters, is home to the Shubert Center for the Performing Arts, Long Wharf Theatre and Broadway Touring Show and boasts three symphony orchestras. And, for those who would rather get in on the action, Quinnipiac University has an exclusive partnership with the Hamden Symphony Orchestra. This volunteer symphony features many of Quinnipiac's own faculty, administration and staff. For more than 40 years, the symphony has helped the Hamden community with music education through their young person's program.

Connecticut is known for their prestigious college preparatory schools such as The Hopkins School, Miss Porter's School for Girls and Choate-Rosemary Hall. Connecticut is also home to many of the country's oldest and most prestigious private universities, and The University of Connecticut has consistent standing as the highest ranked public university in New England.

Regional education options offer a prestige of their own. In addition to Quinnipiac University and Yale University, the entire New Haven area offers both private and public schools, offering a well-engaged and academically driven community. New Haven's public school system is nationally recognized for its tuition-free magnet-school program.

The Hamden community also boasts an excellent public school system, as well as eight private and parochial schools, two magnet schools and a technical high school. Both public and private schools have garnered national and international recognition for their excellence in the fine arts and use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.

From watching the sunrise over Long Island Sound to exploring the great outdoors, Connecticut has the ultimate weekend getaway for everyone. Connecticut's tourism website features 52 getaway plans, including specific packages for history buffs, families and couples looking to escape from it all. Plus, with everything close by, you won't be more than an hour or two away!