The history of Fair Haven centers largely on its geography. The area is surrounded on three sides by water: the Quinnipiac River on one side, the Mill River on the other, and New Haven harbor to the south. The Quinnipiac tribe inhabited Fair Haven prior to the arrival of European settlers. The natural bounty of the area, with its 'endless' supply of oysters, encouraged them to settle on the coastline of Fair Haven. War with neighboring tribes and years of poor harvests weakened the tribe and they easily gave their land to English colonists. At first, the settlers used Fair Haven for agricultural purposes; it was only the last part of the 17th century that people started living there. When a bridge was built over the Quinnipiac River in 1791, the woodlands of Fair Haven became more accessible to New Haveners and a surge of land acquisition ensued.
By the 1800's, the oyster industry was in full swing, with most of the residents of Fair Haven involved in some aspect of the fishery. The industry was so successful in Fair Haven that related businesses began to spring up around it, such as factories to produce the barrels in which oysters were shipped as far as Europe. Shipbuilding was another important industry with large shipyards on both sides of the Quinnipiac River. The demand for oysters began to outstrip the supply and by the 1870's so many oysters had been scraped from the bottom of the river that the industry's best days had come and gone. At the time of the Civil War, demand for war materials spurred shifts in production from consumer goods to munitions. It also led to a dramatic increase in population; in the 1860's alone, ten thousand people migrated to New Haven. At that point, Yankee ancestors still prevailed in Fair Haven, but it was soon to be outnumbered by a flood of immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Poland, Russia, and Italy. Immigration to the prosperous area fueled a land boom and construction flourished. By the twentieth century, Fair Haven was no longer dependent on the oyster trade and had changed from a fishing village to an industrial center with carriage factories, foundries, and other large commercial ventures. The residential population was no longer located along the banks of the rivers, but towards the center of the peninsula. Water-dependent industries now dominated those previously residential areas. Immigration continued; indeed, many immigrants were lured to Fair Haven by the prospect of work in such factories as Rolling Mill, the American Steel and Wire Company, United Illuminating and the National Box Folding Company. General patterns of employment were such that the Yankees continued in the oyster trade. By 1930, the population of Fair Haven was 23,960 with the west side of the village comprised largely of immigrants and the east side made up primarily of descendants of the original settlers. Fair Haven has long been a staging area for new immigrants who arrive there and move to surrounding areas when they become upwardly mobile.
By the 1950's much of the manufacturing base of Fair Haven had diminished and many of the once handsome residential neighborhoods had decayed. Only two oyster companies remained in operation and far fewer working industries lined the shores of Fair Haven. At this time, the population of the area changed once again. As one historian described "When federally funded projects in the center of New Haven disrupted traditional ethnic and racial sections, blacks and Hispanic people were forced to move. Many of them retreated to Fair Haven."
In the 60's and 70's, Fair Haven, like many eastern cities, was targeted for "urban renewal," which included the construction of federally funded housing projects and various other government programs designed to revitalize the area. At this time Interstate 95 was built, which displaced many New Haven residents; a large percentage of those forced to move were minority groups. In addition, immigration, largely from Latin America, reshaped the residential population. The Hispanic tradition of community organizing led to the creation of a number of grassroots groups that became (and still are) active agents for social change in Fair Haven.
In the 1980's there was another cycle of renew, and the population of Fair Haven grew once again as young professionals began moving into the area, but the process didn't last long. With the recession in the late 1980's Fair Haven was hit especially hard. Much of the middle class population moved to the suburbs decreasing the stability of the area and setting the scene for other social disturbances. It is important to remember that many groups have landed and moved through Fair Haven in the last three centuries.
The total population south of the Grand Ave. Bridge is 4,909. The Fair Haven population is notably young; the median age in the area is 29.6 years. Approximately one-third of the population south of Grand is below eighteen. People 65 years and older represent 12% of the total. The dependency ratio, which measures people with income generating potential (between the ages of 18 and 65) compared to those who are generally dependent on them (under 18 and over 65), is 42% for the area south of Grand, as opposed to 36% for all of New Haven.
Fair Haven is mixed socio-economically. While there are pockets of affluence, most neighborhoods are made up of middle to low-income households. Census data for the area south of Grand Avenue indicate that unemployment is around 13%, the average income per capita is $10,874, and 27.5% of the population lives below the poverty level. The high dependency of Fair Haven, along with the unemployment data, suggests that there is great pressure on the resources in the community as well as on families.
Fair Haven is a very racially diverse area. The Hispanic community is large and growing and represents approximately 35% of the population. The total minority population south of Grand is 42.5%. There seem to be relatively few racial tensions in Fair Haven and the community appears to be divided more along social-economic lines than racial lines. Fair Haven residents frequently cite the diversity of their neighborhood as a benefit. Churches, synagogues and mosques are vital to any community's foundation and there are numerous religions institutions in Fair Haven. Both the Catholic and Pentecostal churches are strong in the community and the majority of community residents seem to attend one church or another on a regular basis.