In Northeast, a city's tale of turnaround

Several cities have followed the lead of Providence, known for its aggressive strategy of transforming its center during the 1980s and '90s. In New Haven, for one, developers are refurbishing old buildings into apartments with the hope of bringing into the city's center more Yale University employees.

Indeed, New Haven clearly emphasizes its downtown. The city has opened up an information center, and "Downtown Ambassadors" patrol the streets, eager to share information with passersby.

But while brightly colored maps available at the information center advertise downtown businesses, documents on the immigrant neighborhood of Fair Haven are nowhere to be found.

Yet the city's population increase might have as much to do with neighborhoods like Fair Haven as it does with efforts at attracting young professionals and empty nesters. Over the past five years, the number of immigrants from Mexico and Ecuador has exploded, those familiar with the neighborhood say.

In fact, increasing Latino immigration is a primary factor in many of these cities' population gains. Immigrants have sought out these places because of the better job market.

"Some of them actually came directly from New York City, and they said the jobs in Connecticut are more plentiful. And the pay is the same, if not better," says Kica Matos, executive director of Junta for Progressive Action, a New Haven nonprofit. "And the living conditions are much better than in New York," she adds.

Many of the immigrants come to Fair Haven directly from Mexico, often from the same two towns, Matos says. Some employers recruit Mexican immigrants to come to the city, often to work in landscaping jobs, says Jacqueline Olvera, a sociology professor at Connecticut College in New London.

With the influx of residents, Fair Haven's main artery, Grand Avenue, is attracting new businesses, particularly Mexican restaurants and food markets as well as money-order services.

"In the 1980s, there was a growing number of gangs in Fair Haven, and people were afraid to come to Grand Avenue," Ms. Matos says. "That is no longer the case. People are actually walking on Grand Avenue, as opposed to pulling over, getting their wares, and driving away quickly."

Despite the recent population growth, New Haven and other mid-size Northeastern cities still face significant problems. Nearly a quarter of New Haven residents live in poverty, and Hartford, Conn.; Providence; and Newark have even larger percentages of poor citizens. While many new immigrants find jobs, many longtime residents struggle to retain work.

And the immigrant boom brings its own problems. Matos says she recently discovered 10 men and an infant crammed into a two-bedroom apartment.

Still, many hope that a changing attitude will become an important first step in promoting business as well as a broader city revival.

Jennifer McTiernan, who launched a farmers' market in New Haven last year and has since expanded it to four neighborhoods, remembers the farmers' initial reluctance at coming into the city to do business.

"The first market I had, I had to twist people's arms ... to get those first farmers there," she says. "We opened at 7 a.m. By noon, everyone was sold out."

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