Near New Haven ’s heart, Dixwell is rich in Black history. It draws residents in with its active community and easy access to the rest of the city, including Downtown New Haven just over a mile away. Ongoing revitalization projects and bids to restore historic buildings continue Dixwell’s trajectory of growth.
Dixwell’s history has been its defining feature for decades — one that residents find great pride in. “It was where the first Black professionals went to,” says Olivia Martson, a Realtor on the Urban Team at Houlihan Lawrence who has sold homes here for about 20 years. “It was like New Haven’s Black Wall Street.” Dixwell is home to three historic Black churches, including the Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church and Varick Memorial Church. Both were founded in 1820, and both churches and their members’ homes later served as stops on the Underground Railroad. Another key location, The Monterey Jazz Club, hosted famous musicians like Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday in the 1950s; residents are campaigning to save the building, which has been vacant since 1991.
Past revitalization efforts have been successful. “There’s been a community effort that took years in the making to rebuild the Dixwell Q House,” says DiDi Strode, a Realtor and Martson’s partner on the Urban Team at Houlihan Lawrence who has also sold homes here for 20 years. “The library takes up part of it, they offer senior services and services for youth, they offer medical services.” Since its 2021 reopening, it’s become a cornerstone of life here, offering exercise and dancing classes and putting on community plays.
Even Dixwell’s biggest event, the Freddy Fixer Parade, contains echoes of the past. This annual event started in 1962 and marches down Dixwell Avenue to encourage community pride. It's one of the oldest Black American parades in the Northeast.
Many of Dixwell’s colonial homes were built around the turn of the 20th century. Multi-family homes with two to three units are most common and typically cost between the high $200,000s and high $500,000s. Dixwell’s handful of single-family homes start around the same price but usually peak in the low $300,000s, though a large, renovated home occasionally climbs into the high $500,000s. Dixwell's median sale price is in the high $200,000s, which is higher than the median in nearby Dwight but much lower than in Edgewood. Yale staff are often drawn here because of the university’s Homebuyer Program, which provides payments of up to $35,000 over 10 years to employees who purchase in Dixwell.
Children can attend New Haven Public Schools and choose in-zone schools like James Hillhouse High School. School choice also allows them to apply to magnet, charter or out-of-district schools, with a lottery-based acceptance system. Dixwell is about a mile from Yale University, Southern Connecticut State University and Albertus Magnus College.
Scantlebury Park is Dixwell’s most popular green space, and has an expansive play area with a splash pad, basketball and pickleball courts and a skatepark that opened in 2020. Other recreational spaces include:
Under a mile from Yale University and just over a mile to Downtown New Haven, walking and biking are popular ways to get around. “We’re loaded with bike lanes here,” Martson says. “You can scoot right down.” CTtransit buses have stops throughout Dixwell, and Martson notes that they’re free for college students. Driving downtown takes between five and 12 minutes, and access to Interstate 95 and 91 is on the downtown’s other side.
Ricky D's Rib Shack is a go-to in Dixwell for its ribs, brisket and pulled pork. “He’s been very popular,” says Susan Frew, a Realtor with Betsy Grauer Realty. “He used to be a food truck, and he has progressed.” Broadway is lined with restaurants like Sherkaan Indian Street Food and shops like The Yale Bookstore and Urban Outfitters, with more options downtown.
As part of ongoing revitalization, a $200 million mixed-used development broke ground across from the Q House in late 2024. Its first phase is set to bring:
Jennifer D'Amato
Real Broker CT, LLC
(475) 224-4727
130 Total Sales
5 in Dixwell
$345K - $600K Price Range
Ariel Edery
mygoodagent
(203) 945-1348
164 Total Sales
1 in Dixwell
$280,000 Price
Amy Rio
Executive Real Estate Inc.
(860) 321-8567
1,125 Total Sales
1 in Dixwell
$600,000 Price
Bluma Katz
mygoodagent
(475) 800-8811
94 Total Sales
1 in Dixwell
$100,000 Price
Wojtek Borowski
Pearce Real Estate
(475) 234-4250
204 Total Sales
3 in Dixwell
$345K - $580K Price Range
AP
Alison Perrelli
Coldwell Banker Realty
(475) 234-0087
46 Total Sales
1 in Dixwell
$292,000 Price
| 1 - Low Crime, 10 - High Crime | Dixwell | US |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 5 | 4 |
| Sexual Assault | 6 | 4 |
| Assault with Weapon | 5 | 4 |
| Robbery | 5 | 4 |
| Burglary | 4 | 4 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 4 | 4 |
| Larceny | 5 | 4 |
| Crime Score | 5 | 4 |
Source: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com
On average, homes in Dixwell, New Haven sell after 44 days on the market compared to the national average of 55 days. The median sale price for homes in Dixwell, New Haven over the last 12 months is $292,000, up 1% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
$1,823 - $3,272 per month
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Museums, dining, music and Yale touchstones in the heart of New Haven
A historic district walkable to Yale University and downtown New Haven
Historic architecture and recreation at Edgewood Park under 2 miles from downtown
An established, community-oriented urban neighborhood
Historic homes and an academic atmosphere with walkability to Downtown New Haven
Early 1900s Tudors and colonials near Southern Connecticut State University
