

In 1882, the East Rock Park Commission enlisted the city's renowned author and landscape gardener Donald G.

Now 1800 acres and straddling four towns, West Rock Ridge State Park is the second largest state park in Connecticut and a destination for hiking, biking, fishing, birding, and environmental education.Įast Rock Park, with its dramatic 300-foot cliffs and prominent ridge, was the first major park developed by the city. A grass-roots effort dedicated to protecting the park formed the West Rock Ridge Park Association in 1974 and worked with the legislature to pass a bill authorizing the creation of the state park. An 1826 gift by Elijah Thompson of 50 acres was the beginning of what would become West Rock Ridge State Park.

New Haven already had extensive property placed placed in its trust by donations from private landowners. The movement viewed public parks and monuments as a strategy for knitting the community together and instilling civic virtue at a time when cities were becoming increasingly crowded. New Haven's park system has its roots in the late 19th-century City Beautiful Movement, which was a response to rapid industrialization and population growth. Open spaces also reduce the cost of managing urban storm water runoff and the plants reduce air pollution.
East haven park and rec free#
More directly, parks provide a direct benefit to residents who use them for activities like pick-up basketball, tennis, skateboarding, or bird watching, free of charge. The Trust For Public Land has identified seven major factors – property value, tourism, direct use, health, community cohesion, clean water, and clean air – that make significant economic contributions to a community.Įxamining residential property in close proximity to parks larger than one acre, the researchers calculate that parkland adds an average of 5 percent to assessed property values, while excellent parks add as much as 15-percent in value 4. While the benefits of a walk in the woods are difficult to quantify, researchers are starting to measure the economic and health benefits to a city and region.
