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The vibrancy in Providence has done nothing but increase in the past 20 years. It's far more vibrant now than it was 20 years ago.
I definitely agree with this statement about Providence. Downtown at least. Gotta give credit where credit is due...Cianci did a great job with the city...as crooked as he is.
But...the vibrancy of the rest of the state is definitely lackluster lately. Just my own opinion. If the COL was more reasonable, RI would be a terrific state to live in. As it stands though...that COL just really makes it so much harder to live comfortably there.
I definitely agree with this statement about Providence. Downtown at least. Gotta give credit where credit is due...Cianci did a great job with the city...as crooked as he is.
But...the vibrancy of the rest of the state is definitely lackluster lately. Just my own opinion. If the COL was more reasonable, RI would be a terrific state to live in. As it stands though...that COL just really makes it so much harder to live comfortably there.
It was only in part because of Cianci. I give more praise to the people of Providence, the small businesses, the non-profits, etc. Cianci gave Providence (and most of RI, in fact) a bad reputation. Cicilline, even though he left the city in financial ruin, also helped the city, at least during his first term.
I find it so funny how everyone from up north thinks it's so much better here in the south.
I moved to NC in 98 from CT for a better life and less crime. I lived in SC for 3 years and I can tell you I HATE IT HERE!!!!!
There is not better life here. It's hot, humidy, high rent, drugs, low income, nothing to do, very poor education, back woods people, very judgemental and laws here suck.
I was making $2.13 as a server at Cracker Barrel, take home with tips was about $150 a week. Rent in a descent place starts around $1200, anything less has drug dealers there. Even a moble home, single wide will cost about $1000, unless it's a dump and was made in the 70's.
NC ranked 24 on education back in 2008, SC was 50 and CT was 3rd. My 2 younger kids would barely make it in schools up north.
It hot as heck here in the high 90's just about everyday in the spring and in summer even hotter. It's very humid as well and I live in Asheville, NC which is in the mountains. There is not much to do here, you can only see the Bitmore house so many times and the $54pp to get in adds up. Oh you can go hiking all you like, but who wants to in this heat? I would not swim in these lakes, some have sink pits in them and are dirty. The beach is 5 hours away and with gas prices it cost more to drive there then it's worth. Forget about fresh seafood, everything is shipped in frozen and the price of lobster is at least $14 a LB. No crab only frozen crab legs, Cod is pretty $$ as well. Don't even ask for a lobster roll, no one will know what you are talking about.
We ar just now getting and ice rink for ice hockey. Hockey is not big here, basket ball is.
Everyone is eager to know what chruch you belong to, it's the 1st question asked and deems you as someone maybe worth getting to know, if you go to the right church that is. If not, the only friends you will make are the ones that are not born here.
Oh and you are judged also by what you wear, drive and live in to. If all these thing don't meet their stanard then they will act nice to your face, but talk about you behind your back. I actually had several people tell me I needed to go church to have friends.
So don't think the grass is always greener on the other side, because it's not. Every place has thier pros and con, the only thing that matters is what is more imporant to you and what you are will to give up and live with.
The vibrancy in Providence has done nothing but increase in the past 20 years. It's far more vibrant now than it was 20 years ago.
Good point and you are right, along with Newport, Westerly, East Greenwich and a few other areas that have grown remarkably. Having grown up in Warwick and lived there for 28 years I see all along by Post Road by the airport, Greenwood the abundance of neglected property's ( commercial). Jefferson Blvd used to be a hotbed of small industry along with Bostich, Brown and Sharpe among others that have dwindled away. North Kingstown looks pathetic along route 1. Hopefully new industry will emerge and things will improve.
As far as living in the south being cheaper, for us it is. We live on a beautiful barrier island outside of Jacksonville a block from the beach. Everything we need is within 2 miles. Do we love the south, not as much as some and we miss RI. We were very lucky and built during the time building was slow and the start of the boom was a year away. We could never duplicate what we have here in Newport or Jamestown. We have a great quality of life here but friends and family live in RI. You have to really assess were you are in life now as the current economy is not as forgiving to those that move and find themselves unhappy where they move to. Our solution is to visit the family sa much as we can for now.
On another note, I know Providence is doing well now but it still has bit to go from what us baby boomers remember. There were no malls in the 60's and mom took us to Providence for Shepards, the Outlet and the arcade to name a few places. Downtown owes a lot to Cianci who helped bring it back from the dead.
I find it so funny how everyone from up north thinks it's so much better here in the south.
I moved to NC in 98 from CT for a better life and less crime. I lived in SC for 3 years and I can tell you I HATE IT HERE!!!!!
There is not better life here. It's hot, humidy, high rent, drugs, low income, nothing to do, very poor education, back woods people, very judgemental and laws here suck.
I was making $2.13 as a server at Cracker Barrel, take home with tips was about $150 a week. Rent in a descent place starts around $1200, anything less has drug dealers there. Even a moble home, single wide will cost about $1000, unless it's a dump and was made in the 70's.
NC ranked 24 on education back in 2008, SC was 50 and CT was 3rd. My 2 younger kids would barely make it in schools up north.
It hot as heck here in the high 90's just about everyday in the spring and in summer even hotter. It's very humid as well and I live in Asheville, NC which is in the mountains. There is not much to do here, you can only see the Bitmore house so many times and the $54pp to get in adds up. Oh you can go hiking all you like, but who wants to in this heat? I would not swim in these lakes, some have sink pits in them and are dirty. The beach is 5 hours away and with gas prices it cost more to drive there then it's worth. Forget about fresh seafood, everything is shipped in frozen and the price of lobster is at least $14 a LB. No crab only frozen crab legs, Cod is pretty $$ as well. Don't even ask for a lobster roll, no one will know what you are talking about.
We ar just now getting and ice rink for ice hockey. Hockey is not big here, basket ball is.
Everyone is eager to know what chruch you belong to, it's the 1st question asked and deems you as someone maybe worth getting to know, if you go to the right church that is. If not, the only friends you will make are the ones that are not born here.
Oh and you are judged also by what you wear, drive and live in to. If all these thing don't meet their stanard then they will act nice to your face, but talk about you behind your back. I actually had several people tell me I needed to go church to have friends.
So don't think the grass is always greener on the other side, because it's not. Every place has thier pros and con, the only thing that matters is what is more imporant to you and what you are will to give up and live with.
Well put Sierra, thanks for your insight. I am originally from the South and will back up your post 100%. Some of the people on this board really need to take their medicine.
Sierra unfortunatley has chosen the most expensive places to live in NC. Asheville? retirement area, not many jobs, never have been. High end homes or doublewides. The mountains of western NC are no way hot and muggy ... some days it will get a heat front coming through, like now we are having a heat wave, very unusual. It will be followed by a lovely thunderstorm and a 20 degree drop in temps. People here don't even use a/c at night!
He didn't do his homework. The surrounding areas and counties are very affordable, he just doesn't want to investigate further obviously. A house in Weaverville for example on the market for $250K with a bucolic view of Reems Creek and the gaps, taxes of $1600/year would be close to $500K in Little Rhody ... with a view of your neighbor's garage complete with basketball court on the driveway and taxes approaching $7,000 a year.
Charlotte? crowded, hot, traffic, lots of New Yawkers and those escaping New Joisey expecting Utopia. The building boom in and around Charlotte scarred the area forever. 5 lane interstates, he could have stayed in Rhody and been better off than in Charlotte. Although go 10 miles out of Charlotte proper and it is beautiful.
SC is another huge state, where did he live in SC? It all depends on frame of reference. If people are coming from crowded hot sticky traffic ridden tax ridden Cranston, Warwick or Johnston, they will think some of the south IS Utopia. Not so. Again, not enough homework.
I don't see the comparison except that the OP is homesick. Go back for a year, go bankrupt in RI.
Does anyone retire TO RI ? Noooo.... there must be a reason.
Yes, Buddy Cianci did a lot for the city...while doing a lot for Buddy Cianci! If memory serves in the late 90's early 2000's, Buddy Cianci became a convicted felon for taking bribes and strong arming, and a host of other illegal activities ... and spent about 5 years in the slammer.
Like sheep, many who leave are fed up ... and leap before they look.
QuilterChick...their heads are in the sand. They don't realize the lights are going out...literally!
With some people it's more important that they "feel" they are right, as opposed to being proven wrong.
They want to keep it a secret that RI is a microcosm of what is wrong with the Country.
So...as you say, if your thinking of leaving RI...look before you leap. Not all spots are better to live in than Rhode Island... just many of them.
There's heavy traffic in Cranston and Warwick? Since when? I just drove to work during "rush hour" and it took me literally 10 minutes! Rhode Islanders are completely spoiled when it comes to (a lot of things) traffic. They think it's a loooooong wait if it takes them more than twenty minutes to get any where!
I think it's hilarious that people who hate this place and either already live somewhere else, or want to get out, waste so much time posting here. It's pretty obvious who's "head is in the sand" and who has an axe to grind around here.
At this point it's practically trolling it's become so ridiculous. But keep up the entertainment guys!
Does anyone retire TO RI ? Noooo.... there must be a reason.
Does anyone retire to any state that has cold winters? I never hear about people retiring to NH, VT (ok, maybe VT for the way of life), ME, MN, MT, WA, CO, etc... No, they retire to the southeast or the southwest (AZ is the new FL).
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