Rhode Island for families (Providence, Warwick: for sale, real estate, rental)

[Empire44]

I'm looking to move my family back to the States in a few months, considering both MA (Boston - suburbs) and Rhode Island.
Our kids are 12 and 14.

What areas of Rhode Island should we consider for raising a family- we're looking to first of all rent a 3-4 bed house in a good school district, family-orientated neighbourhood but near to the beach. (Kids are keen on watersports.)

Also, can anyone recommend:

a good ballet/ dance school for 12 year old +
a good realtor (rental agency) to help us locate a house

Thanks for your help- any thoughts will be appreciated!

[chocolatety718]

i am also thinking about relocating to rhode island. I am a b/f/33, with twin 5 year old boys. I am looking for schools with great education, swimming teams, lots of other sports besides basketball. (its a good thing, but want something different.) great jobs working for the city or federal. condo or townhouse. $100,000-$150,000. basically everything you asked for, except my children are younger.

[INNYRI]

Towns with well-regarded school districts include Lincoln, Barrington, and East Greenwich. Lincoln is convenient (relatively speaking) to Boston, since it's located in the NE part of the state. Not close to the beach, however. Barrington is closer to the water, and is one of the most expensive towns in the state. Ditto East Greenwich. I think Coventry has pretty good schools (and more affordable housing), but it's kind of out in the middle of nowhere.

Lots of different sports are popular here, though baseball seems to dominate in our town (Lincoln). Basketball isn't so big. Lacrosse and field hockey, along with soccer, seem to be popular choices.

I have no idea about rental agencies, but you can search on Rhode Island Living - Finding your dream home has never been easier! for both properties for sale and for rent. I don't know how realistic it is to hope for a townhouse or condo for under 150k, though. Visit GreatSchools.net to check out schools.

Good luck!

[PeytonPlace]

I'm looking to relocate to RI as well. I have two children ages 2 and 4. I too, am looking for the family-friendly town, good schools, family oriented neighborhood with big yards, ideally close to water but not a deal-breaker if it isn't. Coventry is noted as being in the middle of nowhere. Is that considered out in the boondocks, with limited accessability to stores and amenities? How far from the ocean is it? A post identifies Barrington and East Greenwich as the most expensive towns. How expensive? As expensive as Newport? We definately can't afford anything there, so if they are comparable, then I won't bother to look for houses there. Our price range for a 4000-5000 sq ft house is between $600K-$800K. Any suggestions of where I might start looking?

[Rnrboy]

Peyton, the thing about Rhody is you're never really out in the middle of nowehere.

Don't get me wrong, there are some great quiet countryisde areas that are relatively isolated. Much of Coventry would reflect this description. However, in a tiny state like this one, you're never too far from civilization. If you consider Providence being about half an hour away, and the beach being about 40 mins away, a long way to travel, then I guess you're out in the middle of nowhere. A lot of Rhode Islanders think this way, but most people don't.

That's just one of the many things I love about this State. You have the city, the New England countryside, and the beach all in one compact little area. It's great.

[INNYRI]

Once you've been here a while, you start to think like a Rhode Islander--never mind that you can travel the entire length of the state in just over an hour; you start to joke about "packing a lunch" to drive somewhere 20 minutes away.

Anyway, if you go to riliving.com and put in your criteria for what you're looking for, I think all the homes that pop up are areas that I'd be ok with myself. I put in your price and square footage ranges, selected all the RI towns, and put (I think) 1-3 acres for property sizes. Check it out.

[mr2448]

Originally Posted by PeytonPlace

I'm looking to relocate to RI as well. I have two children ages 2 and 4. I too, am looking for the family-friendly town, good schools, family oriented neighborhood with big yards, ideally close to water but not a deal-breaker if it isn't. Coventry is noted as being in the middle of nowhere. Is that considered out in the boondocks, with limited accessability to stores and amenities? How far from the ocean is it? A post identifies Barrington and East Greenwich as the most expensive towns. How expensive? As expensive as Newport? We definately can't afford anything there, so if they are comparable, then I won't bother to look for houses there. Our price range for a 4000-5000 sq ft house is between $600K-$800K. Any suggestions of where I might start looking?

$600-800 will just about get you anywhere, although not for 4-5000 sq ft. Most homes in Rhode Island aren't built that large. 3500-4000 would be a good find. look at Smithfield, R.I. in the Greenville area. the newer homes will be that size and the older ones are about 2500 sq ft. The Austin Ave and Smith Ave area are good places to start. Log Road is nice but rural.

Barrington can also be had for the price you listed although the yards are not as large as Smithfield. Ferry Lane, Governor Bradford are great areas near the water, but not on them. Larger homes off the water can be found in the Sowams area. Water can be had for $1 m plus. West Barrington also has great older homes from the turn of the century. Whoops, last century!

East Greenwich does not have much on the water, but your money can buy any good location within it. The further away from the town the pricier and larger the homes are.

Lincoln is also a good location. 116, 126 and Angell road are the routes to look at. The downfall to Lincoln is the casino and new traffic it brings. Where there were no traffic lights there are now at least 5 new ones around that area.

Cumberland would also fit the bill. Mendon road is the place to start. Both Lincoln and Cumberland are large towns, by Rhody standards, and the further south you are the more urban the area is but they quickly spread out to a rural/suburban feeling as you head north.

Providence's East Side is also good, but the yards aren't large and you would need to send your children to private school.

Scituate is a great town with a great school system. large yards, horses, etc. Foster and Glocester also fit what you want except for neighborhood. They are rural.

Others; Rumford, Edgewood, Western Cranston and Western Johnston. Schools aren't quite as good as above towns, but good places to live.

The water is not far from anywhere. Is 20 miles too far?

Good Luck!!

[wxjay]

Originally Posted by chocolatety718

i am also thinking about relocating to rhode island. I am a b/f/33, with twin 5 year old boys. I am looking for schools with great education, swimming teams, lots of other sports besides basketball. (its a good thing, but want something different.) great jobs working for the city or federal. condo or townhouse. $100,000-$150,000. basically everything you asked for, except my children are younger.

You aren't going to be able to get anything for that price in RI except maybe in North Providence ($150-175K range). RI real estate is expensive and especially if you start looking in the good school districts.

My suggestion - RENT! That is probably the only way you will be able to get into a good school district and still afford it. Be forewarned - 2 bedroom places in RI can start in the low $1000s per month.

[PeytonPlace]

Thanks for all the feedback. You can never have too much information. I'm in land-locked KY now (though a native Virginian and 3.5 hours from the ocean), so 20 miles to the water is a stones throw!

[PeytonPlace]

To mr2448--thanks for the detailed descriptions of the towns you mentioned. I had no idea there were so many. My limited exposure is mostly Providence where my parents grew up as next door neighbors. My uncle lived very close to downtown, I have another uncle still living in Cranston, and cousins in Johnston, N. Prov., and Warwick. Outside of those areas, we'd never ventured. I will certainly look into the areas you pointed out.

I grew up in Va., which is quite beautiful, but there's no place like New England in the fall. I love the idea of the "smaller town" feeling, and I especially love that you have everything--all your seasons, snow, and close to the ocean. What more could you ask for, except for it to be a little less expensive? Prices have indeed changed from the little Providence of my parent's day!!