thinking of going to college in RI (Providence, Pawtucket: sales, to rent)

[djashburnmn]

hello,
I am a senior in Minnesota and in a few years, after i get my generals done in community college, i've been thinking of attending roger williams university in bristol RI. i just have a few questions. first off has anyone actually attended RWU and what did you think of it. second, where is the cheapest housing in that area? i read another thread and they said Pawtucket, is that a safe neighborhood or is that area like the ghetto of province? are there any rural areas where i can maybe rent a house and get roommates or better yet, i can possibly get a deal through goverment tax sales and own a small house? whats the job market like around there at the moment?
other then that im not really interested in much right now, city-data pretty much covers the house values, crime and so on. weather doesnt bother me much, i live in minnesota -50 degree winters from time to time and 100+ summers with very high humidity, blizzards, tornados, and droughts. so, i very much doubt the weather will effect me, unless a hurricane makes it that far up the coast. oh, mays well ask it, is that very common?

[Dragondog]

Bristol is bascially located on an Island- not far from Providence- which is a load of fun with Brown Univ. Rhode Island School of Design and Providence College- the river walk downtown is wonderful, Providence Place for shopping and theatre, and great places to eat and bar hop. Newport is a few miles away as well.

Bristol's climate will be much milder then Minn. Temps above 90 are not usual, nor is below zero common- its a marine based 'temperate climate, with average snowfall about 30" or less.

Housing is pricey in Providence now- but dropping- it is slightly higher then the twin cities- rents are high however. Pawtucket is a working class, blue collar town- gritty but not a slum or crime invested area. Burlington and Warren RI are also choices for housing.

You might also try housing in nearby Fall River Mass. as well as East Providence. The job market in the Providence area is ok, but not great.
Also look into Swansea and Somerset Mass for housing.

[BuddyT]

My daughter goes to RISD. Pawtucket is a dump.

[PCCGirl813]

I also recommend living on campus, it has to be a million times cheaper than off-campus living. RI has an insane cost of living, in my opinion. I grew up there and my entire family lives there but I refuse to live there now. My husband works for the same company as my cousin but My hubby works in Indiana and my cousin works in RI. They do the same job. My cousin gets paid only $2 more an hour... Our house cost $88,000 and a comparable house in RI would go for about $240,000. I bought the same groceries that I buy at home while visiting this summer... the stuff usually costs $25 here and it was $45 there. LIVE ON CAMPUS!!!!!!!!! Then your found and living is paid for.

[carolinajack]

I went to Brown University in the 80s, Providence has improve a bit since then, but I am not sure if Pawtucket has.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by djashburnmn

hello,
I am a senior in Minnesota and in a few years, after i get my generals done in community college, i've been thinking of attending roger williams university in bristol RI. i just have a few questions. first off has anyone actually attended RWU and what did you think of it. second, where is the cheapest housing in that area? i read another thread and they said Pawtucket, is that a safe neighborhood or is that area like the ghetto of province? are there any rural areas where i can maybe rent a house and get roommates or better yet, i can possibly get a deal through goverment tax sales and own a small house? whats the job market like around there at the moment?
other then that im not really interested in much right now, city-data pretty much covers the house values, crime and so on. weather doesnt bother me much, i live in minnesota -50 degree winters from time to time and 100+ summers with very high humidity, blizzards, tornados, and droughts. so, i very much doubt the weather will effect me, unless a hurricane makes it that far up the coast. oh, mays well ask it, is that very common?

You should be able to rent something in Bristol. Providence or Pawtucket would be too far/inconvenient. Bristol has some nice areas, Newport is close.

[carolinajack]

Go to my alma mater--Brown University baby!!!!

[USCGa92mem]

DragonDog & PccGirl both make good points however, Newport, RI is a much better style of living and Portsmouth and Middletown, RI both have cheap housing. Contact the RWU student union and the Housing office for more info. Rhode Island over all has a depressed economy and the job market is rough. Mostly unskilled jobs or Highly Trained Professional , not much middle ground.

[USCGa92mem]

You will need a car ! RWU is a little off the beaten path and the bus route is once every two hour with very limited service to the campus. It is a good walk just the end of the campus where the bus would pick up. I have lived in Rhode Island most of my life and attended Providence College, which is in the middle of the city. Goto www.ProJo.com for the local newspaper and www.WPRI.com for live news. From these web sites you will find lots of links and get a taste for Rhode Island. Good Luck!