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My husband and I are moving to Rhode Island (from Boston) and are trying to decide between East Greenwich and Barrington. We are both in our early 30's and have an infant son. From the research we've done it seems like both towns have a lot to offer. We're trying to get a sense of what each town is like. It seems as if Barrington is a bit quainter and quieter than East Greenwich, whereas East Greenwich has a bit more of a downtown area to offer (i.e. shops, restaurants, etc.).
One thing that is important to us is an active community for stay at home moms. I'll be at home so I'm curious if either town has groups that make it easy to connect with other moms.
If anyone has any thoughts/advice on which town may be a better fit for us I'd greatly appreciate the feedback. Many thanks!
I find Barrington to be less quaint than EG. EG it has an older feel and the hill district has lots of historic houses. Barrington (although an old settlement) has a more modern and suburban feel since they've updated their shopping plazas. Lot sizes for houses tend to be larger in B.
EG's shopping district has slightly more to offer although the main st has a lot of traffic coming through and sometimes can be pedestrian unfriendly. B has traffic, of course, but I find it's easier to get across the road.
If I had to pick, I'd pick B for its proximity to Providence. However, both communities have a lot going for them & I'm sure both have young mother's groups. Try to find local newspapers online & the public libraries probably would know about local groups as well. Ultimately, of course, you'll need to visit and see which town feels right for you.
Drive thru both at rush hour, it wont take long to decide. The East Bay is a parking lot after 4pm, and weekends.
East Greenwich is easy to get in and out, access to 95 is simple. Great schools, like minded people.
danhycr, my husband and I were in the same position earlier this year and we chose Barrington over East Greenwich. We did notice that there is more traffic on 195 than 95. But once we got over the bridge into Barrington, the commute was about the same. My husband works in Providence and E. Greenwich was a little further than he wanted to do. Plus, we found that the taxes and houses were less expensive in Barrington. Maybe we just got a good deal, but a friend that lives in Cranston is paying more taxes that we will be. Also, the thing that we appreciated about Barrington is that it is a dry town. So the night traffic, noise and trouble from bars are non-existant.
^The "dry town" thing is such a farce. You think no one drinks in Barrington? No, the high school kids go over to Riverside or Warren and grab the booze and drink it in their homes or cars. There are also plenty of quiet areas to be had in "wet towns."
Sorry, having grown up in East Providence, I have some animosity toward some Barrington snobs (not saying you are like that, just I hear those lines from those types of people too).
I didn't say no one drinks in a dry town but by cutting out the drinking establishments it reduces the amount of night traffic, noise and accidents that come along with it. I have no problem with people drinking in their own home and for what it's worth, kids will always find a way to do what they want to. But on to the snob issues, from my experiences living in high income areas, there are always the extreme ones who have the attitudes but it's alot of those who envy the so called "snobs" that are actually the snobs themselves.
I would suggest East Greenwich over Barrington. We relocated 9 years ago to EG and also looked at Barrington. For us, there was too much traffic to get to Barrington. Second, there is alot of drinking issues with the high school students. East Greenwich is pretty much in the center of the state, so it is easy to get anywhere. There is a new neighbors club in East Greenwich and is a great place to jump start meeting new friends. If you need any development suggestions, feel free to contact me.
Thanks for all of the feedback...this has been very helpful
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