Seattle to Providence (maybe) questions! (East Providence: relocating, apartment, trip)

[TrishaJ]

Thinking of relocating to Providence, RI (or Boston) and I just have a few questions.

1-Is Providence an animal friendly city (I have a Burmese and 2 cats)
Are dogs allowed on the beaches there?

2. I and my boyfriend will be moving there with no jobs. We were going to pay our rent 6months to a year up front. Will we be struggling to find jobs in our fields? (He works mostly IT, and I work in financial medical services)

3-Safe areas. From what I have read, east or north east would be safest to live? (Blackstone, Mount Hope, College Hill, Wayland, and Fox Point) Or is this false?

[TrishaJ]

Hi Liz. Thanks for the info. this is the website I found the area's listed. Based on the crimes in each area, is why I thought the ones I listed might be safe?

http://204.17.79.244/profiles/maprnk...vcrm_02_05.gif

I would like to get employemnt prior, but I don't think I'll be able to fly back and forth from Seattle to Prov for the interviews AND have money to move etc. I've never moved across the country before with out having family to stay with so I'm not familiar to HOW people actually do it. (jobs and place to live prior to getting there)

Also I wanted to ask is public transpertation reliable (especially during the winter) ?

Thanks

Trisha

[TrishaJ]

Aw, ok. Well I was allowing one trip out for apt hunting, but I did 't want it to turn into 3-6 trips just for job interviewing, when I can pay for a whole year's rent upfront and (hopefully) get a job within that time frame. (even if it resorts to something outside our fields) Ya know?

So...lets get to the nitty gritty. Ha ha... you like Boston better I take it. Any info you can give in that direction? I'm a photography on the side and really into music (classical concerts etc) and I KNOW Boston has a lot to offer in the art department (as far as galleries, concerts, arts etc). So do you know much about the neighborhoods-good area's that are safe to live there?

[mels]

The cost of housing in many of the communities Liz listed in Mass are much, much higher than you will find in RI. Keep that in mind when you hear that you earn more money.

[ontheroad]

Also a long-time Providence resident, I'd say,

Originally Posted by TrishaJ

Thinking of relocating to Providence, RI (or Boston) and I just have a few questions.

1-Is Providence an animal friendly city (I have a Burmese and 2 cats)
Are dogs allowed on the beaches there?

Providence is as friendly to animals as elsewhere, but animals need to be leashed. Some beaches do allow dogs to run, but accompanied by their owner

2. I and my boyfriend will be moving there with no jobs. We were going to pay our rent 6months to a year up front. Will we be struggling to find jobs in our fields? (He works mostly IT, and I work in financial medical services)

Finding a job can be difficult anywhere. It took me a year to find a job in my field (medicine) but the economy was in a slump and the medical school had a freeze. I didn't know anyone in IT so can't say how the field is in the city.

3-Safe areas. From what I have read, east or north east would be safest to live? (Blackstone, Mount Hope, College Hill, Wayland, and Fox Point) Or is this false?

The places you mention above are "communities" for the most part within Providence proper. I lived in several and worked just off Blackstone Blvd. at one of the hospitals affiliated with the medical school. It is a very upscale area and very, very expensive housing.

But, as it was stated Rhode Island itself is small, and commuting rather easy, although I195 does jam up (this is the highway that more or less circles the City).

Rentals on the East Side vary, but other communities, in transition and going through gentrification on the other side of town can be less expensive, as nice, and user friendly.

I went without a car for a month, and if my partner wasn't an easy going kind of guy, I might have gone bonkers--Providence bus service is not frequent and is not wide-spread. I had to go to the Downtown bus circle to pick up a bus.

All things considered, however, I preferred living in Providence and commuting to Boston than living in the bigger City. I did that for a year, in one of the worst winters of our "discontent" and survived.

RI is a wonderful place, small enough, and still big enough to get most of your worldly needs met, and lots of fine folk.

[TrishaJ]

All very good information to know, and I thank you all for you input

[Signora]

Hello!
I have lived in RI for a good portion of my life. Right now I am in East Providence renting an apartment. We chose a complex, but there are also other affordable options. There are some options (like ours) that are right on the bus line and in safe locations. We like East Providence because there is a lot of green, it's close to Providence, it has a lot of little speicalty shops (like a bakery, butcher....). When we moved to the area the first time, it seemed harder to find a place that would take animals (we also have two cats). This last time we moved back, some of the places that weren't accepting pets before had started to.
The public schools aren't the best, but it sounds like that wouldn't be an issue.
I sometimes take my kids to walk on the beach in the off-season and we see a lot of people walking with dogs. They are definitely a lot less tolerant during tourist beach season, but you can usually (depending on the beach) go after hours with your dog.

The nice thing is that there's a lot of coast, so that you can always find somewhere to walk by the water with your dog! There are also quite a few nice parks in the area.

The only thing about RI can be the stress (traffic... and sometimes attitude). We will probably be leaving the area soon for this reason (especially since we have small children). I was almost a victim of road rage a little while back when a very graciously let two cars pass in front of me... but not three. Go figure, the third guy was a rage-aholic. Fortunately, the poilce were right nearby and intervened. You defintely have to be on your toes while driving!

Hope this has been helpful!

[CrazyHands]

Landlords will probably not rent to you without a job. Also, I found it difficult to get a rental and I had one little 7 lb. cat. They acted like I said St. Bernard dog. Good luck. Live in RI for years.
CrazyHands

[anika]

Trisha,
I am in the same position as you are. I have searched, researched quite a bit and this forum is awesome. I was raised in Manhattan and would like to readvent myself and live in a quaint community, affordable and find employment. I looked at Providence, R.I. and the area has everything I am looking for. Although, I will have to also find employment, I understand the difficulty. There are employment agencies but we most likely will need to visit the area to get a full picture of the area first. I will be relocating 5/07 and plan to visit 3/07. Please stay in touch support is always helpful.

Anika

[anika]

Trisha,
Oh, by the way...
I am in a worse situation as I have 3 English Bulldogs I love lots and looks like I will have to find a good home for my precious animals. Sad.