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Ormari, you must have forgotten the fact that the OP is a former RI'er, and has family in RI. It boggles my mind why you continue to steer so many out of state posters to your personal hood. The OP is looking for real estate assistance in the current market, is willing to spend approx. $425K on a 3 bed 2 bath home, needs good schools for their children, and so forth. There are several possibilities for this poster. Most posters to the OP on this thread will agree that caution in relocation to RI for the OP is to take the high taxes and high cost of living in RI seriously when considering options, and private schools may not be in the budget.
Location: Earth, a nice neighborhood in the Milky Way
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^^^I'm not steering anyone anywhere. I'm responding to what the OP said they were looking for, and no more. If the OP said they were looking to live in a suburb like Lincoln/Cumberland, I would gladly point them to Lincoln/Cumberland.
However, I might also be using the opportunity to dispel some myths long propagated on this forum.
Ormari, you must have forgotten the fact that the OP is a former RI'er, and has family in RI. It boggles my mind why you continue to steer so many out of state posters to your personal hood. The OP is looking for real estate assistance in the current market, is willing to spend approx. $425K on a 3 bed 2 bath home, needs good schools for their children, and so forth. There are several possibilities for this poster. Most posters to the OP on this thread will agree that caution in relocation to RI for the OP is to take the high taxes and high cost of living in RI seriously when considering options, and private schools may not be in the budget.
If the home price is only $425K, private schools absolutely aren't going to be in the budget. You can find 3/2 in Barrington at that price point. I see a few near the bike path and the East Providence line. You'll have an $8K property tax bill. That's the price of admission.
Thanks, all - looks like my questions started quite the discussion I
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Originally Posted by redplum33
Not reading 164 pages. And, no, it's not wrong.
OP, apologies for contributing to the derailment of your thread. If you are willing to go with a suburban area within a city, in my opinion the best bang for your buck is found in Western Cranston. You could get a beautiful place there in your price range. It's safe also.
I will take a look at Cranston. I'm fairly familiar with that area, and it seems that it would be a decent compromise between suburban/urban with some of the amenities I'm looking for. Unfortunately, it does seem very car-oriented, so I'm not sure of the walkability, even though there are definitely areas that SHOULD be more conducive to walking/riding.
I'm intrigued by the Armory. In terms of the neighborhood feel, it seems to hit the marks we're looking for. More urban, definitely more bikeable and walkable. It seems to have character. Thanks for the list of events. I think they look interesting, but taken as a whole, probably not as child-friendly/family oriented as I'd have hoped. There are some good events in there, but they don't seem to happen very often. In any case, it's a good sign the neighborhood either has or is developing a tight community of neighbors, which is great. I'll need to do more research on the schools and walk around there to have a better feel for how family oriented the area actually is and how comfortable we would be there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffD
If the home price is only $425K, private schools absolutely aren't going to be in the budget. You can find 3/2 in Barrington at that price point. I see a few near the bike path and the East Providence line. You'll have an $8K property tax bill. That's the price of admission.
Private schools are most certainly out of the budget, and OUCH on that tax bill. I lowered our budget as compared to what we can buy here knowing that property taxes in RI are much higher.
I think it has become abundantly clear by these posts that we won't get everything we have now if we decided to make the move to RI. In every state, there is definitely the urban and suburban/rural divide, and maybe that is playing out here. I think we'll have to take a look at both the city and the close-in suburbs, and decide what we are willing to compromise on before we make the move. RI doesn't seem to have made the moves yet to create a less car-dependent environment (although it seems there are some pushes to make that happen), so maybe that is the area we'll really have to compromise on. Thank you everybody for your input! This discussion has been, and continues to be, very helpful.
Thanks, all - looks like my questions started quite the discussion I
I will take a look at Cranston. I'm fairly familiar with that area, and it seems that it would be a decent compromise between suburban/urban with some of the amenities I'm looking for. Unfortunately, it does seem very car-oriented, so I'm not sure of the walkability, even though there are definitely areas that SHOULD be more conducive to walking/riding.
You might like Pawtuxet Village, although it is zoned to Cranston East which isn't the greatest although still better than any of the mainstream Providence high schools.
Good to know that Pawtucket has issues. It is surprising considering the housing prices in Oak Hill. I briefly looked at Zillow in that area, and it's definitely priced higher than some surrounding areas, so I thought schools might be better.
There are numerous threads on Oak Hill here already, so I won't rehash everything here, but I'll summarize that it's effectively an extension of the East Side except you can generally get more house and yard for less money and lower taxes. The local elementary school, Varieur, is excellent with heavy parent involvement. Slater JHS and Shea High School draw from a larger population and have a diverse student body. That does not translate to "gang infested" as another poster insinuated. From what I've heard from parents and graduates, Shea is almost like two different schools in one, with dedicated students taking on a more challenging curriculum.
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I have never been there when school lets out. I figure that people wouldn't send their "smart" kids to Classical if they were getting beaten, shot, or sold drugs from other students every day on their way out, so my assumption is it can't be THAT bad. In any case, that is YEARS off for my kids (they're not even in elementary yet), so when high school time comes, I'll have to check it out for myself.
Your instincts are correct. I know lots of kids who go to or have gone to Classical, and none of them have been assaulted or are on drugs.
I accept that there are some Rhode Islanders who use the term South Providence to refer to other neighborhoods on the south side. It doesn't make it right, and it doesn't mean they know what they're talking about.
My experience with long time Rhode Islanders is that all minority neighborhoods south and west of downtown are "South Providence," including the West End, Armory, Olneyville, Silver Lake, etc.
My experience with long time Rhode Islanders is that all minority neighborhoods south and west of downtown are "South Providence," including the West End, Armory, Olneyville, Silver Lake, etc.
People, especially suburban people, who have never lived (or never would live) in these neighborhoods do tend to lump them together with the one dismissive term, "South Providence".
Slater JHS and Shea High School draw from a larger population and have a diverse student body. That does not translate to "gang infested" as another poster insinuated. From what I've heard from parents and graduates, Shea is almost like two different schools in one, with dedicated students taking on a more challenging curriculum.
It is not only incorrect but also irresponsible to say that Pawtucket public high schools are not gang-infested. I understand that you live in Pawtucket but you're clearly out of touch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mp775
My experience with long time Rhode Islanders is that all minority neighborhoods south and west of downtown are "South Providence," including the West End, Armory, Olneyville, Silver Lake, etc.
Also incorrect. Olneyville and Silver Lake have never been viewed as (or confused for) South Providence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by independent man
People, especially suburban people, who have never lived (or never would live) in these neighborhoods do tend to lump them together with the one dismissive term, "South Providence".
Such an ignorant statement.
Here's a suggestion: start a new thread if you want to continue the South Providence discussion. Nowhere in South Providence even remotely matches what the OP is looking for.
You and ornami have completely hijacked this thread with your insecurities.
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