Is Providence for us? (restaurants, area, affordable)
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"Ask Mayor Cicilline -- he'd be happy to talk to you personally about the beneifits of living and raising kids in Providence."
Why not, he was raised in a, shall we say, a well-connected "family".
RI is so very small, that you can be in Providence within maybe 15 miles in either direction! Try Cumberland or Lincoln north of Rt. 295, parts of Warwick, N. Kingstown, Ea. Greenwich. Within City limits of Providence? no way.
Thank you for all the input. I understand that the East Side seems the place to be. Which other areas are nice? Armory? Pleased to hear any and all comments you might have.
The east side is nice, but it is a college area. The Elmhust section of the city is also very nice, safe and more affordable. If I were moving here fresh, I would actually consider Cranston. Cranston has a large variety of affordable restaurants, as well as pretty much anything else one could want. I think it is also laid out better, easier highway access. Cranston was also listed as the 25th safest city in the entire country to live in.
We are looking for a place to settle down and have kids and make friends. We both work from home so we are a bit scared about being isolated. My questions are: do you think we can fit in and get to know people? Which parts of Providence do you recommend? We want to buy an older house with lots of charm, a small backyard and maybe a porch or deck or two. We have lived in DC and SF before and found both cities very nice but very expensive. We are in a way looking for an affordable and smaller version of DC. Do you think Providence is a fit or will it feel small?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Providence/New England is very hard place if you want to make friends...people are nice enough but are extremely caught up in their families/extended families and have little time for others outside of family/work or people they grew up here with.
Even if you get involved in different groups & activities, people are still focused on their own schedules/agendas outside of that.
I personally wouldn't move to Providence, especially if you have children. The school system is horrible most of the neighborhoods aren't too good. The East Side is the place to live if you really have the urge to live in the city but Elmhurst is a nice middle class neighborhood to live and raise a family. There are two extremes in Providence..upper class and poverty. Middle class is shrinking by the day. I would suggest moving to a suburb. Just my opinion.
Albeit it might be over decade ago but my sister attended the prov. school system and was accepted to the top colleges except for Harvard, the one she really wanted to go to. I believe the school system has the tools but the kids just need the drive to succeed.
Albeit it might be over decade ago but my sister attended the prov. school system and was accepted to the top colleges except for Harvard, the one she really wanted to go to. I believe the school system has the tools but the kids just need the drive to succeed.
You might try looking into the East Bay part of Rhode Island
Towns of Barrington, Bristol, Portsmouth
RI
they are close to RI but in much nicer areas, close to Newport and other beach areas of South County etc
you could also try the eastern side of providence in Western Mass like Swansea, Somerset, Rehoboth, Berkley or Dighton areas.
(Country ish) to the East side.
To the North you could try Pawtucket , Woonsocket, even Mansfield MA
Mansfield MA might work out for you it would have commuter rail access to both Providence and Boston
and would be a good location schools wise, services, etc.
also the commuter rail now has free wi-fi on the trains so you could work while en-route or just sit back and relax
My girlfriends daughter, infant , and boyfriend are thinking of moving to Providence and saw an inexpensive two bedroom in the So. Providence area.
How bad of an idea is this?
Very bad indeed....what once was a nice middle class area until the 1960's has become run down, crime ridden and generally not very safe. Would avoid South Providence at all costs.
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