Providence College question (homeless, campus, money)

[GermanSpy]

With all due respect, I think you're overreacting a bit. Keep in mind that you're looking at colleges located in a city here. Providence itself has come a long way but it's still a city with some neighborhoods where you don't really want to be walking around at night.

That being said, I'd still say that the area around PC minus Chad Brown as mentioned is safe enough. It's not a suburban area though so you will find people who are a bit more edgy than what's shown on Desperate Housewives. As long as your daughter does not act foolish and wanders around by herself at night in the wrong neighborhoods she'll be allright.

If I were you I'd really be a bit more concerned about what's going on at PC when classes are over than about the 'unsavory' elements your daughter might encounter when leaving campus.

[Rascalion]

General rule: Stay west of Douglas Ave.

Otherwise, it's a fun area where all you need in common sense like any other city. There's a big party neighborhood full of PC students around Pembroke Ave.

[wtd7575]

I really value this forum and the opinions.

[Pawtuckian]

Hi, Wtd,

Probably many of the homeless you saw wandering about Thayer took the bus in from the Travelers' center at the old YMCA on Westminster. They spend their time wandering about dwntwn Providence and the Brown/RISD area. Some gather with friends, some panhandle, some go to the counseling center a few blocks up Thayer - many of the homeless would have been in psychiatric hospitals had it not been for the Regan era. Overall, we've found them to be non-aggressive.

I've never lived in the Providence College area, but many of my friends have. In recent years they've sold their homes and moved to other parts of RI, claiming that the
area has gotten more crime ridden and violent. Believe universities are required to keep crime reports that have occurred on and around the campus that are shared with the public, if that is the case, might be a good idea to get a copy from the campus's security office.
However, we've always trusted our gut to be the greatest factor when deciding on a new area - and sounds like you are a bit uneasy (perhaps rightfully so) about the area.

[wtd7575]

Douglas, or if I am totally wrong wherre exactly it is. I am looking at mapquest. Thanks in advance.

[Rascalion]

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...09407&t=h&z=14

The link is to the Douglas Ave & Admiral St intersection. PC is located just to the west of here.

Edit: Hmm, links don't seem to be enabled on this forum. Just copy the text between the (broken link) tags and paste it into any web browsers address bar.

[wtd7575]

I see where the projects are now. Very similar location/scenario as Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. One good side and one ghetto side. Not necessarily averse, but just trying to get a feel for neighborhood.

[TheJickler]

Originally Posted by wtd7575

I am just making an observation as there were several of us and we all noticed the same thing. We come from an urban environment so we know what we know. The campus was beautiful.

Maybe you saw a couple of the guys who play horns and different instruments on Thayer Street. That's the only thing I can think of that can be considered "unsavory", and even that's a stretch. Some of them look homeless. I don't think you can find a much safer place than that, though.

[ProvGuy]

There are homeless people everywhere, not just "bad" neighborhoods. Just this morning there was an apparent homeless man sleeping on a bench on BLACKSTONE BLVD (to those out-of-staters, that's the wealthiest street in the city). I wouldn't judge a neighborhood cause you saw a homeless person in it. The area around Brown is quite nice, and the only thing you have to worry about is the occasional naive college student getting robbed of their wallet at 3am. So stay in groups and don't wander the streets alone late at night.

I'm thinking if you were uneasy around Brown you'll probably be more uneasy directly around PC.

[TheJickler]

Originally Posted by ProvGuy

There are homeless people everywhere, not just "bad" neighborhoods. Just this morning there was an apparent homeless man sleeping on a bench on BLACKSTONE BLVD (to those out-of-staters, that's the wealthiest street in the city). I wouldn't judge a neighborhood cause you saw a homeless person in it. The area around Brown is quite nice, and the only thing you have to worry about is the occasional naive college student getting robbed of their wallet at 3am. So stay in groups and don't wander the streets alone late at night.

I'm thinking if you were uneasy around Brown you'll probably be more uneasy directly around PC.

That's a good point about homeless people being everywhere and I didn't mean to imply otherwise.
I will say that the only thing I worry about while living near Brown is hitting a student with my car - they never look when crossing Waterman or Angell on Thayer St.