Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi. My organization has readvertised a position in the Providence office, which is located in downtown. I would have a reasonable shot at getting it, but I'm concerned about 2 things - the cost of living and more notably, the six months of winter that you have.
Sacramento is expensive, but I would get about an 8K raise from the 94K I make now. I'm curious as to whether I could afford to buy a house in a decent school district, but the weather and recreational opportunities are what interests me. I cycle a lot, but I can't imagine cycling in the rain and snow that you have during the winter.
I'm not trolling, just interested in your responses. Thank you.
That's a pretty good salary in RI I would think, and now, you could probably afford a house anywhere, there alot of nice communities in RI, without the congestion and attitude of a larger city. Check out RIliving.com, for one. The winter here is probably the best for all NE state, since we are close to the ocean- some winters are mild, with little snow, others like this one, are colder- January is always cold. It usually breaks mid-Feb and isn't that bad then really. Road bikes, well if you haven't experienced New England roads, full of potholes, but people do road bike around here, the air is clean. There is great mountain biking in RI too considering our small size.
To add to what Terrasurf said- I think the biggest change you would encounter here coming from Sacto is the history we live in. In your city "old" is mid nineteenth century and then you have a lot of new house communities in the outskirts. Here, you will see people living in homes dating from the 1700s in a state that was founded in 1636. Not all the homes, of course, but what I'm getting at is that it will not be just picturesque, it may be culture shock. This is not only our difference but also one of our biggest attractions. Architecture buffs love us.
As far as outdoor recreation goes, you can canoe on the river that runs downtown [right outside your office] and sail a little further away on the bay. You can also bike to Bristol on the East Bay bike path. If you haven't lived in NE before, it will be a very different experience for you so it will come down to whether you are up for a real change.
As far as schools go, just find the areas/towns with the highest incomes (google) and you'll find good schools. The only place that doesn't hold up is the East Side of Providence. It's one of the wealthiest communities but, sadly, the public schools are no longer good on the East Side. There are alternative schools available of course.
6 months of winter in Rhode Island??? Worst case scenario is four, best case two. Depends on the year. Sure, this Winter was horrible, but it was bad everywhere this year.
Technically winter begins- Dec 21st- I believe but the 6 mos comes into play if you consider "heating season" which lasts (variably) from mid Oct to mid April.
Each year is somewhat different and people vary in whether or not they feel need heat that long. You see people jogging here through the year in shorts.
I heard the USPS workers have a contest to see how long they can wear their shorts delivering mail
How serious are you about the bicycling thing? If you're doing that in a semi-serious fashion you'll run into issues in Rhode Island. While we do have bikepaths these aren't where you want to bring your road bike up to speed because you'll be constantly dodging kids or 'casual' bicyclists unless you'll ride really early in the morning or in the late evening.
One option is to live in a little bit more rural parts of the state where you can take the bike on the roads without a lot of traffic but then you'll find yourself commuting to work.
Also, while we certainly don't have six months of winter we do have about four months where riding your bike isn't so much fun, especially if you're confined to the bikepaths. It's not necessarily the temperature or the rain which is an issue but the condition of bikepath and roads can be questionable during this time. You'll have lots of leaves in the fall and when it snows most parts of the paths aren't plowed making it near impossible to ride a road bike.
So...ya...it's not always bicycle paradise in RI unfortunately.
I would say it would be an adjustment. California and RI are about as different as two places can be. However RI and New England are a special place in this country and have alot to offer.
The cost of living is very high in both areas, although as expensive as homes are in New England I think Calif is worse. I don't know how much of a savings you would notice even with a higher salary in Providence. After purchasing a home you have to figure in heating cost, taxes and insurance, it really adds up. Heating costs can take a toll on ones budget in New England. I do however feel your salary certainly would make it doable There are many housing options both newer and older homes, but the amount of older homes is very obvious especially in New England cities vs suburbs. You will not notice the miles of urban sprawl with countless cooking cutter housing developements in New England. I miss the New England neighborhoods with homes with an actual yard and at least some distance from the next house.
You actually could choose between both RI and Massachusetts since downtown Providence has access to both in just minutes. There are some nice suburban areas in Cumberland, Lincoln and South County RI. Mass has Seekonk, Swansea, and the Attleboro area. Again all these areas can be reached in 20 to 30 minutes.
The biking would be an issue and I cannot recommend it in the winter months. Winter can be long and frigid, especially for someone not use to it. I also cannot recommend the area for bike lanes on surface streets. It sure as hell is not Portland, Oregon in regards to bikes in New England, or the biking culture. As for the rest of the year I can recommend some areas, but they are trails. The East Bay Trail is a very popular one. Im not all that familiar with that one. I am familiar with the Blackstone River Trail in Cumberland and Lincoln. It is very well maintained and goes on for miles and miles on paved trails. There are parking lots there, they are free to park and one can ride their bike or jog for many miles there in the countryside along the riverside. If you want another long bike ride head to Cape Cod just down the 295 fwy and ride from Buzzards Bay to the ocean about a 9 mile ride each way along the Cape Cod Canal. As someone mentioned there is an overabundance of casual bicyclist on these trails. But then I have seen numbers of them here in PDX as well as your city Sarcramento, so crowds are everywhere.
I grew up in southeastern Mass. I know I had a difficult time adjusting to Oregon, and never really have for that matter. I would hope for you, if you do move to RI that your adjustment is much easier.
RI is very different than Calif and does not have the people coming and moving away type population that I have noticed on the west coast. You will find many New Englanders have been there for generations. Many neighborhoods you will actually know who your neighbors are. New England has a very homey feel to it.
With a good Real Estate Agent I am sure you would find both an area and home in good proximity to downtown Providence that meets your needs. Best of Luck with your decision.
For the good information, particularly on cycling. Right now, I have a five mile commute to work by bike and the only time I don't ride is in the rain. I do wonder how a transplanted Midwestern that has lived in several places would fit in NE. I do have a good friend in Boston that would probably introduce me to a lot of people... again, I appreciate the time and effort that you've put into answering my questions.
This may seem trivial, but what sort of issues do you have with street people and beggars in downtown Providence? I'm originally from Iowa, I've lived in SD, MN, IN, OH, VA (DC and Fredericksburg), Jackson, MS and now Sacramento. Though I've worked in mostly downtown locations, it just blows my mind to see the open drug deals and the amount of begging that goes on here - and most of the beggars are actually on generous welfare benefits and ride transit for free, then go home to their nice Section 8 apartments at night. Its disgusting.
Its not fun as a federal worker that works downtown to try and go out at lunchtime for a walk with these people constantly harrassing you.
Housing prices have dropped a lot here and there's actually stuff available under $200K in single family, but you're talking 2 *maybe* 3 bedrooms with 1 bath, and you wouldn't want to send your kids to the schools in the area. Plus Sac is weird - even in the suburbs - in that one street of a neighorhood can be great, and the next is a drug and gang-infested warren. Its totally perplexing. I'm not very interested in a condo, as condo fees are not tax deductible, and they're almost impossible to sell except in a really good economy.
I should probably note that I'm 47, 2x divorced, and my children live with their mother in Savannah, GA so part of my motivation for moving is to be a little closer, although at 900 miles you're still talking an airplane trip as I only get about 4 weeks of vacation a year. Longer-term - they're 9 and 7 now - I want them to have waiting a decent house and school system.
I hear you on East Providence; it sounds a lot like East Sacramento here. Gorgeous homes, but no one there sends their kids to the disaster that the Sac public school has become with the influx of illegals and their children. The upside of Sac is its widely considered the most diverse city in America, and the downside is that diversity. California is dysfunctional now and Sac mirrors that dysfunctionality.
I've heard that the area around Boston is very well educated, much more so than any place in California, and as someone with a BA and MA, that appeals to me. I'm also a jazz-fusion guitarist and talking to the musicians that are here on the West Coast, there's a much better scene-venue for that on the East Coast.
But, other than a short rainy season and about a month of it being hotter than hell w/stagnant air in the Valley, the weather is great... the cycling is great... but there seem to be so many minuses too.
What are taxes like? I thought the observations on heating season ring true; my parents in Des Moines pay $173/month under budget billing for their heat/electricity/water and they have central a/c for the summer months... for some reason, gas heat in Iowa is rather cheap in the wintertime. We are almost at 10 percent for my income bracket, almost 9 percent for sales tax (if the budget balancing measures are approved by the public)... property taxes are lower than RI from my online research, vehicle taxes are about to go WAY up... probably from $200 on my car to $500. Utilities are high and going higher with the econazis forcing everyone to accept 'renewable' energy rather than building nuclear plants.
I'm not trolling here, and I appreciate all of the input so far. I certainly feel the winter you have - which is one of the biggest reasons I hesitate, and also the difficult of being integrated into NE being an outsider that's moved a lot - anyway, the winters we had as a kid growing up in Iowa seem a lot less tough than what you guys have to deal with.
I'm sure somebody will harp in on the RI taxes fairly soon.
Just a little something on the panhandling going on in Downtown Providence...it's definitely noticable, especially during certain times of the day. I can't count the times I've been stopped and asked for 'change for the bus'. Thing is, I actually do feel for these people, especially the homeless and I don't have a problem handing over a dollar. But what does get to me is when you do give somebody some change and you walk a block and get stopped again.
Mind you though, this is happening right in smack Downtown Providence, next to City Hall, which is right across from the main public transportation hub which is of course the only way the low income crowd can travel.
If you walk a few blocks towards the East Side or towards the Providence Place Mall it usually isn't much of an issue anymore.
I'm sure somebody will harp in on the RI taxes fairly soon.
Just a little something on the panhandling going on in Downtown Providence...it's definitely noticable, especially during certain times of the day. I can't count the times I've been stopped and asked for 'change for the bus'. Thing is, I actually do feel for these people, especially the homeless and I don't have a problem handing over a dollar. But what does get to me is when you do give somebody some change and you walk a block and get stopped again.
Mind you though, this is happening right in smack Downtown Providence, next to City Hall, which is right across from the main public transportation hub which is of course the only way the low income crowd can travel.
If you walk a few blocks towards the East Side or towards the Providence Place Mall it usually isn't much of an issue anymore.
Here we've got an enclosed Ped Mall - K Street - that RT (Regional Travesty) light rail runs through, and the density of low-income, scum, and just poor bastards that have had a tough life is amazing. But many of them are healthy, too, and just panhandling, but you're talking at least 4-5 blocks of this crap going on... plus obvious gang activity. After rush hour in the morning and the early part in the evening, its not safe to ride light rail. They've grabbed gang bangers off of it that have guns.
Maybe it is just because I'm an older man, but the affinity for teams and 20somethings - even wealthy 'burb kinds - for clothes that look like gang wear is really unsettling - at least out here on the West Coast.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thank you all
