Possibly relocating to R I (Providence, Warwick: real estate, high crime, house)

[daveimme]

Hi.....I am presently living in Baton Rouge, LA and possibly will be relocating to the RI area (office in Warwick) for work. I have 6 children, but only 4 will be accomdating us (18 and 20 yr staying) and the others, 3 sons and a daughter (10, 12, 14 and 16) will be moving with us. I miss New England; the culture, living and the four seasons..... Also the proximity of driving to several different areas is very enticing, where as in the Baton Rouge, LA area, if you want to go anywhere, it can entail a good days drive.....

I grew up in East Windsor, CT and my family used to go to Misquamicut beach as a kid and I remember awesome times there.

Question.......

Where is a good place to move to in this area? We are white and the kids are doing great in school here. I am going to be looking to purchase a house in the $250k range. Also where is a great place to raise the kids?

I do not mind a commute to Warwick (I mean RI isn't THAT big) and I'm used to a 20 mile commute down here, so that's not much of an issue. I still have some family in southern Ct as well as a brother in the springfield, mass area.

Any tips for determinng what areas/neighborhoods are ones to look at? Avoid at all costs? Particular counties???

Thanks to all who may have something to say.....

[skytrekker]

Dave

I live in eastern CT- but I spend time in Providence regularly. Finding a home in most of Rhode Island for 250K will be tough. Your best bet would be areas near the Connecticut border- where real estate is less. Towns like Foster, will be less expensive then the Providence area. Further south in RI look at Hopkinton, Ashaway, Hope Valley and Wyoming. Prices near Providence will be higher then 250K-closer to 285-300K.

Extreme eastern Connecticut around Putnam, Danielson and Killingly are near the 250K price you are looking for- good luck and welcome back to New England-

[daveimme]

Thanks for the reply...

However, my job would *require* I live in RI, so I have to look in the state. If I do actually take this job, the office is in Warwick and I will be traveling alot in the state, but coming from down here, traveling from one end of the state to the other can easily be done during a days time if I'm not mistaken.

The areas in western RI you speak of; are they nice areas and good places to raise kids? How are the schools? Is it cheaper in any other area of RI (i.e., North/northwest)?

[skytrekker]

The areas I mentioned are small town to rural- are are located near the CT Border- raising kids? I drive through these towns often- and are very peaceful. I do not have any objective data on schools. These areas are cheaper then greater Providence- inc. Warwick Cranston etc.

The commute would be 30-40 minutes one way. If you have Microsoft Streets you can zero in on western RH- or look at an on line map source.

[mr2448]

Originally Posted by daveimme

Hi.....I am presently living in Baton Rouge, LA and possibly will be relocating to the RI area (office in Warwick) for work. I have 6 children, but only 4 will be accomdating us (18 and 20 yr staying) and the others, 3 sons and a daughter (10, 12, 14 and 16) will be moving with us. I miss New England; the culture, living and the four seasons..... Also the proximity of driving to several different areas is very enticing, where as in the Baton Rouge, LA area, if you want to go anywhere, it can entail a good days drive.....

I grew up in East Windsor, CT and my family used to go to Misquamicut beach as a kid and I remember awesome times there.

Question.......

Where is a good place to move to in this area? We are white and the kids are doing great in school here. I am going to be looking to purchase a house in the $250k range. Also where is a great place to raise the kids?

I do not mind a commute to Warwick (I mean RI isn't THAT big) and I'm used to a 20 mile commute down here, so that's not much of an issue. I still have some family in southern Ct as well as a brother in the springfield, mass area.

Any tips for determinng what areas/neighborhoods are ones to look at? Avoid at all costs? Particular counties???

Thanks to all who may have something to say.....

Warwick has a good school system and housing for $250000 can be found in the old shore communities, but not on the actual waterfront. Tidewater, Nausocket, Oakland Beach, Pawtuxet, Buttonwoods are all affordable. The housing lots are small and neighbors are close. These are the old trolley villages from the early 20th century. Also, the airport is nearby and some find the noise offensive, but it is not a major airport. If you can stand the airport living nearby is inexpensive. St Timothy's on Warwick Ave could help in finding housing. Western Rhode Ilsand is somewhat affordable with larger lots and more rural.

Good luck

[Lula]

Median price of housing in RI is $275K. Finding a home big enough for your family will be a stretch, unless you are willing to accept something that needs work. Warwick probably is your best bet, followed by West Warwick. You will not find anything remotely to fit your needs in southern RI or in the North except Pawtucket, Central Falls or Woonsocket and I wouldn't recommend any of those areas. Foster and Glocester are very rural and taxes can be high.

Check riliving.com or realtor.com for house searches. It will give you a visual to go with your price range.

Here is a link to school reports for the state: http://www.infoworks.ride.uri.edu/2007/default.asp

ps: Misquamicut is still lovely, but averages in the 500's

[Cav]

Northern RI can be expensive. If your looking for a 4bed home in a decent neighborhood, you can expect to pay high300's to start!!!....(atleast). schools are overcrowded. schools are overcrowded in every town.

[jeffisok]

Originally Posted by daveimme

Hi.....I am presently living in Baton Rouge, LA and possibly will be relocating to the RI area (office in Warwick) for work. I have 6 children, but only 4 will be accomdating us (18 and 20 yr staying) and the others, 3 sons and a daughter (10, 12, 14 and 16) will be moving with us. I miss New England; the culture, living and the four seasons..... Also the proximity of driving to several different areas is very enticing, where as in the Baton Rouge, LA area, if you want to go anywhere, it can entail a good days drive.....

I grew up in East Windsor, CT and my family used to go to Misquamicut beach as a kid and I remember awesome times there.

Question.......

Where is a good place to move to in this area? We are white and the kids are doing great in school here. I am going to be looking to purchase a house in the $250k range. Also where is a great place to raise the kids?

I do not mind a commute to Warwick (I mean RI isn't THAT big) and I'm used to a 20 mile commute down here, so that's not much of an issue. I still have some family in southern Ct as well as a brother in the springfield, mass area.

Any tips for determinng what areas/neighborhoods are ones to look at? Avoid at all costs? Particular counties???

Thanks to all who may have something to say.....

Pawtucket and Woonsocket would be fine. Avoid Central Falls.

[my2kidsmom]

Pawtucket and Woonsocket are great if you speak Spanish and don't mind unwed teenage mothers bringing their babies with them to class. Gangs are common in these school systems and town as well. That is the reality of those two cities as well as Central Falls.
I for one would want to know the information if I were unsure of an area.

[mikey2]

Cities like Woonsocket have been run down over the past 40 years. There are few jobs and consequently there is a lot of poverty, hence minorities have located there... both hispanic and aisan.

I was in that area yesterday and you could see poverty everywhere (especially on the faces of the people on the street). I understand that St. Charles Church has a soup kitchen which has people lined up around the block.

Providence has a revitalized downtown... but that's it. Surrounding that are areas of high crime and violence, which even the residents call "Clown Town"

I wouldn't recommend any of these areas... people I see that live there would love to get out themselves... if they could.