Traffic in Rhode Island & Miscellaneous Info (Providence, Warwick: rent, attorney)

[Fudgecopper]

My husband and I are relocating from Los Angeles, CA to Rhode Island (probably warwick for now, not sure though). On the average it takes us 1.5-2 hours to get to work each way which is only about 34 miles away according to mapquest. I was just wondering if this is about the same in Rhode Island. Is it as congested as it is here? Sometimes it takes me an hour just to get to the mall that is only about 15 miles away and we are just so sick of the traffic. I know traffic is everywhere but it is the same in Rhode Island? I know parts of Rhode Island are different so just pick any city that you would think is the most congested and tell me what the average waiting time is in traffic to get from there to say...warwick, cranston, or barrington. Please, someone help me out. I so desperately just want to move to a place that is "normal" as far as traffic goes.

The metropolitan area in LA is something like 13 million people. According to the stats, Rhode Island only has a populous of 1 million or so. I guess I just figured that Rhode Island would be less crowded??? Am I wrong? Even if you tell me the traffic is the same--are the streets, malls, shops, etc., just as crowded and congested? Over here, its absolutely ridiculous.

By the way, any other miscellaneous information you want to throw out there is perfectly fine with me. I have read other threads so far and they are all informative. I just have some weird fairy-tale idea of what Rhode Island will be like (four seasons, cobblestone streets, etc, lol) that if anyone else as any information that I should know about that could potentially burst my little bubble, that is fine with me. I rather know now than later. Thanks everyone!

[terrasurf]

The only thing that might bust your bubble, is the weather here, as compared to sunny LA. Traffic in RI is not bad at all, generally. If you live in any of the many historic areas and villages in RI it does feel like a fairy tale sometimes. On the other hand RI is an old state, and in many areas it shows and can have a gloomy feel in winter and spring for sure. Fall is really nice here- from Jan to May its a long wait for summer- especially this year! Look at a map and see I commute from Jamestown into downtown Providence and on a good day it takes 35 minutes, and I don't drive over 70. That is leaving just after the morning rush, if not that may put an extra 10 minutes on the commute, more or less. On the way back its always a little longer. From Warwick on the highway your commute would be an easy 10-20 min, but if there is an accident or snow of course it can be longer.

[Urban Peasant]

Rhode Island will most definitely not have any traffic problem like LA has. You might get into a tight squeeze on I-95 or I-195 in Providence during rush hour but those jams don't last too long. Boston, MA (where I am at), some 45 minutes north of Providence has worse traffic jams than Providence.

[Fudgecopper]

Thank you both so much for responding. That is such relief to me to hear about the traffic. I am so glad! And about the weather, I dont mind that at all! I am not one of those people that craves the sunny weather which is one of the reasons that we decided to move to RI. I actually like stormy or overcast days (of course, not all the time, lol).

[POhdNcrzy]

I'm familiar with LA traffic and believe me nowhere in RI is traffic anywhere near as bad as in LA.

What is bringing you to RI?? Are you coming here voluntarily? I think your answers to such questions would really be helpful.

RI has some very nice things about. There really are many bad aspects one should consider as well.

RI is without a doubt one of the coldest places in the US, although it doesn't usually get extremely cold here. (Mainly on account of the freezing bone-chilling Atlantic Ocean winds that relentlessly pummel the state). A solid 5 months of the year here the daily temps are in the low 40's or colder, but almost never colder than 25dF. About once a week there is a "nice day" in Rhode Island. Now I'll be the first to admit, a "nice day" in RI is real nice!! Sort of looks like a warm sunny day in Bermuda or something. Much of the time the weather in RI is perfectly dreadful. Picture the cold of Minnesota along with the rain and overcast gloom of Seattle or the Willamette Valley at its worst. (Although in RI the two don't generally occur simultaneously.)

[Rnrboy]

Rhode Island is not "one of the coldest places in the US." A quick look at some meteorolgical statistics will prove that. Just go to weatherchannel.com and look at average temperatures throughout the year.

Winter can be very cold here, but the average high is usually well above freezing, and we receive far less snow than most other "colder" states. (This past winter has been a dramatic exception, but then it has been bad everywhere.)

We also get more sun than most of the interior states, and than Northern California. (Don't worry though, we have way more cloudy days than LA!) Again, in this regard this year has been an exception to that rule.

Generally speaking, the only months here that can be consistently "brutal" are Jan/Feb, and even that is relatively rare. Keep in mind this is coming from someone who moved up here from FL.

Enjoy Rhode Island! Just make sure you have a job lined up...

[Fudgecopper]

Thank you Rnrboy and POhdNcrzy. Im glad to hear that about the weather. I dont mind the snow, cloudy days, etc. I was in the military and lived in Germany and Poland for quite some time and actually got quite used to the weather there--so much so that when I left the military and moved back to CA I was absolutely miserable with the weather (being so hot and all) if you can believe that. My husband was in Korea during his stint in the military so he feels the same way I do. We are looking for more moderate weather and a place where you can get all four seasons. We are also more smaller town people than big city people. We researched almost everywhere on the east cost and we decided on RI and Maine but have now completely decided on RI. Its a big move for us because we are moving solely for a change in our quality of life. We are both in the process of trying to find jobs out there. Im a recent law school grad and Im taking the bar in July so I want to wait to see if I pass first so I can apply for attorney positions in RI (they give you an additional 2 years to pass the bar in RI once your bar certified in any other state). Since I grew up in CA, although being bar certified here makes no sense since Im moving to RI, its more of a goal now to pass the bar here and then of course I will retake it in RI but I wont be under so much stress since I will basically have 4 times to pass the bar in RI which has a bar passage rate of like 70% as oppose to CA which this last Feb. had a bar passage rage of 30% (not to mention its twice as long as RI's). Anyway, we are both in our late twenties/early thirties (for my husband) and we just want a change. We want to have kids soon and raise them in a different environment that here in CA.

I cant exactly put into words what we feel but its like this--whats the point of making alot of money here when you cant even enjoy it? You have to spend most of it on rent because here, if you pay anything less than like $1500-2000 a month in rent, your living in the ghetto. You have to pay at least $1800-2800 a month just to live in a decent area. If thats not enough, if you have the money or the time when your not working your ass off to go and enjoy everything CA has to offer: (1) the traffic totally defeats the purpose and is a huge unmotivator; (2) the congestion of people is so crowded and mind boggling that you cant even enjoy the sights/attraction; (3) you will probably get charged for valet parking on top of the ridiculous fees (yes, you even have to pay for valet parking in some malls here); and the most annoying of all (4) Alot of people here just care about how many celebrities you know and how many you saw that day? Like that determines what sort of person you are. Do I really want to raise my kids in this type of environment??? Now, not everyone is like this but give me a break! Can I meet a waiter, etc, who is not trying to "get into the biz."

I dont mind working a whole lot or what have you--as long as you can enjoy your time off when you get it and go to see sights, etc w/out all the human congestion.

Please tell me its not like this there!

[Rnrboy]

Rhode Island is completely and utterly juxtaposed to LA when it comes to the "culture." It couldn't be more different. You will be happy with this aspect of the state, trust me.

If you have a decent job, it is also affordable. One of the few downsides of Rhody is it can sometimes be difficult to find work. I moved up here in the fall of 2003 without a job. My roomate helped support me for a month until I got one. It could have been much worse, but the job market here has to be even tougher now.

Of course, California is one of the few states in the country that has the distinction of being even worse off (economically speaking) than RI. So maybe that won't even be as much of a concern for you.

[Fudgecopper]

Originally Posted by Rnrboy

Rhode Island is completely and utterly juxtaposed to LA when it comes to the "culture." It couldn't be more different. You will be happy with this aspect of the state, trust me.

If you have a decent job, it is also affordable. One of the few downsides of Rhody is it can sometimes be difficult to find work. I moved up here in the fall of 2003 without a job. My roomate helped support me for a month until I got one. It could have been much worse, but the job market here has to be even tougher now.

Of course, California is one of the few states in the country that has the distinction of being even worse off (economically speaking) than RI. So maybe that won't even be as much of a concern for you.

Thanks! This is such a relief to me! It seems that RI is everything I thought it was! We hope to move down there anytime after August 1st as soon as one of us gets a job down there.

[Hollytree]

UUUUUhhhhhh.... Rhode Island would be "up there" from LA..........