Moving from CA to RI - Seek Culture with Nature (Providence: for sale, real estate)

[FM444]

I am French and have been living for years in South Bay Area California with my husband (American who has lived abroad). We would like to move East, thought about different places and after research, are thinking about Rhode Island or may be New Hampshire.

We would miss the California weather, the redwood forests, the beach in the winter, the easy access to the wilderness, as well as farmers markets and the great choice of fresh organic food. But we both are craving for culture, sophistication, and well mannered "normal" people. We are at an age where we want a beautiful architecture home on a decent size lot, in an upscale neighborhood, something you don't find here unless you are ready to pay over $1M, even during these days of foreclosures, price-dropping and recession.

We are in our 50's, still need to work, (sales, finances and natural medicine) and are world travelers. We are trying to find a place in the U.S. that mix both nature and culture and where real estate is affordable. 400-500,000 for a nice home, in upscale location. Is Rhode Island one of these places? Would Providence be this kind of place? I read on the forum that Rhode Island has "Shadows of the past hanging heavily" speaking of traditions. What does it mean?

We are some kind of semi-conservative baby boomers who prefer books to TV, eat gourmet organic, love to dress up and go out in chic places and go hike in nature after work, and we would appreciate to meet with relaxed, educated, interesting conscious people.

Does the area offer jobs for options traders?

Thank you very much.

[Hollytree]

You will find California to be very different from RI. RI is part of New England and is part of one of the older regions of the country. California, with the exception of its missions, dates generally only to the 1850s. We go back to the 1600s.That's the bit about traditions.

Being from France, you may find that comforting- or not- if you prefer a more modern feel. The coastal areas of RI have been said to have the climate of the wine growing regions of France- thus we have vineyards here.

RI is a nice mix of natural scenery and attractions and urban living depending on what part of the state you settle in. 500K is doable for a nice house with some architectural features- although on the low end for the more desirable areas. As far as options trading goes, isn't that done online or in NYC?

[CardsfanfromBoston]

I think Newport certainly offers alot of culture and you could probably afford a home there though it is quite expensive. I think you're looking for something in southern RI, which is less populace, but more charming in my opinion and offers things like nice beaches, art shows and smaller communities. On the otherhand it's further from Boston which is a nice major city in the area too.

I've never lived in Providence, but can tell you it's a medium sized city with some good restaurants, and some cool cultural events with some fancy neighborhoods and many not so nice neighborhoods.

New Hampshire is far more rural than RI as a whole. Remember, RI is the second most densely populated state in the US. And there's basically 2 New Hampshires...the part close to Boston which also includes a tiny portion of the coast. And then the rest of it, which is quite rural with a mix of sky tourism communities, etc.

Some other notes about RI: it's heavily influenced by the decedants of certain immigrant groups...there's thriving Portuguese, Italian communities in the northern part of the state with Jewish, Hmong, African American and Italians having a big imprint in Providence. Woonsocket in particular may be of interest due to its strong connections with French Canada. Then the southern part of the state is more WASP-esque (White Anglo Saxon Prostetant as we say)...Though like the rest of America, these trends are becomming blurred and certainly there's diversity everywhere you look. The state also has a declining population for two reasons: economy has taken it's toll and there's a high percentage of elderly in the state.

Both of these factors are partly due to the once thriving mill/manufacturing base that was once in the state. It has dried up, much like in other northern states like PA, and parts of Mass and Ct. The northern part of the state is filled with these types of towns like Woonsocket and Pawtucket that still have that feel.

Hope this helps!

[FM444]

Thank you greatly Hollytree and CardsfanfromBoston. This is very helpful. It looks like now we are going to choose between Providence and Newport. Being near Boston is a big plus, but I sense that you really have to pick the right neighbourhood. Quiet, green and safe, away from traffic, is important for us. So would picking East Providence a sure choice? I found a few houses in that area that we like. We would like to purchase the small house in the best neighbourhood. We intend to take a year off work and reconsider where we are going, while building a new business on the internet.

New port seems more expensive, with fewer houses for sale, but may be more upscale?

Is there a big difference in climate between the 2 towns?

Yes, my husband trades on-line but having some non-virtual financial connections would be great, may be in Boston?

I read that RI unemployment rate is now 12%. It is high here too in CA, but while many jobs have been lost, the luxury goods market keeps going strong. It is just that the discrepancy between incomes is getting bigger and bigger. Is it the same in RI? That's more of a business question for me.

Is Blackstone Valley a great place to visit but not to live? That is my feeling... looks awesome. So much history all over, I am more and more seduced.

Thank you both again for your time

[HopeStreet]

Hi FM444 - If you love Farmer's Markets and locally sourced food, Rhode Island certainly will not disappoint (see below link).

FarmFresh.org — - RI farms, local food, farmers' markets

[personalensign79]

Be careful East Providence and the "east side" of Providence are different. It sounds to me like you would prefer the east side of Providence. I'm not an expert on East Providence though, I grew up in the southern part of the state (Washington county though we never used county names).

[CALtoRI]

I agree with sticking to the East Side of Providence, rather than East Providence--Huge difference! I am a Southern California transplant and having lived here almost 2 years, I can say that I absolutely love the feel of the East Side. Great people, food, culture, architecture and entertainment. Close to the beaches, Boston, Newport and easy access to the airport. Compared to CA, there is practically no traffic and living on the East side I can easily walk to plenty of restaurants, book stores, the farmer's market, etc. There is a big change as far as the weather and that takes some getting used to, but overall I greatly prefer the New England lifestyle!

[ediet]

HI FM,
Here are some great websites that might clarirfy some places to be:

gonewport dot com
visitrhodeisland dot com

Some tips, if you live in Providence, the winters will be colder and the summers warmer, but you will be able to travel to Boston either by train or car. You can also get to NH or the middle of Mass.
If you live in Newport, you will have milder winters and in the summer the afternoon breeze normally comes through and cools things down, but you will have to leave the island whenever you want to go anywhere. There is normally a water taxi from Newport to Providence (for some reason, I think repairs, it is cancelled until further notice), there is also the ferry over to Block Island (also leaves from Narragansett).
My suggestion would be to not buy a property right away. Come here for about a year and visit all the different areas of RI to see which one suits your taste better. There are areas like Westerly, which is very close to CT and the Mystic Seaport, but then there are areas like Warwick, which have a lot going on in them, but it is pretty quick to get out of there and go elsewhere (airport is close and so is the highway). Providence is getting better with their cultural areas (College hill is fantastic) and again, easy to get out of. The East Bay areas (Barrington, Bristol, Warren), have some cute walkable downtown areas, some things going on (water side concerts, small theaters, good restaurants).

I honestly don't know anything about the west bay except Warwick and Westerly, so someone else might be able to help you out there.

Good luck! Also check the sticky area of this forum, you can normally get some great information from there.

[Hollytree]

East Providence- a city separate from the East Side of Providence has some nice, affordable areas. The neighborhoods do have a more suburban feel than parts of the East Side but are generally much more affordable and many areas are near water. If your house budget is under 300K, try looking in Riverside, Rumford, and the Haines Park area. A 300K budget will only get you a small condo or a dicey neighborhood on the East Side.

I know of a nice place coming up for sale soon in EP if you want to send me a direct message.

[FM444]

Thanks to ediet and Hollytree - after further research, we are now thinking about moving to NH. We will however visit as many areas as we can during our coming trip.