Should I Move To RI? (Providence, Warwick: transplants, crime, home)

[oldvannes]

I'm returning to Rhode Island after an absence of 31 years, by choice. I've spent most of that time in San Francisco. Any place can seem unfriendly, provincial and dumb. Any community can seem open or stand-offish depending upon how you approach it.

If you want to make friends take part in community activities. Depending upon what stage of life you are in the activity can vary. If you have school age children take part in school activities, etc.

Provincial? Every community, group, and individual is first concerning with those issues that directly involve them and those closest to them (at least they should). The daily struggles of Long Islanders is of zero importance for Rhode Islanders . The good folks of Long Island have no interest in the daily lives of their fellow citizen in Wickford, Cleveland, or Denver.

Eveyone has their own problems and responsibilites to deal with. If disaster strikes, people are always ready to lend a helping hand. I've found this to be true throughout most of the world.

Youze gizes is okay with me. Regional accents are, well, regional accents.
She's a bank teller not a member or the board of supervisiors or a tenured professor in the cultural studies department.

I once had a physics professor who sounded like a Coney Island hot dog vendor. He was a Nobel prize winner and a leader in the field for 40 years. Upon first meeting him people assumed he was the janitor.

I grew up in South County. My family came from the Blackstone Valley, largely of French-Canadian stock. I can remember many of the older first generation immigrants pronouncing you as youze.

There is a regional accent here in San Fran as well. People who grow up here have their own regional variety (To me is sounds a lot like a Long Island accent).

The economy stinks and the state is corrupt. For decades, RI was a subsidiary of the unions and the unions were largely controlled by the mob. That's changing. There is still a long way to go, but things are moving in the right direction. Rhode Island is growing economically. It has a diverse economy and a well educated population. It just has to continue developing opportunities so kids don't leave the state after graduating. Again, things are moving in the right direction.

Taxes are high. In SF the sales tax is 8.5% and the economy is booming and has been booming with a high tax rate for decades. The state is always going to take its cut, you can't avoid that. Personally, I think any sales tax over 4 -5 % is confiscatory, but the people in elective office in high-tax areas worship at the alter of big government and would probably like to see the tax rate up above 10% if not more...

If you want to grow an economy you need an influx of investment capital and intellctual capital. Again, things are moving in the right direction.

Most of the North East is in the tank. Long-term prospects are not good. That is except for New England. New England has been attracting investment capital since the mid-90's. Intellectual capital is a given. Higher education is an industry in NE.

Public Education Stinks. News Bulletin: SO DO MOST PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

Rigor in K-12 education seems to be a thing of the past except for rare exceptions. Most universities spend the first 2 years engaged in remedial education ( that includes the ritzy expensive ones as well).

Unfortunately, K-12 requires at least some extra home-schooling.

The rest of the industrialized world has already institutionalized this. Most send a large percentage of their kids to afternoon cram schools. I have older and younger children. They've attended both public and private schools, both supposedly highly rated so I've had first hand experience in both environments. I've served on textbook review committees for math and science texts. Most of what goes on is an abomination. The watering down of facts and understandings replaced by misguided ideas derived from schools of education.

Are there better places to live? Maybe? It all depends upon you and what you make of the situation.

Rhode Island (and New England in general) has very tight-knit communities. You'll have to make a effort to be accepted. But if you make that effort you will be accepted.

Will everyone like you? Probably not. So what? You can still have plenty of friends.

Why NE? Because of the whole ball of wax. The texture of life: personal, atmosphere, historical, familial, geographical (the physical beauty of NE) are second to none compared to every place I've been. There are places more beautiful, there are places more family friendly, there are places where you can find better economic opportunities, there are places where you can have a better connection to other members of the community (where it is easier to fit in); but there is no place that puts it all together more successfully.

I left in '76 to go to college in Pasadena. From there I moved to Berkeley and San Francisco. Except for a year here and there I've pretty much stayed put in the SF Bay Area. But I have travelled far and wide and had the opportunity to see Most of the world. Inspite of this I plan on returning to RI.

Nor am I the only one. Many friends who left NE have returned. Some sooner than later.

Every place is a mixed bag. It's you're commitment that will make the difference.

[SarahGabrielle]

Very well said.

Also, the good thing is, at least Brown University sterilizes the blight and provincial mentality often associated with small beach towns.

[my2kidsmom]

The state of RI is a joke to the rest of the country, and to the rest of New England, for that matter. No, things are not the same everywhere, thank God!! For anyone foolish enough to consider moving to RI, heed my warning: it's an awful place to live, for reasons economical, political and social. You can live there for 25 years and you'll always be considered an outsider to the provincials who call the place home, and they'll treat you as such. There are so many better places to live where the quality of life is much, much richer.

[dutch10]

I am so glad I moved away from RI, and hope never to return.

That makes two of us.

[NarragansettPark]

I'm from MA but visit RI alot and the unfriendliness that people mention is all over the east coast, not just RI. But that situation is what you make of it. There are unfriendly people everywhere and there are also nice people. I deal with both at my job and everyday. It's what happens when an area gets too crowded as most of southern New England has become.

best of luck in your decision.

[thelionskiss]

Jamestown RI is one of the most interesting places to visit. It was rated as one of the top 10 places to which to retire in a national magazine(can't remember the magazine's name) last year. It has great restaurents and forts and visitors' destinations. You can ride horses, visit farms, windmill, museum, and take the Jamestown ferry out to Rose Island. Jamestown is really Conanicut Island, and it is 5 minutes by car to downtown Newport and really close to the base.

Navy people over the years have retired to Jamestown. I am from the Midwest and love it here.

[Valnf]

Originally Posted by RSJnz

I am native to RI. I've lived in Alabama and have traveled around most of the US. People in RI are no different than people anywhere else. You have good and bad. For the most part people native to RI usually are very family oriented. We love to get together and cook and carry on....enjoy life. The problem is that many people come here from out of state and start criticizing our way of life. Not smart.....I find that the rudest people are not native to RI.

My husband got a job and want to know how you enjoyed living there and which part were you in?

[Justout]

I was born and raised in RI, have lived in Boston, Bergen County NJ and now I live in South Florida. I doesn't matter where you live, there are always going to be people whose way of speaking is different than yours.

I know in NJ I heard "youz guyz" ALL THE TIME, it's a local thing, that's just how they talk. If the way people talk is something that bothers you then you're going to have a hard time no matter where you live. Name the place and I can guarantee you there is a local dialect.

It sounds to me like you're just bitter about RI in particular and are picking out little things that bother you. I live in South FL now, with all the diversity down here, you're sure to get a wide variety of Engligh grammar being spoken... again if that bothers you then you won't have a good time living here. Anywhere in the south you're going to hear "Y'all", I heard a co-worker who is from Alabama once say "Hey is that y'all's paperwork? Y'all's? what the heck is that? But people say it all the time. Is that good enough reason to go to the Alabama forum and say that people in the south aren't intelligent? NO it's not. Same goes for RI or any other place.

People's idioms are just that... idioms. Althought it may not be correct and proper English, it's not a reason to insult an entire state or region.

I'm not saying RI is awesome, God knows it has its problems, but there are similar problem no matter where you go, it's a matter of perspective and personality.

[conimicut1]

Hello:

I would advise not to move here for the next 1-2 years. Timing ouldn't be worse. Rhode Island is rapidly approaching a severe recession that will affect real estate values, taxes and the general economy, the worst in 20 years. Most economic indicators show that the recession has already started here and will happen regardless of the national trends.

If you are thinking of working as a teacher, forget it. There will be dramatic changes to any government related job within the next year. Most state governments have surpluses, here we huge a huge deficit. Funding for schools will get even tighter. Since you would be the lowest with seniority, you could get laid off.

If you must move here, rent. The real estate market boomed over the last 5 years, is flat now and may get pulled down as the state wrestles with recession.

Read the local papser projo.com

This state has the highest amount of downward population shift in the country and one of the oldest median age. Worst than Michigan, who is dealing with massive auto layoffs. Young professionals are leaving in droves because of difference between the real estate market and salaries, taxes are bad too. People who can leave, are. What's left are poorly paid blue-collar people who can't move and retired people.

Don't look at Providence for an idea of real estate values, its very mixed. Look at the suburban ring for a general middle class guide: Warwick, Cranston, East Greenwich, North Kingstown.

True, it a beautiful state, if you have money or are retired. Not for starting out in life. If I didn't own a house I would leave.

[Buzz858]

Originally Posted by antipode12

I'm thinking about moving to RI -- I've heard some good things--particularly about Providence.

Currently, I'm a teacher on Long Island, NY. I'm interested in a few things, specifically:

1) What are people like there? What's the atmosphere? How do people like living there?

2) How is the cost of living? Avg. rent for a 1 bedroom apt?

3) How are the schools?

Thx

Lets put it this way if you can afford to live any place in NE you can live any place in the world. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$