Should I Move To RI? (Providence, Warwick: middle-class, crime rate, buy)

[Jenkins86]

Originally Posted by joyfulinma

As a long time Massachusetts resident, I was also surprised at some of the negative posts about RI here.
I absolutely LOVE RI !! I'm planning on moving there in 6 months. I will say that some parts of of the state are not the prettiest, but I think it's charming. Some parts of Mass aren't any prize either.

Compared to Mass, the cost of housing is so much more affordable. The cost of homes are much lower and rents are lower compared to Mass. RI property taxes are a little bit higher, but varry town to town.

My auto ins. will be about the same.

Generally, the people in RI actually seem friendlier to me than those in Mass. RI drivers seem more considerate as well.

I can't wait to hear my first, in person, "youze gize." Although, I have experienced a "what can I get YIZ" once at a Massachusetts Dunkin Donuts. I LOVE and appreciate different accents and dialects. Thank God we don't all sound the same! Believe me, I've had my share of razzing about my local Mass accent and lingo. I can't believe how truely offended some people get about diversity.

Don't get me wrong, I love Mass too, but it's just not middle working class friendly. Living in RI seems more accommodating.....for now anyway.

My wife and I moved to Providence from Boston 5 years ago and are glad we did. Much like you mentioned above the people are a bit more open and friendly and there is just so much to do in a half hours drive in any direction. Our house was much cheaper than in would have been in Boston. Yes, RI has serious problems (we both work in Mass. still, not many good jobs here) but for us it works out very well.

[firstgradeteecher]

I am a native Rhode Islander. I moved to VA to find a public school teaching position. If I could have a teaching position in RI, my husband and I would move back. The big drawback -besides not teaching position-is the cost of living in RI. Houses are very expensive as is the housing tax.
I do miss RI, the beaches being near, the different ethnic communiities in such a small area and the ability to go and do so much in one day and still be home at night.

[Hollytree]

I don't think houses are particularly expensive- especially now.
If you live in Cranston or Warwick, etc. they can be cheap- in the 200s.
Obviously, there is a huge range depending on the community (from a couple hundred up into the millions), but there are plenty of towns where housing is a bargain for New England... also loads of older homes for renovators.
Here in southern New England heat is a factor in terms of utilities (5 mos. of heat needed?) but one can get by for about 4 or more months with no heat or AC.
There are a couple of mos. where it would be really nice to have AC.

[twokeylu2]

Hey guys, we currently live in Thibodaux, Louisiana and we're sick and tired of the Hurricanes. We want to move to a different part of the US and haven't really descided on the best place yet. I'm a computer draftsman (draw maps and subdivision on the computer) and my wife is a nurse and about to get her masters/Nurse Practioner. I don't think we'll have trouble finding a job anywhere but it's the anywhere we aren't sure of. Cost of living won't be much of a problem, we're shooting for an apartment then upgrading to a house at a later date. We're not much of party animals but like to get out and about to see the sights. Any suggestions? Kids aren't in the picture right now and may only come as a suprise later.

[eastcoastgrl]

I've been running my a/c non stop since May. It's been in the upper 80's here the past few days, humid, yucky! I yearn for fall in New England.
But heating costs are something for us to think about (and worry about) as we ponder our move back up north. Could anyone give us an idea of how much we're looking at per month. Is this all oil we're talking about? Are there houses with alternate sources of heat?

As for the price of houses, no, there isn't much of a difference between here and there now, it used to be very cheap here and expensive in RI,(the northeast) but now it's kind of evened out - I think it's overpriced everywhere now. It's the taxes that are the big difference up there.

[dgthree]

Originally Posted by eastcoastgrl

I've been running my a/c non stop since May. It's been in the upper 80's here the past few days, humid, yucky! I yearn for fall in New England.
But heating costs are something for us to think about (and worry about) as we ponder our move back up north. Could anyone give us an idea of how much we're looking at per month. Is this all oil we're talking about? Are there houses with alternate sources of heat?

As for the price of houses, no, there isn't much of a difference between here and there now, it used to be very cheap here and expensive in RI,(the northeast) but now it's kind of evened out - I think it's overpriced everywhere now. It's the taxes that are the big difference up there.

I grew up in RI and thought it was somewhat bad until I moved to Maryland, and then to Florida. It is not bad at all and our costs are also much less. I talk to my friends all the time in RI and it hasn't been that hot all summer. It has been in the 70's all summer mostly. You can not complain aobut that.

[GermanSpy]

Originally Posted by eastcoastgrl

But heating costs are something for us to think about (and worry about) as we ponder our move back up north. Could anyone give us an idea of how much we're looking at per month. Is this all oil we're talking about? Are there houses with alternate sources of heat?

It's really difficult to give you an estimate about heating costs without knowing the size of your new house, the heating system used and other factors like insulation, windows, location and so on.
Not all houses in the area are using oil heat. You'll find houses with gas heat and sometimes units with electric heat. It would probably be the easiest if you could provide an estimate of the square footage you'd like to have in your new house and the desired heating system. Based on that we can give you guesstimates, but not much more than that.

[eastcoastgrl]

Well, I'd say just try and base it on a 2500 sqft house, I'm just trying to get an estimate, we have natural gas here and i don't find it to be unreasonable - I don't have much experience with anything but that and electric for heating. I'm under the impression it's all oil up there and you don't have much of a choice about it, that's that's what everything is heated with. don't know if that's true or not

[GermanSpy]

Originally Posted by eastcoastgrl

Well, I'd say just try and base it on a 2500 sqft house, I'm just trying to get an estimate, we have natural gas here and i don't find it to be unreasonable - I don't have much experience with anything but that and electric for heating.

Like I said, not every house here is heated with oil. Let's just assume though you'll get a 2500 square foot house which does indeed use oil for heat. No brand new construction and a heating unit which isn't quite up to date either. Let's put a gallon of heating oil at $ 3.40.

You'd be looking at around 2700 dollars to heat your home per year.
Again, this is an estimate and depends on a lot of factors, like how old your heating unit is etc...

[eastcoastgrl]

ok, so divide that between 5 months, (nov-march) ? and you get appx. $540 per month. does that sound right? that is pretty hefty. and we'd be looking at older homes, not as well insulated. ok, thanks for the info.