Are there cute gay family friendly towns near Providence?

[PAblackbear]

Originally Posted by xxHopeful1xx

My partner and I are planning on moving to the Boston area or the Providence area. She is an IT business analyst and I am (or will be by the time we move) a mental health counselor.

We are looking for a cute gay family friendly town that is commuting distance (preferably by public transit) to the city. We would love a cute, sleepy town with lots of nature, trails, that sort of thing but it is really important that it is gay friendly, particularly since we are planning to have a child. Any ideas?

We are open to other places but would prefer to not go too far to the frigid north or too far from the coast.

Thanks so much!!

That sounds challenging.

[a1sspiked]

OK am i the only nosey person , with no life, who wonders how this post ended? Did the country loving couple find their paradise? or did they run screaming from the state?

[cmj912]

I wondered, too. Though saying that I hope they didn't choose Providence is kind of biting the hand that feeds me (ha, ha...), looking at how many times they referenced access to good public transit made me wonder if Massachusetts wasn't the better option. RIPTA's all we've got.

Plus, she said they were planning on having a child. I just think because marriage is legal in MA, etc., that this sounded like their best bet. They could even live in suburban MA and reverse commute on the train into Prov if one of them got a job here.

[leegaleez38]

try Warren...kinda folksy, cute downtown, kinda artsy, in a small new England town kind of way.

[carlent]

Both Bristol and Warren are on the "East Bay" side of Providence and both have excellent bus transport to Providence. Both are o n the "East Bay Bike and Walking" path that goes from Bristol to Providence. It is as scenic and interesting as i have ever seen anywhere. You can get lost in nature on the trail and if you live in Bristol or Warren, it would be a good bet that you could walk or bike to it from where ever you would live. Both have quanit and interesting downtown's with lots of retail shops, cafe's and charm. Bristol is a bit more "polished" than Warren. and maybe just a wee bit more expensive. Warren would be a shorter bus ride in to Providence by about 10 min. Hope this helps.

[ProvGuy]

Originally Posted by POhdNcrzy

Hmmmm. Let's see. Well, I agree that RIer's are pretty laid-back and tolerant of others, but....

- Gay marriage in RI = illegal

- Marijuana in RI = illegal (*one of the most harmless, beneficial and useful herbs known to mankind)

- Riding your bike or walking across bridges in RI = illegal (*unconstitutional)

- Riding your bike or walking on many main roads in RI = illegal

- Wearing a thong or topless women in RI = illegal

- Owning a firearm in RI = more or less illegal (*unconstitutional)

- Income tax (*unconstitutional)

- Prostitution/sex work in RI = illegal

- Hitchhiking in RI = illegal

- Thousands of laws on the books in RI proscribing and regulating every little behavior or act of business enterprise one can imagine

Hmmmm, doesn't seem all that liberal or permissive to me.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find a topless woman to wear....

Umm, RI is still pretty liberal. Prostitution was JUST made officially illegal this year, medical marijuana use is legal, and biking/walking is only prohibited across the Jamestown, Newport and Mt Hope Bridges, not EVERY bridge. Gay marriage, well I'll give you that one.

Pawtuxet Village is very gay friendly and definitely fits the criteria of being "cute." East Greenwich is also cute, friendly, and very accessible to Providence, and will be more so if/when they get the MBTA to run trains there (it's in the planning stages). The only places I would avoid would be the western fringes of the state, where attitudes are a little more old school. All of Providence proper is gay friendly, and some of the neighborhood such as Hope and Wayland Square have a nice small town feel to them.

[cmj912]

Originally Posted by ProvGuy

Umm, RI is still pretty liberal. Prostitution was JUST made officially illegal this year, medical marijuana use is legal, and biking/walking is only prohibited across the Jamestown, Newport and Mt Hope Bridges, not EVERY bridge. Gay marriage, well I'll give you that one.

Pawtuxet Village is very gay friendly and definitely fits the criteria of being "cute." East Greenwich is also cute, friendly, and very accessible to Providence, and will be more so if/when they get the MBTA to run trains there (it's in the planning stages). The only places I would avoid would be the western fringes of the state, where attitudes are a little more old school. All of Providence proper is gay friendly, and some of the neighborhood such as Hope and Wayland Square have a nice small town feel to them.

Sometimes I struggle with this, though. On the western fringes of the state are places like Chepachet, Hope in Scituate, etc., where there is a very tolerant village feel whereas there are some areas of Providence that would definitely not qualify as quite so gay tolerant such as South Providence, Manton, and Silver Lake.

I think the chosen neighborhood's friendliness would definitely be related to how 'out' the resident is. A female couple with children on the East Side who fly a gay pride flag outside of their home and are demonstrative or affectionate with one another outdoors might have an altogether different experience than the same couple living in Mount Pleasant or Fruit Hill. And likewise with Pawtuxet Village versus, say, western Cranston.

Earlier, I'd stated that being gay in Providence is pretty much a non-issue but I did want to state that there are still some places here that are not created equal. Which I guess goes for more than just being gay, actually.