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Can anyone just give me some good tips on Providence RI as far as living there? We just found out that we are being relocated to Fall River, MA, but after looking at Fall River I hear that it isn't a good place to live? Looking around I see Providence is about a 20min drive? Just curious what living in RI is compared to MA (I hear MA taxes are higher for example)
Can anyone just give me some good tips on Providence RI as far as living there? We just found out that we are being relocated to Fall River, MA, but after looking at Fall River I hear that it isn't a good place to live? Looking around I see Providence is about a 20min drive? Just curious what living in RI is compared to MA (I hear MA taxes are higher for example)
Thank you for any advice
You've heard incorrectly.
Massachusetts has a lower tax burden than RI, though neither is particularly high. It's amazing how myths like "Taxachusetts" get propogated long past when they're true.
According this web page (and I've read similar things elsewhere), RI is 24 and MA is 28 in overall tax burden: TAX BURDEN BY STATE. Property taxes in Boston, where I live, are particularly low relative to other areas (but that won't help you).
And, the all important sales tax in RI is 7%, while it's 6.25% in MA.
If you're looking for reasonably-priced places to live that are - presumably - close to Fall River, then you have many choices. You can live on the east side of Narragansett Bay in RI in towns like E. Providence, Barrington (expensive), Warren or Bristol. Or, you can live in MA towns like Seekonk, Swansea, Somerset, or towns between Fall River and New Bedford. There are lots of them, and they're all pretty decent. Just look at a map. It all really depends on what you're looking for. Are you looking for a shopping mall kind of existence or one where there's a nice town center to walk/drive to?
BTW: Fall River is fine. There's nothing particularly troublesome about it, and if you're looking for a rental, you might just look around the city. You could probably get a good deal, and it's only about 10 miles from Providence (another city that would be a fine choice). Sorry to be so vague, but you haven't given a lot to go on, and it really does depend on the kind of lifestyle you want to lead. One thing is for sure, the area you're moving to is beautiful and you'll love the environment around you.
Fall River will definitely be more than 20 minutes once you take traffic into consideration. Providence is a great city and a great place to live, though taxes are a bit on the high side, but you're likely looking at 30+ on the commute from Providence (unless you live right near the on-ramp, getting to the highway can easily add 5-15 min to your commute). Traffic on 195 can be heavy. As much as I recommend Providence, if you work in Fall River and want to be close to Providence, I would suggest East Providence. The traffic is usually gone by then when heading east and it's usually where it just starts coming back west.
Location: The State of Rhode Island, Presented by Dunkin' Donuts
115 posts, read 377,598 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rranger
It's amazing how myths like "Taxachusetts" get propogated long past when they're true.
Except that they're still true. I help my Dad (90) pay his bills, and I just wrote a check for part of his property tax, which is >$9200/year on a house worth about half a million (he lives in Wayland, a typical "spare no expense taxing everyone to pay for our kids' schools" suburb).
I don't know where that Web site got their numbers, but they've got almost every state right at almost exactly 10% -- questionable. And just wrong, when you're talking about states like RI, where the income tax is progressive! Oversimplified and misleading. Property taxes vary so much by jurisdiction that it's meaningless to slap a "state" number on it. And I'm telling you: having lived in AZ -- and owned property there -- the overall tax burden is much lower, regardless of what these guys are saying.
Then, there's that car insurance thing... but let's not go there and ruin a nice day....
Location: The State of Rhode Island, Presented by Dunkin' Donuts
115 posts, read 377,598 times
Reputation: 50
I don't know about Ohio, but:
(Cost to insure car in Mass.) > (Cost to insure car, pickup, and 2 motorcycles in Illinois)
Just for grins, call your car insurance company and ask for a quote if you live in Boston. Be sure there's someone ready to revive you with smelling salts....
(Actually, the most likely answer is, "We don't do business in Massachusetts.")
I live in Cranston and my car insurance is actually no big deal.
Car taxes, however, are another story. And I agree that Property Taxes around here are absurd.
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