Thayer Street, Providence, RI - Providence, Rhode Island - Quirky Counter Culture Street Sits on College Hill Near Brown U

Thayer Street, Providence, RI, is found on the historic College Hill in eastern Providence just blocks off of I-195. This is one of the 6 neighborhoods that form eastern Providence. To its west lies the downtown. It is a street and a neighborhood often written about in the works of Providence's son and author, H.P. Lovecraft.

In the 1960s this street was the city's hub of the counterculture for the hippies and in the 1990s it was home to the grunge scene.

Then and now this street is frequented by Brown University students as it is but a stone's throw from the campus. Some of the graduate student housing for Brown can be found here on Thayer.

The street has thus been a magnet for quirky shops of vintage clothing, music and other items targeting the college crowd of Brown Students and students from the nearby School of Design (RISD). A handful of name brand stores have opened but most of the businesses continue to be of local character where browsing is encouraged. The Brown University Bookstore is also located on Thayer, as are a few buildings used for Brown classroom spaces.

Many of the shops and retail stores that historically populated the street have been shutting down or moving in recent years however, while more and more restaurants appear.

Affordable slices of pizza, coffee shop fare, Greek, Asian and Mediterranean foods are all among the varied dining options on Thayer and its neighboring streets. Some of the bargain food joints have yielded to higher prices in recent years. The large number of restaurants makes parking difficult most times of the day and night here. The street is easily reached on public transportation however.

There is still an eclectic selection of movies available at the Avon Theater which is independent of the big cineplex chains. This Art Deco style theater has been showing films since 1938. It is also available for private rentals.

Approximately three fourths of the residents of Thayer Street, Providence, RI, and surrounding blocks are white. The home values here are far above the average for the state of Rhode Island. Salaries earned by full time residents in the historic area where this street is found earn nearly twice the state average, according to tax returns filed.

About 48% of the local population is made up of men and the rest are women, making the females a majority on and around this street.

Educational levels of adults residing here and in the surrounding neighborhood blocks are much higher than the educational level that is average for Rhode Islanders in general.

The historic homes and buildings on Benefit Street, which is known also as the Historic Mile, is also just a stone's throw away from Thayer Street, Providence, RI.