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Providence is about 42% Latino 33% white 15% Black 7% Asian 3% mixed.
Oakland is closer to 29% white 26% Latino 23% black 16% asian.
Oakland and Providence are both mainly 2-3 story wood frame densely urban areas . They lean heavily on the arts and have industrial pasts. That being said Oakland is far larger and greater than Lrovidence.
A better comparison for both size and function would be Providence to Tacoma WA
or
Worcester to Tacoma WA
I'm not sure about Providence vs. Tacoma. Providence is anchored by prestigious universities, including an Ivy League School (Brown) and one of the best Art Schools in the world (RISD), while Tacoma is anchored by the large joint Army/Air Force military base just to its south (JBLM). Don't get me wrong, Tacoma has a pretty strong creative class and a pretty good art/music scene, but it's not on Providence's level in that regard. Providence also has a much larger Latino population. On a quick glance, Tacoma and Worcester seems like it might be a pretty good comparison, but I'd have to look into it more. (Although Worcester is further and more removed from Boston than Tacoma is from Seattle.)
It's not possible for Providence to have worse roads than we have here in Oakland.
Rhode Island-objectively-has the worst roads in America and has for at least a decade. Providence being 30% poor has the worst of the worst after Central Falls, RI.
Poverty, corruption, age and the icy/snowy conditions give Providence the literal worst paved roads I’ve seen..up there with Baltimore.
I'm not sure about Providence vs. Tacoma. Providence is anchored by prestigious universities, including an Ivy League School (Brown) and one of the best Art Schools in the world (RISD), while Tacoma is anchored by the large joint Army/Air Force military base just to its south (JBLM). Don't get me wrong, Tacoma has a pretty strong creative class and a pretty good art/music scene, but it's not on Providence's level in that regard. Providence also has a much larger Latino population. On a quick glance, Tacoma and Worcester seems like it might be a pretty good comparison, but I'd have to look into it more. (Although Worcester is further and more removed from Boston than Tacoma is from Seattle.)
I see what your am saying but on three points you’d still be dealing with the same in Worcester
1. Worcester and Providence are equidistant from Boston. And equally an connected to Boston.
2. Worcester is still 2x more Latino than Tacoma
3. Worcester is anchored by many colleges: Clark, WPI, Assumption, Worcester State, Holy Cross, UMass Medical
Providence is a larger Worcester. If you were to shrink Worcester down to its core 18 square miles it’d be just as Latino and poor but with a smaller population. Providence didn’t annex as much suburban area.
Im not a fan of Oakland. Providence is more my speed.
Please, elaborate..Oakland is a larger better west coast Providence IMO. Providence wins for water, affordability and if you’re into Carribean vibes or attending school..but that’s it. Oakland is more vibrant, more diverse, better transportation, much better weather, and cleaner. Water is still accessible too.
I see what your am saying but on three points you’d still be dealing with the same in Worcester
1. Worcester and Providence are equidistant from Boston. And equally an connected to Boston.
2. Worcester is still 2x more Latino than Tacoma
3. Worcester is anchored by many colleges: Clark, WPI, Assumption, Worcester State, Holy Cross, UMass Medical
Providence is a larger Worcester. If you were to shrink Worcester down to its core 18 square miles it’d be just as Latino and poor but with a smaller population. Providence didn’t annex as much suburban area.
Yeah, I see what you're saying. In some aspects, Tacoma could be a decent comparison for these cities, although in terms of universities Tacoma doesn’t have much besides a UW extension. Also, although Tacoma is generally a liberal city, the strong military presence in Pierce County adds a slightly more conservative vibe.
Tacoma also has a signficantly higher violent crime rate than Worcester and slightly higher than Providence.
Speaking of which, one advantage Providence has over Oakland is it appears to be safer. But in most other aspects I think Oakland comes out on top. Also worth noting that although it's technically not in city limits, UC Berkeley is essentially adjacent to it. Also, although it's not as prestigious as RISD, Oakland also has an excellent art school (CCA).
Please, elaborate..Oakland is a larger better west coast Providence IMO. Providence wins for water, affordability and if you’re into Carribean vibes or attending school..but that’s it. Oakland is more vibrant, more diverse, better transportation, much better weather, and cleaner. Water is still accessible too.
Providence has superior waterfront infrastructure, but Oakland has a more prominent coastline, given that the San Francisco Bay is much more expansive than the Providence River.
Yeah, I see what you're saying. In some aspects, Tacoma could be a decent comparison for these cities, although in terms of universities Tacoma doesn’t have much besides a UW extension. Also, although Tacoma is generally a liberal city, the strong military presence in Pierce County adds a slightly more conservative vibe.
Tacoma also has a signficantly higher violent crime rate than Worcester and slightly higher than Providence.
Speaking of which, one advantage Providence has over Oakland is it appears to be safer. But in most other aspects I think Oakland comes out on top. Also worth noting that although it's technically not in city limits, UC Berkeley is essentially adjacent to it. Also, although it's not as prestigious as RISD, Oakland also has an excellent art school (CCA).
I mean i think their fine comparison. Neither Worcester Providence feels like a college town if your not in college. They're not so its not that big a deal.
Worcester is super safe overall. Just feel kind of desolate and definitely ruun down. Providence has much higher crime because-like Tacoma-the criminal elements of the larger city (Boston/Seattle) migrate there. Worcester has always been gritty and grimy attits core and in its core but never really dangerous.
Providence also has a looooong history of mobs/crime/corruption. It's also on I-95 so it gets many of the shiftless and criminally from both NYC and Boston. In addition to that several other large low income cities (NB, FR, Brockton, pawtucket, Central Falls) are nearby and that provides a much larger drug market than Worcester. Providence is twice densely populated and much less hilly. That increased walkability and density increases the chance you find your victim on foot out and about.
Providence surely is safer than Oakland but its a city that feels more dangerous than it really is. South Providence is pretty damn rough fwiw.
The biggest advantage Providence has over Oakland is the COL. For starters- the average home nin Prov goes for about 240k. Average home in Oakland will run you 800k. And I think there's pretty valid reasoning for that. In an ideal situation im picking Oaktown over ProVegas for sure.
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