Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Is Providence really unfriendly? It's insular yea, but I really wouldn't say unfriendly-no.
The insularity is more because of the economics and small size, this intern affects politics-but not because the people are mean. I find Rhode Islanders pretty talkative and more neighborly than people in the rest of New England at least.
Maybe it's the Italian, Lusophone and Hispanic population (42% of the state is Italian/Portuguese or Hispanic) influence.
These groups are stereotypically very family and community-oriented populations that are pretty friendly/expressive once you're in the loop. Big stereotype though.
Combine this with the negligible BlackAmerican or Mexican populations/culture, relatively high west African/southeast Asian populations, high catholic percentage, diminutive land area, extreme old money, lack of college sports/professional sports teams and you get a state that is one of the most unique and 'foreign' ones in the country. There's honestly not a ton of cultural crossover with 'mainstream America' like in Florida. Not even any early primaries or swing politics. As a result, I'm sure it feels pretty alien and unwelcoming to folks from far away. But to me, I love how you can just get immersed in layers of Rhode Island. Like your own little world.
Thank you for making this point. For years, I have also asserted that Rhode Island is an anomaly among U.S. states due to very limited cultural crossover with mainstream America.
Unlike people in Arizona or Washington, for example, Rhode Islanders do not typically have parents or grandparents who originated in, say, Kansas or Ohio; the parents or grandparents of Rhode Islanders mostly hail from Ireland, Italy, Portugal or Quebec, which are overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nations/regions. Remember, half of the U.S. population is still Protestant. Even the black people in Rhode Island are mostly of African or Caribbean origin, instead of being ADOS.
In addition to its tiny geographic footprint, chronically poor roadway infrastructure and business-unfriendly policies and regulations, Rhode Island is located in the northeastern corner of a country whose population, at least since the late twentieth century, is primarily south- and west-facing. Therefore, many Americans will never travel to Rhode Island for business reasons or even pass through the state in an attempt to reach another destination because the state is relatively isolated from a geographic standpoint and falls out of line with the general orientation of the nation. This keeps most American people and businesses from ever entering Rhode Island and, accordingly, greatly contributes to the insularity of the state's population.
Other U.S. states that can also be described as insular and traditional (e.g., Louisiana, New Mexico, West Virginia, etc.) still have significantly more "cross-traffic" than Rhode Island because those states are located in or closer to the center of the North American continent.
Finally, let's not forget that it goes both ways. Usually, Rhode Islanders seldom travel or stray too far from home. In Rhode Island, it's common for people to take two or three vacations to Florida per year. As a result, Florida becomes one of the few extra-regional places that Rhode Islanders regularly frequent. People from nearby Connecticut, New Jersey and New York also love to travel to Florida, but they can also be found in other states across the country. The only extra-regional place where you'll ever encounter other Rhode Islanders is Florida; and despite the fact Rhode Island is a small, low-population state, there are tons of Rhode Islanders all over Florida.
Last edited by Bert_from_back_East; 11-03-2020 at 01:45 PM..
Thank you for making this point. For years, I have also asserted that Rhode Island is an anomaly among U.S. states due to very limited cultural crossover with mainstream America.
Unlike people in Arizona or Washington, for example, Rhode Islanders do not typically have parents or grandparents who originated in, say, Kansas or Ohio; the parents or grandparents of Rhode Islanders mostly hail from Ireland, Italy, Portugal or Quebec, which are overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nations/regions. Remember, half of the U.S. population is still Protestant. Even the black people in Rhode Island are mostly of African or Caribbean origin, instead of being ADOS.
In addition to its tiny geographic footprint, chronically poor roadway infrastructure and business-unfriendly policies and regulations, Rhode Island is located in the northeastern corner of a country whose population, at least since the late twentieth century, is primarily south- and west-facing. Therefore, many Americans will never travel to Rhode Island for business reasons or even pass through the state in an attempt to reach another destination because the state is relatively isolated from a geographic standpoint and falls out of line with the general orientation of the nation. This keeps most American people and businesses from ever entering Rhode Island and, accordingly, greatly contributes to the insularity of the state's population.
Other U.S. states that can also be described as insular and traditional (e.g., Louisiana, New Mexico, West Virginia, etc.) still have significantly more "cross-traffic" than Rhode Island because those states are located in or closer to the center of the North American continent.
Finally, let's not forget that it goes both ways. Usually, Rhode Islanders seldom travel or stray too far from home. In Rhode Island, it's common for people to take two or three vacations to Florida per year. As a result, Florida becomes one of the few extra-regional places that Rhode Islanders regularly frequent. People from nearby Connecticut, New Jersey and New York also love to travel to Florida, but they can also be found in other states across the country. The only extra-regional place where you'll ever encounter other Rhode Islanders is Florida; and despite the fact Rhode Island is a small, low-population state, there are tons of Rhode Islanders all over Florida.
100% I'd say a lot of the thing about the grandparents goes for just as hard in Massachusetts outside of Boston and the wealthiest suburbs. Don't know about the other New England states.
Being on the train in Dallas I heard guys talking about Missouri, Ohio, Nevada and I was truly thinking: wow I've never heard anyone talk about these states before-ever.
Just the way they were talking about where they wee form and their accents I was really thinking damn-these guys are so American ...
Thank you for making this point. For years, I have also asserted that Rhode Island is an anomaly among U.S. states due to very limited cultural crossover with mainstream America.
Unlike people in Arizona or Washington, for example, Rhode Islanders do not typically have parents or grandparents who originated in, say, Kansas or Ohio; the parents or grandparents of Rhode Islanders mostly hail from Ireland, Italy, Portugal or Quebec, which are overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nations/regions. Remember, half of the U.S. population is still Protestant. Even the black people in Rhode Island are mostly of African or Caribbean origin, instead of being ADOS.
In addition to its tiny geographic footprint, chronically poor roadway infrastructure and business-unfriendly policies and regulations, Rhode Island is located in the northeastern corner of a country whose population, at least since the late twentieth century, is primarily south- and west-facing. Therefore, many Americans will never travel to Rhode Island for business reasons or even pass through the state in an attempt to reach another destination because the state is relatively isolated from a geographic standpoint and falls out of line with the general orientation of the nation. This keeps most American people and businesses from ever entering Rhode Island and, accordingly, greatly contributes to the insularity of the state's population.
Other U.S. states that can also be described as insular and traditional (e.g., Louisiana, New Mexico, West Virginia, etc.) still have significantly more "cross-traffic" than Rhode Island because those states are located in or closer to the center of the North American continent.
Finally, let's not forget that it goes both ways. Usually, Rhode Islanders seldom travel or stray too far from home. In Rhode Island, it's common for people to take two or three vacations to Florida per year. As a result, Florida becomes one of the few extra-regional places that Rhode Islanders regularly frequent. People from nearby Connecticut, New Jersey and New York also love to travel to Florida, but they can also be found in other states across the country. The only extra-regional place where you'll ever encounter other Rhode Islanders is Florida; and despite the fact Rhode Island is a small, low-population state, there are tons of Rhode Islanders all over Florida.
Yes RI is completed isolated 1 hour south of Boston and 2.5 hours north of NYC. Completely isolated...right
Yes RI is completed isolated 1 hour south of Boston and 2.5 hours north of NYC. Completely isolated...right
I can’t afford the speeding ticket trying to get from Providence to Manhattan in 2 1/2 hours. Westerly, maybe.
But I agree that Rhode Island isn’t isolated. It’s Northeast Corridor.
The Rhode Island problem is the poorly educated workforce. It’s hard to attract 21st century global economy employers and hard to grow those jobs organically other than within a few miles of Brown. It’s a problem that is hardly unique to Rhode Island. I’m not sure how you would hit critical mass in Providence to have the necessary inflow of white collar professionals. Today, they graduate from Brown and leave.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
