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Hello, all! My husband is in interviews for a job in Pawtucket and I'm trying to get a feel for what cost of living would look like for our family. We'd be coming from the Midwest. I've poked around the forum a bit and see that owning a car is expensive and that the schools are supposedly meh. I've got an idea of which are considered the "rougher" areas, though I think I'll need a visit to judge, having grown up in alternately in STL and one of the meth capitols of the country.
At any rate, any pointers for a family with three kids under five years old, looking to have just one car? Are there any family-friendly neighborhoods within easy walking distance of a bus/train line to Pawtucket? Is public transit reliable and easy to use there? I ask because it's not reliable or particularly intuitive here. We'd probably just be looking to rent for the first year or two while we feel the job out and get to know the area. Not sure about the upper limit for rent because I don't know the salary yet, but let's say $2000 for a 3 bed? Is that even a thing? We aren't necessarily looking for a single family, but would like a cohesive neighborhood vibe. I wouldn't expect to be able to walk a block to All The Amenities, though I wouldn't say no to it either, and don't particularly want to drive further than 5-10 minutes for groceries.
School-wise, I expect to have to invest time in my kids' education. Is the Providence school system a culture problem or is it underfunded, or??? My daughter is special needs, and I'm willing to and comfortable with homeschool if the public schools aren't going to be a good fit, but I don't know how friendly RI is with that on the whole. It's common enough here that it doesn't elicit much comment.
I feel like I'm missing a lot here, and it's not very cohesive and kind of random. I apologize as it was written over a 5 hour period with lots of interruptions! Thanks in advance for any wisdom. I'm happy to answer questions and fill in information about anything I left out.
It will be hard to find all you are looking for, in the area. Where in Pawtucket will he be working? RIPTA, the local transit authority does not have a good reputation. Most who use it are low income folk who have no other choice. If he works at say, HASBRO; then you might find something in the east side of Pawtucket (Darlington area), but you want to stay east of Newport Ave.
Schools are poor in both Providence and Pawtucket, in East Providence they are marginal.
Here is one in Dean Estates in Cranston (just south of Providence) that MAY work for you.
I would forget about commuting from there by bus though.
Can't comment on homeschooling in RI, I know in MA it is fairly common and doable. Seekonk, MA and Attleboro, MA are right over the border from Pawtucket, finding something in that price range will be tough though.
Good luck, but I'm afraid you will have to compromise on things.
This probably won't work, but here's a public-transit idea: Pawtucket doesn't have a train station (though a new one is set to open in a few years), but there is one in South Attleboro, Massachusetts, right over the Pawtucket border. If the job is walkable to the station -- or if a bus from the station to the office is an option -- you could live anywhere on the MBTA Providence line. In Rhode Island, that means Providence, TF Green or -- and here's the one I find really intriguing -- the comically underused Wickford Junction.
In Providence you'll have school issues, though you may be able to find one you can tolerate if you decamp to the East Side, parts of which are walkable to the train station. A three-bedroom in your price range would be tough, though, if you can even find a three-bedroom at all. TF Green is not in the prettiest area in the world, but it's perfectly safe and near some much better areas. Schools are generally decent. I'm confident you could find something there in your price range.
Then you've got Wickford Junction. The last stop on the line -- and the farthest stop in the entire 138-station system from downtown Boston -- it's just four years old and has failed to gain any significant ridership in that time (though when I board one stop later at TF Green, I always do see some people on the train who must have boarded there). But maybe your use case is exactly what it's intended for! Can you get a three-bedroom there for $2,000? Not sure, but North Kingstown (where Wickford Junction is located) has eight houses for rent listed on Zillow, and none of them are more than $2,000. There might be something. And that's a lovely area. You'd be close to Newport and beaches, too.
If I were you I'd look in the Rumford section of East Providence which is quite close to Pawtucket and would be a very easy commute of a few minutes. The elementary school there, Myron Francis, is perfectly acceptable and the neighborhood is walkable. There is also bus transportation. $2000 would get you a house if there is one available for rent- I see 2 on Craigslist right now.
Also this: 23 DARTMOUTH AV East Providence, RI / 02915 (a busy street but can't have everything and the price is very reasonable).
You could also look in Seekonk or Rehoboth, MA to see if there are rental houses. Both close to Pawtucket & decent schools but may have to sacrifice walkability.
Last edited by Hollytree; 09-24-2016 at 06:16 AM..
Hasbro has a shuttle bus that transports employees from its buildings along Newport Ave to the South Attleboro commuter Station which is also on Newport Ave (and Rte 95) right at the Pawtucket border.
If the husband's employment is at Hasbro, they have moved most of their corporate/management employees to a new office in Providence about 3 years ago.
If the husband's employment is at Hasbro, they have moved most of their corporate/management employees to a new office in Providence about 3 years ago.
They moved SOME of their employees to LaSalle Sq in downtown Providence. Hasbro still however has three separate office facilities located along Newport Avenue in Pawtucket and in East Providence.
They moved SOME of their employees to LaSalle Sq in downtown Providence. Hasbro still however has three separate office facilities located along Newport Avenue in Pawtucket and in East Providence.
Yes. I sald "most of their corporate/management employees"; and many were not and still are not happy about trekking in and out of the City of Prov. daily and fighting the traffic. Maybe you work for Hasbro ?
Since the original poster is coming from St. Charles, Missouri, moving to RI, one of the most expensive cost of living states in the country, may have to do some serious 'negotiating' to live comfortably in RI, or the northeast in general. COL in nice family areas in RI is approx. 25% more.
Last edited by QuilterChick; 09-25-2016 at 12:02 PM..
Transit accessibility will depend on where in Pawtucket the job is. Pawtucket is covered pretty well by the bus system, but most routes aren't that frequent; you don't want to have to transfer. If it is at Hasbro on Newport Avenue as others have speculated, that's on the 35 (access to the Rumford section of East Providence as Hollytree suggested) and is a third of a mile from the 76 and 80 (Darlington and Quality Hill neighborhoods of Pawtucket. Also, the 80 and 73 used to operate as a single route, offering a one seat ride from parts of North Providence. Not sure if that's true any more).
I can't comment on the quality of special needs in the schools, but it's definitely worth visiting schools before deciding. Don't put your faith in online ratings or others' preconceived notions.
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Maybe you work for Hasbro ?
