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I'm not sure I understand why people come to this board to curse and whine about a state. Every state has ups and downs, good things and bad. It seems pretty sad to imagine someone sitting at their computer writing a long diatribe about their hatred for a general geographic area. If that seems like a good use of your time, I'd imagine you may have some other issues you want to address before blaming your problems on whichever state you live in.
You got that right? amazing... I just moved here, and I love it, I have been utilizing nature at its best, all of the important things in life are free, and I am happier then a pig in sh.t here!! Well thats just my opinion. PS: Taxes are high everywhere!
Rhode Island..yuk..what curse brought me back here?
Everything is relative. I moved here last year from Minnesota. After enduring weeks of below 20' temperature every year, I thought the winter here was tropical - I barely noticed it. Also, I had to drive 1 1/2 hours to get to the Twin Cities, or board an airplane if I wanted to reach real culture - here everything is a half hour away. I can take a train to Boston, NY, and Washington DC, and park overnight (in N. Kingston) for free! And the ocean beaches here are beautiful and well maintained.
Which is not to say it's perfect. In Minnesota politics, there is not enough corruption to make the newspaper, and it is less expensive to live there. Politicians there generally promote the well-being of the residents.
I moved to Johnston and was horrifed to discover the near-bankrupt condition of RI finances, and the corruption and irresponsible behavior. The most favorable comment I heard was "Believe it or not, Johnston is not the most corrupt town in RI". However, I think I was lucky to land in Johnston - Mayor Polisena is really trying to turn things around. He is not raising property taxes for 2009, for example. When he took over, a number of business people were surprised that they would now have to pay taxes like everyone else - they'd had an "arrangement" with the previous leadership. Also, I learned that the town hadn't been mapped for several years, the finances hadn't been tracked, and everything else was left to slide. Now it looks like with the new mayor, things are going to be better, honest and responsible.
I never tire of the scenery here, either. After 17 years of looking at non-stop cornfields from the highway, the forests and parks here seem lush and exotic.
RI is not perfect, but with an honest government, it could be a perfect place to live.
It was really nice to read your thoughts on RI from the perspective of someone newly transplanted. My husband and I were born and raised in RI, lived in various states over the years but had been back in RI for 20 yrs before moving to NC 3 months ago. We made a decision to leave for a variety of reasons, including the fact that our kids were grown and gone (to NYC and China!), high cost of living, politics, weather etc. This was sort of a "pre-retirement" (10 yrs) move for us. We love it down here so far but I do miss the ocean. It's a 2 hr drive to the closest beach here. Job opportunities are better, but because we're both in healthcare, jobs weren't a problem for us in RI either. Real estate is definitely cheaper - we got twice the house for the same money here, with more amenities than I could have imagined. Our place here, in the low 300s would have been 500-600K in RI. On the downside, the government is not too much different! The governor's wife (here in NC) just secured a HUGE promotion teaching at a local university (she is an attorney), her pay going from 80K to over 160K (yikes) and this is just a few years before she retires when her pension will be based on highest earning years (sound familiar??!!). Groceries are also more expensive here. I guess what I am saying is that there is no perfect place. Each has its positives and downsides. I'll always love RI - I'm not sorry we relocated, this was a very good move for us but RI also has a lot to offer.
RI is a beautiful state that I wish had shorter winters. This summer is stunningly beautiful. Lots to do. Great restaurants - Al Forno, Salvation Cafe (Npt), Black Pearl (NPT).
I think Providence is just lovely, with many ,very well-preserved historic buildings. I love the views from the financial district , over the river looking to the Superior Courthouse , and buildings of Rhode Island School of Design. Most of the buildings along the riverfront are red brick, with multi-paned colonial style windows, painted in a soft yellow trim. Along with a white church spire , pedestrian/auto bridges spanning the river , and excellent red brick- work on sidewalks , roadways, paths, ......it all makes for a charming environment . I remember the city from the 1970's , and the transformation to today , is absolutely wonderful. If the crime rate was brought under control, the city would be a perfect gem .
We've recently moved to East Providence from Texas, and so far the people couldn't have been nicer. We've had a couple of folks ask "why would you move here", but we've been really happy so far with everyone we've met.
There is no right or wrong answer really. Both sides of the coin are great. To ask the question, what is it like in RI would yield countless comments from people of all parts of life with a unique spin on the subject. Retired people say one thing, teens say another, young middle aged say something else. So whats the correct answer? I am a native of Providence RI (more than I want to admit these days) and I also have worked in a number of different public and private sector jobs over the years. I have lived at the far corners and vacationed all over the state. You name it I have done it here. There is alot to be said in a posative and negative light. You can try using statistics and collect some data to make an impartial conclusion or watch the news or read the paper for some bias reporting. In the end, it boils down to this....
If you have a steady flow of shall we say. above average income or a hefty savings you can live just about anywhere comfortably can you not? The main attracting here to RI is its close proximately to everything else i.e Boston, NYC, the mountians up North or the ocean bay to the East. The drawbacks the same as everywhere else high taxes, super congestion on roads, and lack of jobs. Its a small and very cramped state these days. I'll leave it at that. Also, the state is only a mere refelction of its former greatness of the 1950's, 60's and 70s even the 1980s were somewhat ok, but today its just too many people and not enough room. Very limited growth potential, limited jobs, unbalanced governments abroad and frankly.....its an aggressive and corrupt place. If your an average Joe nobody trying to make it here with a family on one income - may the grace of God be with you....oh, and you can't say God here or Steven Alquest will file a lawsuit against you. But then again, you might like living in a low income apartment with thugs and punks and crime.And you might get tired of being cut off on the road by illegal immigrants or waiting in line at the malls for illegal immegrants, or trying to understand what the hell all the illegal immegrants are saying when the talk to you. Get a "how to speak spanish CD" it helps trust me.
As a life long resident here, I contruct my arguement as neutral as possible, but its so difficult to balance the pros and cons. Yes, if I were used to living in a desert in a trailer park on 50 dollars a week, RI might be a great new world to me. If Im a college student looking for action, there is plenty of bars to get drunk at downtown, or if your gay you can really party all over the North East and live it up! Hell get married too legally. If your somewhat old school and a bit quite with a family try the Western corridor like Foster, Glouster, West Covenrty and Exeter with the old Swampies and Frenchies. At least they still care somewhat about the quality of life even if they are hickish. lol I love them though lol. RI is a microcosm of the whole North East with 39 cities and towns that are unique and different. Its an odd place.
Yes, restaurants are good here and there and the summer tourism is short lived fun (if you like large crowds and have plenty of money and don't mind waiting all day) but it wears out relatively quick. Only a few good public school systems and the average guy can't afford to live in the community (which is their whole point) and people think the city life is something to write about? Nah, not really. Once you see it, thats more than enough. Home is where the heart is folks, and RI is still my home at least until I get fed up working three jobs. Word to those blue collar middle class folks with a family like myself, exercise caution - this is one EXPENSIVE PLACE TO RAISE A FAMILY. Its going to be one hell of a daily GRIND.
Last edited by Silver Lake Patriot 1970; 07-10-2012 at 02:10 PM..
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I just moved here, and I love it, I have been utilizing nature at its best, all of the important things in life are free, and I am happier then a pig in sh.t here!! Well thats just my opinion. PS: Taxes are high everywhere!
Rhode Island..yuk..what curse brought me back here?
