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Hi, I am planning on moving back to eastern New England in the coming year to be closer to family. While I am not originally from R.I., I have been looking at the state quite extensively, and stumbled across Pawtuxet Village the other day.
Overall, it seems very nice and up my alley based on what I can tell from internet search. And also a bit different than other parts of Cranston that I have visited (which were more typical suburbia). PV looks fairly walkable, and from the pictures seems to have that subdued charm of an old coastal New England village.
I plan to visit the area in a few months, but was hoping to get some local opinions on it first. How would you describe the general "vibe"? Is it relatively safe and quiet? Any glaring issues to be aware of? Etc.
Ideally, I would love to find an area that is walkable, but not too bustling. Looking to rent initially and stay under $2000 for a 1-2BR, which seems quite doable in this area. Nearby parks or bike trails would be an added perk, though I realize no place is perfect.
Does the area near Pawtuxet Village fit that bill at all? Also, please feel free to suggest other areas in R.I. that might be worth considering based on my description. I currently work from home, so have a reasonable degree of flexibility in terms of location. Thanks in advance
Hi, I am planning on moving back to eastern New England in the coming year to be closer to family. While I am not originally from R.I., I have been looking at the state quite extensively, and stumbled across Pawtuxet Village the other day.
Overall, it seems very nice and up my alley based on what I can tell from internet search. And also a bit different than other parts of Cranston that I have visited (which were more typical suburbia). PV looks fairly walkable, and from the pictures seems to have that subdued charm of an old coastal New England village.
I plan to visit the area in a few months, but was hoping to get some local opinions on it first. How would you describe the general "vibe"? Is it relatively safe and quiet? Any glaring issues to be aware of? Etc.
Ideally, I would love to find an area that is walkable, but not too bustling. Looking to rent initially and stay under $2000 for a 1-2BR, which seems quite doable in this area. Nearby parks or bike trails would be an added perk, though I realize no place is perfect.
Does the area near Pawtuxet Village fit that bill at all? Also, please feel free to suggest other areas in R.I. that might be worth considering based on my description. I currently work from home, so have a reasonable degree of flexibility in terms of location. Thanks in advance
You are looking for what many people coming into RI from out of state want: A charming New England village near the water. Pawtuxet Village fits that desire to a tee. A world away from suburban Cranston. Add that it's close to the small city amenities of Providence and in many eyes you have perfection. Other similar quiet places you might consider are downtown Bristol, Wickford & Jamestown Village (very pricey). All safe & quiet with few adverse issues. Good luck!
The Village is great and seems perfect for you. I lived there for a year and a half after moving to Rhode Island -- a real-estate agent thought it would be a good transition for me from living in a bigger city. It's the kind of place where everybody walks, where you know your neighbors, and it looks like the New England fishing village of your dreams. I wanted to stay but I was buying and it can be hard to find real estate there.
I'll tell you the story I tell everybody about the character of the Village (I've probably told it here before). When I moved in, someone gave me a copy of the community newspaper, The Bridge. I had just come from New York City, and this would have been in November. The top story was that in August, some bored kid or kids had walked to the neighborhood's eponymous bridge in the middle of the night, scooped the flowers out of one of the immaculately maintained flower boxes, and dumped them in the water. In response to this, the neighborhood leaders convened an emergency meeting for neighborhood residents, which included representatives from both the Cranston and Warwick police departments. The cops patiently explained to the nervous residents that Pawtuxet Village was statistically the safest neighborhood in both Cranston and Warwick. The article ended with the words, in all caps and with lots of exclamation points, "PAWTUXET VILLAGE WILL NOT BE BULLIED!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Imagine my reaction to reading this, having just moved from one of the safest neighborhoods in the safest large city in America, where nonetheless there had recently been a rash of women getting their faces slashed by a knife-wielding psycho in the local subway station.
By the way, there's a lot to walk to in the Village, but I hesitate to describe it as entirely walkable. You'll need to drive to a supermarket, for example. Living a car-free lifestyle isn't possible there.
The excellent Roger Williams Park in Providence is a short drive or longish bike ride away. There's also a terrific small park on the water right in the neighborhood, and Pawtuxet Oxboes Park, with nice walking trails, is adjacent to it. And there are occasional small parks along the water in both directions, north into Cranston and south into Warwick. No real bike trails in the area, though.
Your budget will rent you just about anything in the neighborhood.
Besides the villages independent man recommended, you may also want to take a look at Wakefield and Kingston (the latter being the college town of the University of Rhode Island, but it's still very quiet -- maybe more so than any of these places -- and any crime is likely the type of on-campus crime that happens at every college). Also check out my current hometown of East Greenwich, specifically the Hill and Harbor District. Warren, which is next to Bristol, can be a little scruffier than the rest, but in a cool way, so maybe that's your thing.
Keep in mind that Pawtuxet Village is actually in two different cities (Cranston and Warwick) as the river is the dividing line. You may want to look in listings for both cites.
As mentioned above, downtown Bristol is very nice. It has several parks (Colt State, Independence, Town Common) and is at the southern end of the East Bay Bike Path.
If you were buying with proximity to Providence not an issue and were looking for a good value and investment, Wakefield might be an excellent choice. It is right on the South County Bike trail not far from the URI campus and some of the best beaches in RI. It is located so that you do not pay the high price for immediate coast and judging by the increased activity in the business district, appears to be ideally poised for increasing property values.
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