Moving from Portland, ME (Providence: apartments, renting, houses)

[jdoherty84]

Hello,
My boyfriend and I are planning on renting an apartment in Providence starting in August. I've read that the East Side is a great place to live, but I'm not at all familiar with the area so I don't really know. I've seen a lot of apartments available in the Federal Hill area, is this a decent neighborhood? Would you recommend Providence for us? We're in our early to late 20s and have a small dog. Portland, Me is a very dog-friendly city, is Providence as well?
Thanks for your help!
Jen

[Hollytree]

If you click on the name of the state and then go to the upper right part of the screen you'll see a "search this forum" box. Put in East Side- you'll find lots of previous threads describing the area.
Federal Hill is a very vibrant ethnic area formerly almost exclusively Italian. Its now has students (J&W and some RISD) and and a range of other ethnic groups as well. Lots of restaurants with street dining, shops, groceries and Caserta's pizza.
Houses are mostly multifamily tenements. It is closely built and very walkable- can also walk to downtown. It's as safe as any comparable urban area. If you're looking for more peace & quiet, the East Side would probably be a better choice. You can keep a dog in the city as long as you pick up after it. RI has leash laws too. It may be harder, of course, to find an apt that allows pets.