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Actually NY Annie, I know NK by the back of my hand; having lived in Wickford as a toddler, and gone to NKHS. I would not say it is close enough to Providence or really a gay friendly community. I would recommend the Kingston area- our favorite remember; but that is even further away. Maybe these girls should give up hiking and take up some water sports, or live with the bike paths. Or move near Arcadia.
Thanks for the recommendation. We are currently considering giving up hiking for water sports. What a great idea funny! But on a more serious note, gay friendly is definitely higher up on the list than, hiking for us. With that in mind, should we stay as close to Providence as possible?
I know you've got a lot to think about already, but I wanted to throw in one bit of information.
The lines between suburban and rural in New England are heavily blurred. Unlike most of the major cities down south and out west, many of the towns that are now "suburbs" of cities like Boston and Providence were, at one time, rural outposts. In order to preserve the perceived character of these towns, residents created laws that severely impacted the way these towns grew. One of the biggest things to come from this evolution was minimum lot sizes.
Out west and even down south, you see suburban neighborhoods with homes no more than 10 feet apart from each other. In fact, the suburbs are almost as dense as the urban cores themselves in many cases (with some exceptions, San Francisco being a big one). In the Northeast, you have MUCH more of a discrepancy. While cities like New York, Boston, and Providence are VERY dense at their cores and their older, inner ring suburbs (for example in Providence, most of Cranston, Pawtucket, most of East Providence, etc), they quickly thin out into more low density suburban neighborhoods. Laws enacted to protect the character of these old rural towns (now suburbs) made it so lot sizes in MANY "suburbs" are quite large (1/2 acre in many cases) for a "suburban" community.
The end result is that many "suburban" communities in the Boston and Providence areas have an almost entirely rural look and feel. Also, due to supply vs. demand, it means that the low density suburbs generally sprawl further from the city centers. One could say (and many different government measurements support this) that nearly ALL of Eastern MA (and parts of NH and RI) is "suburban" Boston. That's a land area about the same size as Metropolitan Los Angeles. Metro L.A. (NOT the city proper), however, is MUCH more densely settled thus feels quite a bit larger (because, well, it is-- about 4 times as populous). What I'm getting at is that many of the suburbs in the Providence and Boston area will feel a lot more rural than those suburbs elsewhere.
With that in mind, you need to come out and see these areas in person and get a feel for yourself. I've lived all over the Northeast and personal opinions of rural and suburban (and urban) differ highly depending on where people live. As has already been mentioned, RI is the second most densely settled state in the country (MA is third or fourth). It's fair to say that what's considered "rural" by people in the most densely settled areas may be a bit different than what's "rural" in a sparsely settled area. My girlfriend is from Maine, one of the least-dense areas in the country. We both love (for example) the town of Bristol, RI. I find it to be a charming, quiet, quaint seaside town while she feels like it's pretty, but much larger than what she's used to. Some people consider "rural" to be simply lower-density (which many "suburbs" in RI and MA are) communities. Others consider "rural" to be agricultural or wilderness land FAR away from most signs of civilization. If you want the latter, you won't really find any of that in MA or RI (except in the FAR corner of Western MA, but even then... it's not like Northern New England). If you want the former, there's plenty of that all over MA and RI.
I would look in places like Wickford, East Greenwich, Coventry, Bristol, Warren, etc. I'd also look at places like Hingham MA, Franklin MA (good access to both Prov. and Boston), Newburyport MA, Ipswich MA, Manchester MA, etc and see what you think. All of those are rural or semi-rural communities with access to various outdoor activities. Each of them would be a comfortable place for a lesbian couple to call home.
*edit*
Oh, If Providence and Boston don't offer the right blend of acceptance and outdoor activities with nearby amenities, look into Portland Maine (lived there for 4 years) or Burlington Vermont. These cities are a LOT smaller than either Boston or Providence so you would be making a trade off. You will have plenty of tolerant towns in these areas (both have large gay/lesbian populations) and you'll have better access to the outdoors (water sports AND hiking) than you would in Boston/Providence. You would, however, lose out on some of the urban amenities. While each of these cities are very charming, they feel more like small/mid-size towns than even moderately sized urban areas. You'll also have a harder time finding work. It's worth looking into at least.
I know you've got a lot to think about already, but I wanted to throw in one bit of information.
The lines between suburban and rural in New England are heavily blurred. Unlike most of the major cities down south and out west, many of the towns that are now "suburbs" of cities like Boston and Providence were, at one time, rural outposts. In order to preserve the perceived character of these towns, residents created laws that severely impacted the way these towns grew. One of the biggest things to come from this evolution was minimum lot sizes.
Out west and even down south, you see suburban neighborhoods with homes no more than 10 feet apart from each other. In fact, the suburbs are almost as dense as the urban cores themselves in many cases (with some exceptions, San Francisco being a big one). In the Northeast, you have MUCH more of a discrepancy. While cities like New York, Boston, and Providence are VERY dense at their cores and their older, inner ring suburbs (for example in Providence, most of Cranston, Pawtucket, most of East Providence, etc), they quickly thin out into more low density suburban neighborhoods. Laws enacted to protect the character of these old rural towns (now suburbs) made it so lot sizes in MANY "suburbs" are quite large (1/2 acre in many cases) for a "suburban" community.
The end result is that many "suburban" communities in the Boston and Providence areas have an almost entirely rural look and feel. Also, due to supply vs. demand, it means that the low density suburbs generally sprawl further from the city centers. One could say (and many different government measurements support this) that nearly ALL of Eastern MA (and parts of NH and RI) is "suburban" Boston. That's a land area about the same size as Metropolitan Los Angeles. Metro L.A. (NOT the city proper), however, is MUCH more densely settled thus feels quite a bit larger (because, well, it is-- about 4 times as populous). What I'm getting at is that many of the suburbs in the Providence and Boston area will feel a lot more rural than those suburbs elsewhere.
With that in mind, you need to come out and see these areas in person and get a feel for yourself. I've lived all over the Northeast and personal opinions of rural and suburban (and urban) differ highly depending on where people live. As has already been mentioned, RI is the second most densely settled state in the country (MA is third or fourth). It's fair to say that what's considered "rural" by people in the most densely settled areas may be a bit different than what's "rural" in a sparsely settled area. My girlfriend is from Maine, one of the least-dense areas in the country. We both love (for example) the town of Bristol, RI. I find it to be a charming, quiet, quaint seaside town while she feels like it's pretty, but much larger than what she's used to. Some people consider "rural" to be simply lower-density (which many "suburbs" in RI and MA are) communities. Others consider "rural" to be agricultural or wilderness land FAR away from most signs of civilization. If you want the latter, you won't really find any of that in MA or RI (except in the FAR corner of Western MA, but even then... it's not like Northern New England). If you want the former, there's plenty of that all over MA and RI.
I would look in places like Wickford, East Greenwich, Coventry, Bristol, Warren, etc. I'd also look at places like Hingham MA, Franklin MA (good access to both Prov. and Boston), Newburyport MA, Ipswich MA, Manchester MA, etc and see what you think. All of those are rural or semi-rural communities with access to various outdoor activities. Each of them would be a comfortable place for a lesbian couple to call home.
Really great advice! Thanks so much You're right, we just need to plan a trip up there and see how we feel. I am trying to plan it out right now, but I am having trouble isolating specific locations. Of those areas that you mentioned, which has public transit to Boston or Providence? The reason I ask is that, being Florida natives, I dont think that we can handle driving through the snow to work every day.
We are going to check out all of those places that you mentioned, but which would you say is the most gay friendly with public transit to the city?
I must be driving all of you crazy at this point but this forum is the most informative resource that I have found.
Thanks so much!! This was really helpful. I guess I will visit Boston and Providence and see how I feel. I definitely want to check out JP, I just think it might be a bit too urban. It is just so frustrating because it seems like all fo the gay friendly areas are in the city and I am more of a small town girl. I guess it is like that everywhere
You're very welcomed. But, that is predicament, isn't it. It's difficult to find community anywhere, but it's particularly difficult for gay/lesbian people to do so in small towns. If it makes you feel any better, JP is beautiful, is next to a nice big pond and series of parks, and - as with Providence - is very accessible to nature. I used to live in NYC, and one of the things I hated about it was how long it took (in any direction) to get out to the country. That's not a problem in either Boston or Providence.
THe above url is for reviews of the Residence Inn (Marriott operation) a mile from the T F Green Airport, in Warwick. They have a dozen or so two story buildings which have several up to four units in each building. I have had a number of family and friends stay there during their visits and they all really enjoyed it. THe units have completely furnished kitchenette and they are very well appointed , WiFi of course, and a substantial free breakfast. Free snacks -- pizza, good sandwiches, etc are available in the evenings. Help yourself! The facility is in a modern office park area, but very convenient to all amenities.
Pawtuxet village on the Warwick-Cranston (Edgewood neighborhood) border fills your definition of cute! The coffee shop would be friendly to you, and there are tons of great, reasonably priced restaurants in all directions. But the commercial strip that is Pawtuxet is very small - one bank, one drug store, TWO gas stations! Hooray! Maybe twenty individually owned little shops...Edgewood just north of Pawtuxet is almost all residential and mostly well kept, large, houses from the WW I era. Many of the houses have been converted to 2-family use and its a great place with wide sidewalks to stroll around and abuts the upper Bay.
We have stayed at the Homewood Suites in Warwick our last couple of stays and we couldn't be happier. We have gotten the 2 bedroom suite, it comes with a full kitchen, living area/kitchen. They serve a full breakfast every day and Monday through Thursday there is a "welcome home "snack" that serves quite well as a dinner; thereby reducing costs quite considerably. We travel extensively and Homewood Suites is now our #1 choice.
I lived in Rhode Island for 30 years - and my children and grandchildren are still there. I think my favorite place was the Wickford, southern half of North Kingstown area - both for convenience to Providence and the amenities offered by the rest of South County. I found the people extremely welcoming of all differences, be it religious or lifestyle.
The O.P. Knows about it but fears employment options will be limited. It's worth noting that Springfield and even Hartford are a reasonable commute from NoHa.
The O.P. Knows about it but fears employment options will be limited. It's worth noting that Springfield and even Hartford are a reasonable commute from NoHa.
Thanks for anwering for me I am a bit afraid about being too far from the coast and the city too.
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funny! But on a more serious note, gay friendly is definitely higher up on the list than, hiking for us. With that in mind, should we stay as close to Providence as possible?
