Providence neighborhoods...... (Cranston: living, food, architecture)

[ckhthankgod]

I was wondering, what are some of the ethnic neighborhoods in the city of Providence and where are they located?

[Hoxsie454]

OOOH, BOY! I THINK THIS MAY SUBJECT ME TO A LOT OF CRITICISM, but here goes. Many of the traditional ethnic wards have been significantly diluted since the second world war. But some concentrations persist, and I will name a couple of the streets for each area.

Italian ancestry SILVER LAKE - Plainfield Street , Pocasset Avenue

Italian ancestry FEDERAL HILL - Atwells Avenue, Broadway, DiPasquale Avenue

Jewish ancestry MT. HOPE - Hope Street (upper), Rochambeau Avenue

Polish and German OLNEYVILLE (Beer Hill) Academy Avenue, Appleton Street,
Camden Street

Armenian, Syrian SMITH HILL - Orms Street, Smith Street

French ancestry WEST END - Parade Street, Chapin Avenue, Messer Street

Irish ancestry ARMORY -Cranston Street, Althea Street, Potters Avenue

African ancestry SOUTH PROVIDENCE - Thurbers Avenue, Prairie Avenue

Portugese FOX POINT - Wickenden Street, Transit Street, Gano Street

English EAST SIDE - Hope Street (Lower) Meeting Street, Prospect Street

Tannu Tuvan MONGOL - Bazagalappa Way

[terrasurf]

So nice of you to think of the English ethnically...this is kind of funny....where the heck is Bazagalappa Way, or is that some RI slang I'm not getting. Don't expect too much ethnic culture in any of these neighborhoods though, at least in a way that might make you want to live there, or even visit there for most. RI is kind of a Mongrol state.

[Hollytree]

The only "ethnic neighborhood" Providence is known for as a tourist destination is Federal Hill, established by Italians and now somewhat of a tourist draw.

Breakdowns of ethnic backgrounds by neighborhood may be found on the Providence Plan website although the 2010 census findings will change this eventually.

[Rnrboy]

Originally Posted by terrasurf

So nice of you to think of the English ethnically...this is kind of funny....where the heck is Bazagalappa Way, or is that some RI slang I'm not getting. Don't expect too much ethnic culture in any of these neighborhoods though, at least in a way that might make you want to live there, or even visit there for most. RI is kind of a Mongrol state.

Terrasurf I usually agree with your posts but I take issue with your perception of Rhode Island as being a "Mongrel" state.

If you lok at the demographics/ethnicities, Rhode Island is actually one of the most ethnically homogenous states in the country, particularly outside of Providence.

In fact, the State has a decidedly European flavor that is largely absent from other States. I would say that the Irish/English/Italian influence in the culture still looms large in everything from the architecture to the food. Nearly one third of the state's ancestry can still be traced to either England or Ireland, and nearly another 20% is Italian.

The state is definitely more diverse than it once was, but everything is relative. Most states on the Eastern Seaboard (Northern New England not withstanding) are still far more diverse than Rhode Island.

[terrasurf]

Well, Rnrboy, please allow me to reply. I was just making a pun on Mongol. Seriously though, as someone who works all too much with demographics, the numbers aren't the only story. For instance, Providence feels more diverse to me than Boston, even though they probably have similar % minority. That's because Boston settlement and neighborhood patterns may be different.

Outside of RI, my most recent experience in NE comes largely from living 3 years in lilly white Western Mass, while you hail from Florida, one of the most diverse states in the nation. RI just may seem not so diverse to you, but to me it is, as you say one of the more diverse states in New England. You're right though mongrel is a bit derogatory.

[Hoxsie454]

Originally Posted by terrasurf

... I was just making a pun on Mongol. ...

HaHa. Then you did, as I thought, catch my embellishment of Tannu Tuvans in the MONGOL section around Bazagalappa Way as resident somewhere in Lovecraft's tunnel.

I omitted two major groups entirely, for which I apologize.

[RunawayJim]

Originally Posted by Hollytree

The only "ethnic neighborhood" Providence is known for as a tourist destination is Federal Hill, established by Italians and now somewhat of a tourist draw.

Breakdowns of ethnic backgrounds by neighborhood may be found on the Providence Plan website although the 2010 census findings will change this eventually.

I'm not sure if Federal Hill can even be considered Italian anymore. The food has become quite ethnically diverse with the best Indian, Jamaican/Caribbean, and Chinese food in the city.

To the OP: Do you mean historically ethnic neighborhoods or what the breakdown is right now? If you mean current, I would take the above suggestion and check the Providence Plan website, which is full of excellent demographic data. While the 2010 census will change things a bit, I don't think it'll change that drastically.

[rranger]

Originally Posted by Hoxsie454

OOOH, BOY! I THINK THIS MAY SUBJECT ME TO A LOT OF CRITICISM, but here goes. Many of the traditional ethnic wards have been significantly diluted since the second world war. But some concentrations persist, and I will name a couple of the streets for each area.

Italian ancestry SILVER LAKE - Plainfield Street , Pocasset Avenue

Italian ancestry FEDERAL HILL - Atwells Avenue, Broadway, DiPasquale Avenue

Jewish ancestry MT. HOPE - Hope Street (upper), Rochambeau Avenue

Polish and German OLNEYVILLE (Beer Hill) Academy Avenue, Appleton Street,
Camden Street

Armenian, Syrian SMITH HILL - Orms Street, Smith Street

French ancestry WEST END - Parade Street, Chapin Avenue, Messer Street

Irish ancestry ARMORY -Cranston Street, Althea Street, Potters Avenue

African ancestry SOUTH PROVIDENCE - Thurbers Avenue, Prairie Avenue

Portugese FOX POINT - Wickenden Street, Transit Street, Gano Street

English EAST SIDE - Hope Street (Lower) Meeting Street, Prospect Street

Tannu Tuvan MONGOL - Bazagalappa Way

This is very funny in that I didn't think there was a WASP homeland in Providence anymore (and, yes, being English or Scottish is every bit as "ethnic" as being Italian, FWIW). And, how ironic that this person would think it would be the Brown area, which is anything but WASPY anymore (last time I looked, FDR wasn't president).

But, what I find funniest is that perhaps the largest ethnic group in the city these days - Latino/as - are completely absent from the list. The Mongolian piece was a nice, if bizarre, touch.

BTW: If you lived where I live in Boston, you'd think otherwise vis-a-vis diversity. Boston is one of the more diverse cities in the country. The data in this link is now 10 years old (last census) but I'm sure it applies even more so now: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2001/04/01/MN34884.DTL (broken link).

[RunawayJim]

Originally Posted by rranger

This is very funny in that I didn't think there was a WASP homeland in Providence anymore (and, yes, being English or Scottish is every bit as "ethnic" as being Italian, FWIW). And, how ironic that this person would think it would be the Brown area, which is anything but WASPY anymore (last time I looked, FDR wasn't president).

But, what I find funniest is that perhaps the largest ethnic group in the city these days - Latino/as - are completely absent from the list. The Mongolian piece was a nice, if bizarre, touch.

BTW: If you lived where I live in Boston, you'd think otherwise vis-a-vis diversity. Boston is one of the more diverse cities in the country. The data in this link is now 10 years old (last census) but I'm sure it applies even more so now: S.F.'s Diversity Comeuppance (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2001/04/01/MN34884.DTL - broken link).

Those neighborhood breakdowns seem to be historic, though the east side is still pretty WASP-y.

The data in the link you sent doesn't say anything about Boston (at least I didn't see it anywhere) and it doesn't include smaller cities like Providence. Boston is fairly homogeneous when compared to a place like Providence.