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Hi, I'm going to be moving to Providence in the next few months to start a new job and was thinking about buying a condo in the West End area near dexter field on westminster ave. I've been to the area a few times know its a bit urban, but I wanted to know if anyone had any other info about it (crime, etc).
Its amazing what a difference a few city blocks can make. Beware the streets SOUTH of the Dexter parade and drill field and Armory, on the Cranston Street side, where they settle their drug deals and spurred romances with knives and bullets.
On the west side, some of the large homes right along Parade St. have been beautifully and expensively restored and from the north end of Parade moving out Westminster Street. there are some buildings being converted to condos and that area is improving - albeit slowly. The condos are a tough sell right now. You may get a discount from the offering price if you shop around. Broadway, a few more blocks to the north, is undergoing a great rejuvenation. I have associates who have restored great properties there. Property values are starting to tick up there. So, you should also look around within a block of Broadway.
The east side would (of course) be wonderful, but the condos there in my price range, and even a bit higher, are rather small and older -- though like you said the location can't be beat.
hoxie - do you have names for the developments you're talking about? I just want to do some comparisons, thanks!
That area of Providence's West End is usually called the "Armory" and it is wonderful. There is a large Guatemalan and Puerto Rican population there as well as lots of White hipsters and lots of African immigrants. It is one of those rare neighborhoods where everyone generally lives in peace in close quarters. Now, if you venture further down Dexter St (past the intersection with Cranston St.) you are in a less than pleasant area. The good thing about Providence, though, is that "bad" parts of town are sometimes only a few blocks long before you're in a "good" part, so there is little fear of getting lost in some horrible ghetto.
The condos in the West End are excellent and sell for a good price. The East Side is much wealthier, and fittingly, more expensive. I see women alone or walking babies after dark all the time around the Armory area without incident. It doesn't take much street smarts to avoid danger in Providence. The city is nothing like Philly or DC or Detroit or Oakland. It's New England! Wicked good guy!
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