Providence was one of the first cities in the country to industrialize and became noted for its textile manufacturing and subsequent machine tool, jewelry, and silverware industries.[9][10] Today, the city of Providence is home to eight hospitals and eight institutions of higher learning which have shifted the city's economy into service industries, though it still retains some manufacturing activity.
The First Baptist Church in America is the oldest Baptist congregation in America, founded by Roger Williams in 1638. Its present meetinghouse was first occupied in 1775.
Providence lacked a royal charter, unlike Salem and Boston. The settlers thus organized themselves, allotting tracts on the eastern side of the Providence River in 1638 allowing roughly six acres each. These home lots extended from Towne Street (now South Main Street) to Hope Street.[16] Over the following two decades, Providence Plantations grew into a self-sufficient agricultural and fishing settlement, though its lands were difficult to farm and its borders were disputed with Connecticut and Massachusetts.[13]
In 1652, Providence prohibited indentured servitude for periods of longer than 10 years. This statute constituted the first anti-slavery law in the United States, though there is no evidence the prohibition was ever enforced.[17] However, the Rhode Island General Assembly legalized African and Native American slavery throughout the colony in 1703, and Providence merchants' participation in the slave trade helped turn the city into a major port.[18]:11–13 By 1755, enslaved people made up 8% of Providence's population, below the 10% average for colonial Rhode Island, but above the 5% average for the northern colonies.[18]:24–25
In March 1676, Providence Plantations was burned to the ground by the Narragansetts during King Philip's War. Later in the year, the Rhode Island legislature formally rebuked the other colonies for provoking the war.[19] In 1770, Brown University moved to Providence from nearby Warren. At the time, the college was known as Rhode Island College and occupied a single building on College Hill. The college's choice to relocate to Providence as opposed to Newport symbolized a larger shift away from Newport's commercial and political dominance over the colony.[20][21]
In 1772, a group from Providence burned a British customs schooner south of Providence in the event known as the Gaspee Affair.[13] This was the first act of armed resistance to British rule in America, predating the more famous Boston Tea Party by more than a year. Rhode Island was the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown on May 4, 1776.[22] It was also the last of the Thirteen States to ratify the United States Constitution on May 29, 1790, once assurances were made that a Bill of Rights would become part of the Constitution.[23]
Following the war, Providence was the nation's ninth-largest city[lower-alpha 2] with 7,614 people. The economy shifted from maritime endeavors to manufacturing, in particular machinery, tools, silverware, jewelry, and textiles. By the start of the 20th century, Providence hosted some of the largest manufacturing plants in the country, including Brown & Sharpe, Nicholson File, and Gorham Manufacturing Company.[13] The city's industries attracted many immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Sweden, England, Italy, Portugal, Cape Verde, and French Canada. These economic and demographic shifts caused social strife.[13]Hard Scrabble and Snow Town were the sites of race riots in 1824 and 1831.[25][26]
Providence residents ratified a city charter in 1831 as the population passed 17,000.[13] The seat of city government was located in the Market House[27] in Market Square from 1832 to 1878, which was the geographic and social center of the city. The city offices soon outgrew this building, and the City Council resolved to create a permanent municipal building in 1845.[27] The city offices moved into Providence City Hall in 1878.[28]
Local politics split over slavery during the American Civil War, as many had ties to Southern cotton and the slave trade. Despite ambivalence concerning the war, the number of military volunteers routinely exceeded quota, and the city's manufacturing proved invaluable to the Union. Providence thrived after the war, and waves of immigrants brought the population from 54,595 in 1865 to 175,597 by 1900.[13]
By the early 1900s, Providence was one of the wealthiest cities in the United States.[29] Immigrant labor powered one of the nation's largest industrial manufacturing centers.[29] Providence was a major manufacturer of industrial products, from steam engines to precision tools to silverware, screws, and textiles. Giant companies were based in or near Providence, such as Brown & Sharpe, the Corliss Steam Engine Company, Babcock & Wilcox, the Grinnell Corporation, the Gorham Manufacturing Company, Nicholson File, and the Fruit of the Loom textile company.[29] The manufacturing of jewelry and costume jewelry emerged as a dominant local industry.[30][31] In the 1960s, jewelry trade magazines referred to Providence as “the jewelry capital of the world.”[31]
Aerial photograph of Downtown Providence taken in 1951
The city began to see a decline by the mid-1920s as manufacturing industries began to shut down. It was deeply affected by the Great Depression, which left more than a third of the city's labor force unemployed.[34] The subsequent Recession of 1937–1938 was immediately followed by the New England Hurricane of 1938, which flooded downtown.[35] The hurricane was particularly destructive to the struggling textile industry, with many mills never reopening following the storm.[36] Providence's population declined from a peak of 253,504 in 1940 to only 179,213 in 1970, as the white middle class moved to the suburbs. From the 1940s to 1970s, white middle class residents vacated Providence faster than any other American city other than Detroit. The remainder of these residents were disproportionately poor and elderly.[37][38] From the 1950s to the 1980s, Providence was a notorious bastion of organized crime.[39][40]
From 1975 until 1982, $606 million of local and national community development funds were invested throughout the city. In the 1990s, the city pushed for revitalization, completing a number of major development projects. Among these were the realignment of railroad tracks; the relocation of rivers, creation of Waterplace Park, and development of a riverwalk; the construction of a Downtown ice rink;[41] and the development of Providence Place Mall.[13] In 1980, Providence's previously declining population began to grow once again.[42]
In the early 2000s, Providence developed an economic development plan that outlined a shift to a knowledge-based economy. These efforts involved the rebranding of the formerly industrial Jewelry District as a new "Knowledge District".[43] Despite new investment, approximately 21.5-percent of the city population lives below the poverty line.[44] Recent increases in real estate values have further exacerbated problems for those at marginal income levels, mirroring a statewide housing affordability crisis.[45] From 2004 to 2005, Providence saw the highest rise in median housing price of any city in the United States.[46]
Geography
The Providence city limits enclose a small geographical region with a total area of 20.5 square miles (53km2); 18.5 square miles (48km2) of it is land and the remaining 2.1 square miles (5.4km2) is water (roughly 10%). Providence is located at the head of Narragansett Bay, with the Providence River running into the bay through the center of the city,[47] formed by the confluence of the Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket Rivers. The Waterplace Park amphitheater and riverwalks line the river's banks through Downtown.[48] Providence is one of many cities claimed to be founded on seven hills like Rome. [49][50]
As with many cities worldwide, the Northeastern megacity has a large population of feral pigeons (Columba livia).[51] Although expecting Providence's population genetics to be continuous with the larger megacity, Carlen & Munshi-South 2020 find Providence and Boston share one population and the rest of the region shares another.[51] This is likely due to the intervening low urbanization zone in western Connecticut.[51]
The Jewelry District describes the area enclosed by I-95, the old I-195, and the Providence River. The city has made efforts to rename this area the Knowledge District to reflect the area's newly developing life sciences and technology-based economy.[54][55]
West Broadway is an officially recognized neighborhood with its own association. It overlaps with the southern half of Federal Hill and the northern part of the West End.[56]
Geographically, Providence is compact—characteristic of eastern seaboard cities that developed prior to use of the automobile. The street layout of the city is irregular; more than one thousand streets run haphazardly, connecting and radiating from traditionally bustling places such as Market Square.[57]
Downtown Providence has numerous 19th-century mercantile buildings in the Federal and Victorian architectural styles, as well as several postmodern and modernist buildings. In particular, a fairly clear spatial separation appears between the areas of pre-1980s development and post-1980s development; West Exchange Street and Exchange Terrace serve as rough boundaries between the two.[58] The newer area, sometimes called "Capitol Center",[58] includes the Providence Place Mall (1999), Omni Providence Hotel (1993) and Residences Providence (2007), GTECH Corporation (2006), Waterplace Towers condominiums (2007), and Waterplace Park (1994). The area tends toward newer development, since much of it is land reclaimed in the 1970s from a mass of railroad tracks referred to colloquially as the "Chinese Wall".[59] This part of Downtown is characterized by open spaces, wide roads, and landscaping.[58]
The streetscape of much of historic downtown has retained a similar appearance since the early 20th century. Many of the state's tallest buildings are found here. At 426 feet (130 m), the city's largest structure is the art decoIndustrial National Bank Building.[60] The building contrasts with the city's second tallest structure—One Financial Plaza—which is designed in the modernist style.[61] Other core buildings of the Providence skyline are the postmodern 50 Kennedy Plaza and late modern Textron Tower. Downtown is also the home of the historic Providence Biltmore hotel and Westminster Arcade—the oldest enclosed shopping mall in the U.S.[62]
July is the warmest month with a daily mean of 73.5°F (23.1°C) and highs rising to 90°F (32°C) or higher an average of 10 days per summer, January is the coldest month with a daily mean of 29.2°F (−1.6°C) and low temperatures dropping to 10°F (−12°C) or lower an average of 11 days per winter.[68] while.[68] Extremes range from −17°F or −27.2°C on February 9, 1934[69] to 104°F or 40°C on August 2, 1975;[70] the record cold daily maximum is 1°F (−17.2°C) on February 5, 1918, while the record warm daily minimum is 80°F (26.7°C) on June 6, 1925.[68] Temperature readings of 0°F or −17.8°C or lower are uncommon in Providence and generally occur once every several years. The year which had the most days with a temperature reading of zero degrees or lower was 2015 with eight days total—one day in January and seven days in February.[68] Conversely, temperature readings of 100°F or 37.8°C or higher are even rarer, and the year with the most days in this category was 1944 with three days, all of which were in August.[68]
Monthly precipitation in Providence ranges from a high of 4.43 inches (112.5mm) in March to a low of 3.17 inches (80.5mm) in July.[70] In general, precipitation levels are slightly less in the summer months than the winter months, when nor'easters can cause significant snowfall on occasion. Hurricanes have impacted Providence, and Providence's location at the head of Narragansett Bay makes it vulnerable to storm surges. Hurricane Carol in 1954 and the 1938 Hurricane were particularly damaging.[71]
Providence, Rhode Island – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Providence has a racially and ethnically diverse population. In 2020, white Americans formed 53.1% of the population, including a sizable white Hispanic community. Non-Hispanic whites were 33.8% of the total population,[80] down from 89.5% in 1970.[83] Providence has had a substantial Italian American population since the start of the 20th century, with 14% of the population claiming Italian ancestry.[87] Italian influence manifests itself in Providence's 'Little Italy' in Federal Hill.[88]Irish immigrants have also had considerable influence on the city's history, with 8% of residents claiming Irish heritage.[89] The percentages of people claiming Irish and Italian ancestry, though high, has gone down considerably from historical highs, and is much lower than the percentages of these groups in Rhode Island as a whole. The city also has a sizable Jewish community, estimated at 10,500 in 2012, or roughly 5% of the city's population.[90]
In 2020, people of Hispanic or Latino origin composed 43.5% of the city's population.[80] They formed a majority of city public school students as of 2007.[91] The majority of Hispanics in Providence are of Dominican descent. Numbering roughly 25,000 and constituting roughly half of the city's Hispanic population, Providence's Dominican community is the fifth largest in the United States.[92] Other Hispanic groups present in sizable numbers include Puerto Ricans, Guatemalans, and Colombians. Hispanics are widespread in significant numbers in most of Providence, but most concentrated in the neighborhoods of Elmwood, the West End, and Upper and Lower South Providence.[93]
African Americans constitute 16.1%[80] of the city's population, with their greatest concentrations found in Mount Hope and the Upper and Lower South Providence neighborhoods.[94][95] Providence has small Liberian and Haitian communities in the city. Liberians compose 0.4% of the population;[87] the city is home to one of the largest Liberian immigrant populations in the country.[96]Asian-Americans constitute 5.6% of Providence's population. The largest Asian groups are Cambodians (1.7%), Chinese (1.1%), Indian Americans (0.7%), Laotians (0.6%), and Koreans (0.6%). Another 6% of the city has multiracial ancestry. American Indians and Pacific Islanders make up the remaining 0.9%.[95]
Providence has a considerable community of immigrants from various Portuguese-speaking countries, especially Portugal, Brazil, and Cape Verde. These residents are concentrated in the Washington Park and Fox Point neighborhoods.[97][98][99]Portuguese is the city's third-largest European ethnicity, after Italian and Irish. Cape Verdeans compose 2% of the city's population.[87]
The per capita income as of the 2000 census was $15,525, which is well below both the state average of $29,113 and the national average of $21,587.[100][101] The median income for a household was $26,867, and the median income for a family in Providence was $32,058,. The city has one of the highest rates of poverty in the nation with 29.1% of the population and 23.9% of families living below the poverty line. Of residents in poverty, the largest concentrations are found in the city's Olneyville, and Upper and Lower South Providence areas.[102][103] Poverty has affected children at a disproportionately higher rate, with 40.1% of those under the age of 18 living below the poverty line. These residents are concentrated west of Downtown in the neighborhoods of Hartford, Federal Hill, and Olneyville.[103]
Economy
Distribution of Providence's economic activity
Over one third of Providence's economy is based in trade, transportation, utilities, and educational and health services.[104] As the capital of Rhode Island, the city's economy additionally consists of government services, with approximately 70,000 jobs.[104] The unemployment rate in the city is 5.0% as of August 2022, compared to a national rate of 3.8%.[104]
Prominent companies headquartered in Providence include Fortune 500 Textron, an advanced technologies industrial conglomerate; United Natural Foods, a distributor of natural and organic foods; Fortune 1000 Nortek Incorporated; Gilbane, a construction and real estate company. Other companies with headquarters in the city include Citizens Bank,[105]Virgin Pulse, Ørsted US Offshore Wind, and Providence Equity.[106] Providence is the site of a sectional center facility (SCF), a regional hub for the U.S. Postal Service.[107] Providence is also home to some of toy manufacturer Hasbro's business operations, although their headquarters are in Pawtucket.
Washington St. in downtown Providence during PVDFest 2024
Much of Providence culture is synonymous with the culture of Rhode Island as a whole. Like the state, the city has a non-rhotic accent that can be heard on local media. Providence also shares Rhode Island's affinity for coffee, with the most coffee and doughnut shops per capita of any city in the country.[109] Providence is also reputed to have the highest number of restaurants per capita of major U.S. cities.[110]
During the summer months, the city regularly hosts WaterFire, an environmental art installation that consists of about 100 bonfires which blaze just above the surface of the three rivers that pass through the middle of Downtown Providence.[111] There are multiple WaterFire events that are accompanied by various pieces of classical and world music.[112]
Providence has several ethnic neighborhoods, notably Federal Hill and the North End (Italian),[113]Fox Point (Portuguese),[114]West End (mainly Central American and Asian),[115] and Smith Hill (Irish).[116] There are also many dedicated community organizations and arts associations located in the city.[117]
The city gained the reputation as one of the most active and growing gay and lesbian communities in the Northeast.[118][119] The rate of reported gay and lesbian relationships is 75% higher than the national average.[120] Former mayor David Cicilline won his election running as an openly gay man.[121] Former Mayor Buddy Cianci instituted the position of Mayor's Liaison to the Gay and Lesbian community in the 1990s.[119] and Providence is home to the largest gay bathhouse in New England.[122]
A multi-day annual outdoor arts festival, PVDFest, features a mix of live music performances, art installations, craft markets, and food vendors showcasing global cuisines.[126][127][128]
Providence is home to a 1,200-acre (4.9km2) park system.[129] Notable among these are Waterplace Park and the Riverwalk, Roger Williams Park, Roger Williams National Memorial, and Prospect Terrace Park. Prospect Terrace Park features expansive views of the downtown area, as well as a 15-foot tall granite statue of Roger Williams gazing over the city. As one of the first cities in America, Providence contains many historic buildings, while the East Side neighborhood in particular includes the largest contiguous area of buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the U.S., with many pre-revolutionary houses.[130]
Providence's East Side is home to the First Baptist Church in America, which was founded by Williams in 1638, as well as the Old State House which served as the state's capitol from 1762 to 1904.[131] Nearby is Roger Williams National Memorial. The dome of the State House is the fourth-largest self-supporting marble dome in the world and the second-largest marble dome after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.[132] The Westminster Arcade is the oldest enclosed shopping center in the U.S.[133][134]
The Bank Newport City Center is located near Kennedy Plaza in the Downtown district, connected by pedestrian tunnel to Waterplace Park, a cobblestone and concrete park below street traffic that abuts Providence's three rivers.[139][140][41][141] Another downtown landmark is the Providence Biltmore, a historic hotel which stands adjacent to Kennedy Plaza.[142]
The city's defunct baseball team, the Providence Grays, competed in the National League from 1879 through 1885. The team defeated the New York Metropolitans in baseball's first successful "world championship series" in 1884.[147] In 1914, after the Boston Red Sox purchased Babe Ruth from the then-minor league Baltimore Orioles, the team prepared Ruth for the major leagues by sending him to finish the season playing for a minor league team in Providence that was also known as the Grays. Most baseball fans—along with the local media—tend to follow the Boston Red Sox.[148]
Major colleges and universities fielding NCAA Division I athletic teams are Brown University and Providence College. The latter is a member of the Big East Conference.
Providence has also hosted the alternative sports event Gravity Games from 1999 to 2001, and was also the first host of ESPN's X Games, known in its first edition as the Extreme Games, in 1995. Providence has its own roller derby league. Formed in 2004, it currently has four teams: the Providence Mob Squad, the Sakonnet River Roller Rats, the Old Money Honeys, and the Rhode Island Riveters. Until 2020, Providence was home to the headquarters of the American Athletic Conference (The American).[149][150]
Providence is also home to the Providence Hurling Club. The Providence Hurling Club was founded in 2015 and competes in the Junior C division of the Boston GAA. Despite being the newest hurling team within the Boston GAA, the Providence Hurling Club has captured two Junior C titles- with the first in 2021 with a win over Hartford and the second in 2023 with a win over Worcester.[151] Home games are held at Pleasant View Elementary School in Providence and playoff matches are held at the Irish Cultural Center in Canton, MA.[152][153]
The Providence City Council consists of 15 councilors, one for each of the city's wards,[154] who enact ordinances and pass an annual budget.[155] Providence uses a strong-mayor form of government in which the city council acts as a check against the power of the executive branch, the mayor. The members of the Providence City Council are elected by residents of the fifteen wards of Providence. City Council members are elected to four-year terms and are limited, by City Charter, to serving a maximum of three consecutive full terms (excluding any partial term of less than two years previously served).
The Providence Public School District serves about 21,700 students from pre-Kindergarten to grade 12 as of July 2022. The district has 21 elementary schools, seven middle schools, and nine high schools.[156] The Providence Public School District includes magnet schools at the middle and high school level, Nathanael Greene and Classical respectively. There are two separate centers for students with special needs.[157] Two public charter schools, Time Squared Academy High School (K–12) and Textron Chamber of Commerce (9–12), are funded by GTECH Corporation and Textron respectively.[158] Overall, the public high school graduation rate as of 2019[update] is 74%,[159] which is below the statewide rate of 84%[160] and the national average of 87%.[161]
In addition, the Community College of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University, and University of Rhode Island have satellite campuses in the city. Between these schools, the number of post-secondary students is between 32,000[163][164] and 44,000.[165] Higher education exerts a considerable presence in the city's politics and economy, compounded by the fact that Brown University is the city's second-largest employer.[166]
I-95 runs from north to south through Providence; I-195 connects the city to eastern Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, including New Bedford, Massachusetts and Cape Cod. I-295 encircles Providence, while RI 146 provides a direct connection with Worcester, Massachusetts. The city began the long-term project Iway in 2007 to move I-195 for safety reasons, to free up land, and to reunify the Jewelry District with Downtown Providence, which had been separated by the highway.[174][needs update] The project was estimated to cost $610 million.[175]
The Port of Providence (branded as ProvPort) is the second largest deep-water seaport in New England.[176][177] In 1994, the city incorporated ProvPort as an independent non-profit. It is located on a single campus on the west side of the Providence River, next to the Washington Park neighborhood.[178] As of 2021, operations are contracted to Waterson Terminal Services, which also operates ports in New Bedford, Massachusetts and Davisville, Rhode Island.[179] ProvPort handles cargoes such as cement, chemicals, heavy machinery, petroleum, and scrap metal.
Kennedy Plaza in Downtown Providence serves as a transportation hub for local public transit as well as a departure point for Peter Pan Bus Lines[180] and Greyhound Lines.[181] Public transit is managed by Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA).[182] Through RIPTA alone, Kennedy Plaza averages more than 71,000 people a day.[183] The majority of the area covered by RIPTA is served by traditional buses, but RIPTA also runs a "Rapid Bus", the R-Line which connects the suburbs of Pawtucket and Cranston with Downtown Providence. Of particular note is the East Side Trolley Tunnel running under College Hill, whose use is reserved for RIPTA buses. From 2000 to 2008, RIPTA operated a seasonal ferry to Newport between May and October, but SeaStreak began operating that ferry route in 2016.[184] In 2020, RIPTA completed construction of the Downtown Transit Connector, an upgraded bus rapid transit service to run from Providence Station to the Hospital District.[185]
In 2017, the city signed a $400,000 contract with a bicycle sharing company, Jump, to introduce Providence's first program of its kind, supported by local hospitals and RIPTA.[187] Shortly after the program started in September 2018, the bicycles became associated with a "wave of vandalism and criminal activity" including widespread thefts of bicycles, bikes tossed into the Providence River, and even a company technician held at gunpoint.[187] The company suspended the program in August 2019.[187] In 2021, a new company, Spin, reintroduced a bike sharing program to the city.[188]
In August 2019, a pedestrian bridge opened, spanning the Providence River and connecting Providence's east and west sides. The bridge was constructed on the granite piers of the old Route 195 bridge.[189]
In January 2020, mayor Jorge Elorza unveiled a "Great Streets" initiative to create a framework of public space improvements to encourage walking, riding bicycles, and public transit.[190] The plan includes establishing an "Urban Trail Network" which includes 60 miles (97km) of bicycle paths, bike lanes, and greenways.[191]
Utilities
Electricity and natural gas are provided by Rhode Island Energy, which took over from National Grid in May 2022.[192] Providence Water is responsible for the distribution of drinking water, ninety percent of which comes from the Scituate Reservoir about ten miles (16km) west of downtown, with contributions coming from four smaller bodies of water. The city has history of severe lead problems from old lead pipes, which the city is actively working to replace and offering loans to homeowners to place. The Guardian has criticized the equity of the city's solution.[193] Drinking water in Providence has been rated among the highest quality in the country.[194][195][196][197]
Police
The headquarters of the city's fire and police departments is a 130,000 square feet (12,000m2) Public Safety Complex. The building was dedicated in 2002 by former Mayor Vincent Cianci Jr.[198] Providence Police Department operated on a $85.6 million budget in 2020 employing 453 officers.[199]
↑ This motto may appear rhetorical, but it was an earnest expression from the traditional account of Roger Williams' arrival in Rhode Island with settlers William Harris, John Smith, Joshua Verin, Thomas Angell, and Francis Wickes.[1] The party was greeted by a group of Narragansetts, with the description of their exchange:[2]
Not far from that bridge [over the Blackstone] in a little cove is the famous "Slate Rock," on which it is said that Roger Williams first landed after his tedious and painful flight from the persecutions of his Massachusetts brethren. As he approached the place he was saluted by some friendly Indians with the peaceful enquiry "What Cheer netop?" netop, meaning friend, a phrase which they had acquired from their intercourse with the English and which was equivalent to the salutation "How are you?" or "What's the news?"... It is this incident which is pictured upon the seal of the city of Providence.
↑ Providence was listed as a town (not a city) by the US Census Bureau until the census of 1840 because city status in the New England states is conferred by the form of government, not by population. Providence retained the title of ninth-largest settlement until the census of 1810.
↑ Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
↑ Official records for Providence kept at downtown from November 1904 to May 1932 and at T. F. Green Airport since June 1932.[72]
Rhode Island is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020; but it has grown at every decennial count since 1790 and is the second-most densely populated state, after New Jersey. The state takes its name from the eponymous island, though nearly all its land area is on the mainland. Providence is its capital and most populous city.
Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately 33 miles (53 km) southeast of Providence, 20 miles (32 km) south of Fall River, Massachusetts, 74 miles (119 km) south of Boston, and 180 miles (290 km) northeast of New York City. It is known as a New England summer resort and is famous for its historic mansions and its rich sailing history. The city has a population of about 25,000 residents.
Providence County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence County contains the city of Providence, the state capital of Rhode Island and the county's most populous city, with an estimated 190,934 residents in 2020. Providence County is included in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn constitutes a portion of the greater Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area. As of 2010, the center of population in Rhode Island is located in Providence County, in the city of Cranston.
Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, 63 miles (101 km) southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, and 171 miles (275 km) northeast of New York City.
Cranston, formerly known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second-largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston. Cranston is a part of the Providence metropolitan area.
East Providence is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 47,139 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-largest city in the state.
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls and Lincoln to the north, and North Providence to the west. The city also borders the Massachusetts municipalities of Seekonk and Attleboro.
North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and is part of the Providence metropolitan area. The population was 27,732 in the 2020 census. North Kingstown is home to the birthplace of American portraitist Gilbert Stuart, who was born in the village of Saunderstown. Within the town is Quonset Point, location of the former Naval Air Station Quonset Point, known for the invention of the Quonset hut, as well as the historic village of Wickford.
South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind New Shoreham, and the third largest town in Rhode Island by geographic land area, behind Exeter and Coventry.
Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States, as well as the county seat. The population of Bristol was 22,493 at the 2020 census. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. Major industries include boat building and related marine industries, manufacturing, and tourism. The Bristol Warren Regional School District manages the unified school system for Bristol and the neighboring town of Warren. Prominent communities include Portuguese-Americans, mostly Azoreans, and Italian-Americans.
North Providence is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 34,114 at the 2020 census.
Westerly is a town on the southwestern coastline of Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, first settled by English colonists in 1661, and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. Westerly is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a population of 23,359 as of the 2020 census.
Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas. The most stringent definition of the region, used by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, consists of most of the eastern third of mainland Massachusetts, excluding the Merrimack Valley and most of Southeastern Massachusetts, though most definitions include much of these areas and portions of southern New Hampshire.
The East Side Trolley Tunnel, also known as the East Side Transit Tunnel or the College Hill Tunnel, is a bi-directional tunnel in Providence, Rhode Island, originally built for trolley use in 1914, and now used for public transit buses. The East Side Trolley Tunnel could be considered the first bus rapid transit link in North America, because of its exclusive and continuous bus use since 1948.
The Rhode Island city of Providence has a nearly 400-year history integral to that of the United States, including significance in the American Revolutionary War by providing leadership and fighting strength, quartering troops, and supplying goods to residents by circumventing the blockade of Newport. The city is also noted for the first bloodshed of the American Revolution in the Gaspée Affair. Additionally, Providence is notable for economic shifts, moving from trading to manufacturing. The decline of manufacturing devastated the city during the Great Depression, but the city eventually attained economic recovery through investment of public funds.
Kennedy Plaza, formerly Exchange Place, Exchange Terrace, or City Hall Park, is a rectangular public square that occupies a central portion of Downtown Providence, Rhode Island. Since the mid 19th century, the plaza has served as a civic and transportation hub.
The Providence metropolitan area is a region extending into eight counties in two states. Its core is in the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts; its largest city is Providence, Rhode Island. With an estimated population of 1,622,520, exceeding that of Rhode Island by slightly over 60%, the Providence MSA is the 38th largest metropolitan area in the United States. The MSA covers all of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts, with an average population density of 2300 per mi2.
Downtown is the central economic, political, and cultural district of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is bounded on the east by Canal Street and the Providence River, to the north by Smith Street, to the west by Interstate 95, and to the south by Henderson Street. The highway serves as a physical barrier between the city's commercial core and neighborhoods of Federal Hill, West End, and Upper South Providence. Most of the downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Downtown Providence Historic District.
The Jewelry District is a neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island located just southeast of Downtown. The historical path of Interstate 195 delineates the neighborhood's northern border while Interstate 95 and the Providence River define its western, southern and eastern edges.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
↑ "Roger Williams: Founding Providence". nps.gov. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024. …having made covenant of peaceable neighborhood with all the sachems and natives round about us, and having, in a sense of God's merciful providence unto me in my distress, called the place PROVIDENCE...
↑ FitzGerald, Frances (September 5, 2005). "Peculiar Institutions". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
↑ Foner, Philip Sheldon; Foner, Philip Sheldon (January 1, 1991). History of the labor movement in the United States. 9: The T.U.E.L. to the end of the Gompers era / by Philip S. Foner. New York: Intl Publ. pp.19–31. ISBN978-0-7178-0674-4.
↑ "One Financial Plaza". Emporis. 2006. Archived from the original on September 25, 2006. Retrieved June 5, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
↑ "USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map". US Department of Agriculture – The United States National Arboretum. March 2, 2006. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2007.
↑ "Station: Providence T F Green AP, RI". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
↑ Manie Marcuss & Ricardo Borgos. "Who are New England's Immigrants?"(PDF). Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. p.4. Archived(PDF) from the original on June 14, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
↑ This figure is calculated as the sum of individually given figures from school websites, see: "facts about Brown University". Brown University. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007., "General Information about CCRI". Community College of Rhode Island. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007. (Note: exact figures for Providence Campuses were unavailable. For this estimate two fifths of the total student body were approximated to go to two of the five campuses_, "Johnson & Wales Providence". Johnson & Wales University. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007., "Providence College – Fast Facts". Providence College. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007., "about RIC". Rhode Island College. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007., "RISD: About RISD". Rhode Island School of Design. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007., and "About US". University of Rhode Island. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007.
↑ "RIPTA". Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on June 5, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007.
↑ "RIPTA Accomplishments in FY2006". Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on July 4, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007. 25,943,883 boardings / 365 days = 71,079 daily.
Core cities are metropolitan core cities of at least a million people. The other areas are urban areas of cities that have an urban area of 150,000+ or of a metropolitan area of at least 250,000+. Satellite cities are in italics.
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