Cranston, Rhode Island

What is Cranston like?

Cranston is the best city in the state. Taxes have been flat for 4 out of the last 6 years, the city is in fantastic financial shape, lots of parks, best library system in the state, strong community groups across the entire city, excellent shopping and supermarket choices, easy access to every major highway in the state, minutes from Providence. . .Good police department, great fire department, hospital is seconds away, entire city is covered so your house won't totally burn down like living in the woods in South County where they are all volunteer fire departments. Schools are decent and actually exceptional considering the demographic and socioeconomic makeup of the student body. Most urban school districts are behind Cranston. It's a good place to raise a family. We moved here from Warwick and found there is way more community feeling and spirit, much more love for the city. Neighborhoods have more character. Lots of good restaurants.

Living in Cranston?

Hi everyone! Hope you’re all enjoying the storm. Looking for some local insight on living in Cranston— I know they have a bit of a reputation, but curious to know what those who live there think. We are 25, no kids, love coffee, good food, and biking/walking most places.

Ny husband and I lived there in our mid to late 20s and liked it. Centrally located and easy to take an Uber to PVD for date nights, etc. He was working in Cambridge and it made the commute to the Attleboro T easy and I work all over New England so easy access to 95 is great. We lived in the Park View neighborhood and while houses are small and on top of each other, safe neighborhood and right off of the highway. There are some decent bars within 10 min that have good food (Brass Monkey, Thirsty Beaver, Stadium Pub and Shannon View), buttonwoods brewery is great as well. Awesome Italian food (Cucina Rustica and Basta) and awesome pizza (Big Cheese and Betolla). Sonja’s for sandwiches we miss everyday. There are real nice neighborhoods in western Cranston but likely out of the 300-325 range unless it’s a fixer up. Western Cranston is way more space, but less convenient to 95 (close to 295 though). Pawtuxet village is probably my favorite part of eastern Cranston and a cute place to walk around. I liked biking Roger Williams park or walking if I was with someone, just be aware it can get a little shady, especially at night. One of my girlfriends was going for a walk and a dude was whacking off 50 yards away in broad daylight watching her. For your budget, I would look into Park View or anything near Garden City. Garden City area will be on the upper end of your budget but a nice area. For real good coffee we did usually go to Providence (Dave’s and white electric) but there are decent enough spots around Cranston (Latte Love and some little spot right across from the Cranston stadium I always forget the name). I would avoid the areas super close to park Ave and behind Cranston East high school, not that it is super dangerous or anything, just not as nice in my opinion. I don’t mind the area behind the stadium though and there are always lots of houses for sale over there. If you can find something in the neighborhood behind Cranston West it’s a hidden gem as well. We enjoyed our time in Cranston, but during Covid my husband got the green light to work from home most days and we wanted more space/land. Moved to North Kingstown and love it, but miss the food options up that way for sure.

Living in Cranston?

My fiancée and I are both in our early 30s (no kids) we moved from Boston to the Forest Hills area of Cranston about a year ago. Overall we love the area and the neighborhood. I would say it’s a good mix of young families, older long time residents, and young couples. For example, we got over 100 kids for Halloween this year! Super close to Providence, we sometimes take the bus to downtown for brunch or to walk around. You’re under 10 min for all the providence has to offer and also close to Warwick for more retail shopping. There’s also a ton to do just in Cranston. Garden City has good shopping options and I’m really excited about the reopening of the Park Theater that was just announced. It will have the theater for movies and live productions, coffee shop, comedy club, and dinner club. All within a 10 min walk. We brought for just under $320 in March 2021 and I know prices have gone up, but you can still find homes from under $350.

Cranston, Rhode Island