Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Pawtucket benefits more than most from its proximity to Providence (10 minutes) and Boston (45 minutes). While Pawtucket can be charming on its own, its greatest strength is easy access to the ocean, cities, culture, entertainment, colleges/universities, and everything else just a short bike or ride away. All this proximity makes a small town feel much larger with the easy access to all these big city amenities.

If you’re counting on the city proper to provide you with all your cultural and commercial experiences, you’ll be disappointed. An arts and entertainment thing is going on here, but ultimately, you’ll need to get in your car and drive to get a full dose of culture, outdoor lifestyle, and city experiences.

There isn’t a ton to do here but there are nice suburban neighborhoods, like East Ave and Central Ave, made up primarily of pre-World War II homes. Many who want to dodge the rising costs of Providence, or insane costs of Boston (longer commute), but live in a good home, have chosen Pawtucket as their escape valve.

If you want to see what's happening in Pawtucket check out the calendar of events.

We highly recommend visiting Pawtucket and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our partnership with Expedia as well.

Pawtucket is close to the booming tech and healthcare industries of New England which makes it economically powerful via proximity. While housing costs can move up or down a bit, the reliability of housing prices in cities with colleges and universities, plus a massive healthcare industry, provides some downside protection if the overall economy shifts as they tend to be recession proof. If you stay awhile you’ll benefit from a recently started $400m development on the waterfront that includes: a new multi-use stadium for a professional soccer team, expanded waterfront, workforce housing, hotel and commercial office space. A burgeoning economy within reach, lower housing prices + downside protection = smart choice.