"What's your favorite place to go on holiday?" Ellen DeGeneres asked.
After thinking about it, Taylor Swift replied emphatically: "Rhode Island. It's a great state."
Not only is Providence the home of the esteemed Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Ivy League university Brown, but the community itself is centered around the arts and education. Creative people will feel at home, and have plenty of outlets for their work. There’s also a thriving music and arts scene through the city, and particularly in East Providence.
Here's a local with a review of living in Providence:
Providence is an awesome place to live. It has a great art/local music scene and a hipster feel. Plenty of cool places to go to, like the Arcade in downtown, a tiny shopping center with quirky shops and a coffee shop that’s also a bar. Both lower and upper Westminister are trendy spots with more local coffee shops and a good place to hang out on during the weekend. Providence is one of the top culinary destinations in the US, with the third most restaurants per-capita.
For more reviews of what living in Providence is like from locals check out: The Buzz
Don’t get us wrong, Providence is a lovely city, but being a tiny capital of the tiniest state of the union means there’s just not that much to do. The schools take up most of the real estate and most of the city’s persona. It’s relatively safe and easy to live in, there’s plenty to do there, and learn about … but … if you're coming from a big city it will feel quiet.
Here's a review of the cons for living in Providence from a local:
we are small- everyone knows everyone and if you’ve been here long enough everyone knows everyone’s business. Densely populated- we are the second most densely populated state in America. You might think hey we are this little small town mail st vibe place. I see you are from Texas? In general, we have 10x the people per square mile than in Texas.
Providence really shines in the summer with a big art fair, beautiful beaches and lots of festivals. WaterFire, a festival where they light more than 80 bonfires on the rivers, is a big highlight. The east side is dominated by the college campuses, and the student communities center around Thayer Street. It’s relatively diverse, with a very strong Portuguese community. Many people work for the state or the universities, or study at one of the great institutions. And it’s very walkable and bikeable, though most people do have cars.
If you want to see what's happening in Providence check out the calendar of events: https://www.goprovidence.com/events/
If you are an artist, or are into the arts, or a student, you’ll feel right at home at Providence, though the city also has a good mix of blue-collar workers as well. And improvements to the city are ongoing. The city is revitalizing the area between Pawtucket and Central Falls as the Conant Thread District, a charming 150-acre tract full of cool old mill buildings, and anchored by a new train station.
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College Hill is home to Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design and Pembroke College. As with many New England college neighborhoods, there are apartment buildings and split level homes for housing options and plenty of cheap eats and good pubs for nights out. There are also young professionals living here as relatively inexpensive apartments will always be fair game for those in-school and those recently graduated. Mostly though the choice here is about the energy, the proximity to schools and the opportunity for beer and pizza!
