Thinking about moving to Providence?

[Frankie811]

Hello. I am still looking for a place in/around Providence and wondered if anyone could tell me how the area around Pidge Ave at East Ave is? Any thoughts/opinions are welcome! Thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's actually near one of the nicest areas of Pawtucket. Upper income. I believe that section is called Oakhill.

[d2Lw]

Hello,

I'm considering to accept a job in North Kingston, RI, thus I need to look for a place to live. I'm juggling between the idea of living close to work in a safe neighborhood (east greenwich?) or in providence area (slightly far from work but I won't be bore to death/feel like living in the middle of nowhere). I have quite a few questions:

how bad is traffic during rush hour between providence and North Kingston? (primarily I-95 I believe?)

I'm very interested with a few areas mentioned in this thread. However I read that safety is vary by roads within an area. Would anyone help me with Do's and Dont's in roads selection within the famous areas? (downcity, wayland sq, federal hill etc).

I'm very keen on wayland sq but seems like it's nowhere close to highway, I wonder how bad is the local traffic?

beside wayland sq and downcity, which areas should I consider if safety is my main concern (I'm young female and don't know anyone in RI)?

Is pawtucket safe?

thank you in advance for all input/help

[Recchia]

d2lw,

I do the opposite everyday, I live in North Kingstown but work in Providence. The traffic isn't too bad, especially since you would be reverse commuting if you lived in Providence. Coming home at night would probably be the worst, since 95 northbound into Providence always backs up a few miles (and sometimes MANY miles). Will you be working in Quonset? If yes, until the new highway into the park is built, it can be nightmarish to get in and out of there, especially when some of the big companies' shifts end.

Driving to NK everyday from Providence would probably only take about 25 -30 minutes. Coming back at night would be around 30-35 on a good day, but if theres traffic that could easily be 45-50. You could take a bus if you'd be working right along Route 1 (Post Road), but if not, its not feasible.

NK itself is pretty boring, and is your typical suburban strip mess. You won't feel like your in the middle of nowhere, but its very suburban. It does have quite a bit of affordable housing though, especially around Quonset where there are a lot of apartment complexes and duplexes. If you want more of an urban feel down there, however, try downtown East Greenwich along Main St. and down the hill to the water. Nice restaurants and shops, good Chinese food, and some decent bars on the waterfront too. A little pricey though.

I'll let others recommend places to live in Providence.

[Frankie811]

Well R2D2, er, I mean d2Lw maybe you should be looking at either Cranston or Warwick to live. They are a little bit closer to North Kingston than Providence and you won't have to battle the Providence traffic. Warwick probably has a slightly better night life than Cranston, although both could probably be described as bedroom communities. Warwick has a LOT of retail outlets if you like shopping and the airport is located there. If it were me I'd choose Warwick for the convinence. You didn't mention a price range for rent. One to two bedroom units in Warwick probably start at $ 800+. Warwick is the second largest city in RI. I don't think you want to hang out at any of the East Greenwich waterfront bars Traffic through Providence is bad in the mornings between 7:30am - 8:30am, and 3pm-6pm. Wayland Sq isn't that far from the highway (RT 195) but you'd have to use Gano St which can back up during rush hour. By the way, where do you live now?

Edited July 7, 2005 by Frankie811

[Garris]

Well, d2Lw, I live in Wayland Sq and can give you a bit of perspective. I commute from Wayland Sq to Rhode Island Hospital in the AM during rush hour, and I can get from there to the hospital via Gano St. and 195 W to 95 South in about 8 minutes, and RIH represents the border of South Providence on the highway. Traffic is of little to no consequence to me until I hit 195, and even then, it's not so bad. I hit no traffic in Wayland Sq, on Gano, or, for the most part, anywhere else on the East Side.

If you want urban living, I'd avoid Warwick and Cranston, which are both essentially "Strip Mall hell" bedroom communities in my view. As was correctly noted, the Providence neighborhoods and downtown East Greenwich are the only real urban living environments in RI.

I love Wayland Sq. It has no real nightlife to speak of, but has great, walkable neighborhood amenities (CVS, bookstores, restaurants, supermarkets, Blockbuster, barbers/salons, Starbucks, etc.) and is extremely safe. It's right on the RIPTA busline as well.

- Garris

[Recchia]

West Warwick also has some urban neighborhoods, mostly old mill duplexes and some triple deckers. The problem is that retail is nonexistent in the urban neighborhoods of the town, it's all out on the suburban strip mall hell (and when I say hell, I mean hell!) known as Route 2. Nevertheless it's pretty inexpensive living, and if you have a car you're right down the road from every store imaginable on Route 2.

[d2Lw]

Hello all,

thank you for the inputs, more are welcome

Recchia, does the traffic on the other direction worse/better? Cause you pretty much drive the opposite traffic that I will have to deal with everyday if I choose to live in Providence.

Garris, how bad is driving home from south to ur place in the evening? Cause seems like Recchia indicate that PM rush hour is the problem, not really the AM.

I'm trying to avoid Cranston and Warwick because I heard they are not very safe neighborhood, no?

I was looking at some posts in craigslist but I'm pretty much blind in knowledge regarding safety of the places. (Because I read it varies road by road even within same neighborhood?). Reading the this thread I pretty much get the feeling that you guys kinda "rank" areas like this (please correct me): downcity, wayland sq, blackstone blvd, ... ?

how do you think I should rank my preference among these areas:

east of downcity (brown univ + wayland sq etc)

north of downcity (hope st, N main st, etc)

west of downcity

south of downcity

Because seems like it's hard to find place within downcity itself, correct? I think I only saw the lofts as option within downcity (alice, peerless, etc)

I was intrigue by some description in the beginning of this thread (helping Emily in finding place); about the cafe and "hip" place

I guess a good question would probably be: what streets should I check out to find place to live if I fly to RI next weekend to do apt hunting? tips/insider info from the locals? (such as those flyers in the cafe you guys mentioned )

My budget is very flexible, kinda depends on what I get in which areas (definitely willing to shell out more for downcity and less for east greenwich). Basically, best bang for the buck

Off topic question: is there Trader Joe's in RI?

Thank's a lot for all the inputs

anyone volunteering in accompanying me hunting for place to live?

[Frankie811]

No, there's no Trader Joe's here. Funny you should ask though. Only yesterday did I first hear about them. The nearest one is in Boston and CT. And Warwick & Cranston are safe communities. There is of course crime there, but not like Providence.

[Recchia]

Traffic leaving Providence to go south in the AM isn't really bad at all. Both directions get backed up a little right through downtown, but it passes pretty quick. Coming home at night though, from NK to Providence, you'll atleast be backed up from Thurbers Ave to Route 146 on 95 northbound. And if there's an accident, 95 northbound can back up from 146 all the way down to Route 37 in Cranston. Those nights would be hellish to me, but depending on what you're used to and where you're coming from, you might not mind it too bad.

If you live in Warwick you'd pretty much avoid most of the backups. I used to live in Warwick, and I can tell you its pretty safe. It's pretty suburban though, lots of emptyish strip malls and single family houses. The farther north you go in warwick the more urban it gets. Neighborhoods on Route 1 north of the Airport and along Elmwood Ave are much denser than the rest of Warwick. Avoid anything near or along Route 2, it's sprawl hell.

Eastern Cranston is much more urban, along Park Ave, Elmwood Ave and Cranston St. for example. There you can find multi-family housing, more urban streetfronts, etc., and it's pretty safe compared to parts of Providence.

[Garris]

d2Lw,

Trader Joe's is looking at the Prov area I've heard, but nothing yet...

Regarding traffic in commuting to Wayland Sq, perhaps it would add, at most, 10 to 15 minutes in the Northward PM commute at worst vs no traffic at all, but I frankly consider traffic around RI to be a non-factor in general... Really... I'm used to NY area and Minneapolis area traffic which can add, routinely, 45+ minutes to your commute vs no traffic... People in RI consider anything more than 10 minutes of driving anywhere to be heavy, so in my opinion, it's not a factor...

Also, I have to be honest with you... If you have the financial ability to afford East Greenwich level of housing, I really wouldn't bother and waste your time with Cranston or Warwick, especially their "urban" areas, which I haven't found to be much more than strip malls... There are no really nice "walkable" cores in these communities right now.

If you have the money and want a walkable neighborhood, you should be focusing on downtown East Greenwich, Wayland Sq, Hope Village, College Hill, Downcity Prov, and parts of the Federal Hill, parts of the West End, and parts of the North End. That's it, really...

- Garris

[d2Lw]

d2Lw,

Trader Joe's is looking at the Prov area I've heard, but nothing yet...

Regarding traffic in commuting to Wayland Sq, perhaps it would add, at most, 10 to 15 minutes in the Northward PM commute at worst vs no traffic at all, but I frankly consider traffic around RI to be a non-factor in general...

Edited July 9, 2005 by d2Lw

[Garris]

thanks garris

I'm crossing my fingers that TJ open soon there

Don't worry. With two (soon three) Whole Foods in the area, the excellent East Side Markets, lots of farmers markets, and the chain Shaws, S&S, etc, there's no shortage of great food shopping...

regarding the area you mentioned, in cotuit's map (first page in this thread), is hope village = mount hope + hope?

"Hope Village" really doesn't exist... 9.9 out of 10 people in Providence have never heard the term. It's a phrase used mostly by realtors to describe the retail area at the intersection of Hope and Rochambeau and the several several blocks of Hope North of that intersection. It's also used to describe the housing along that corridor along Hope, mostly the (considered) safer East Side of that corridor. "Hope Village" blends Northward into the intersection of Hope and Blackstone (a very nice retail, rental, and housing area) and then blends into the also nice (and cheaper) Oak Hill section of Pawtucket.

which parts of west end and federal hill are safe?

I'll defer this question to the many on UP-Providence who live there. Ask Cotuit about Federal Hill. It can, as you've read, literally be a street by street difference.

refering to cotuit's map again, which areas are considered north end?

I was thinking of the Elmhurst area and some of the parts around Providence College. Many of my co-workers live in SFH's there and are very, very happy. It has more of a suburban feel, but it's safe, pretty, and a good value.

Was it you who mentioned that federal hill and hope village is tricky, safety differs street by street, no?

I don't think it was me, but this is true, more for Federal Hill than Hope Village. Look back in this thread for info that has been posted on this. In Hope Village (and along Hope in general), again, the East Side of that street is generally considered safer than the area around Camp Street, although others on this board like Artinruins can give you examples of how (and where) this has improved. Again, like I said in my previous post, if you have the financial wherewithall, I wouldn't bother with the area around Camp St unless you'll looking for the best financial steal possible.

wayland sq sounds nice, hopefully im lucky enuf to find something there like you

I was extremely lucky. I was very underwhelmed with the (overpriced, underrenovated) condo conversions of Victorians on the East Side, and was trying to decide on a condo conversion in Hope Village vs a tiny starter home in the nearby surburb of Barrington when I found my condo in Wayland Sq. A buyer had just pulled out and the realtor called me (I had called her days before to inquire but she said it had been nearly sold). The deal breaker was that my unit only came with one outdoor parking space, and that couples with 2 cars kept pulling out because of that. My condo complex (one of the few, true row houses on the East Side) is one parking space short of having two for each unit, and all the spaces are garaged except a few. The spaces are undeeded, so when someone dies (the case of the previous owner of my unit) or someone sells, the rest of the condo occupants reshuffle the spaces to give the unit turning over the solitary, ungaraged space.

The folks selling my condo were getting sick of having people pull out and having to pay condo fees, taxes, etc for a property 1,500 miles away, but I was still stunned when they accepted our lowball offer. I never would have been able to afford what they were actually asking for. Now, it's turned out great, since spaces have been reshuffled again, and now I have a garaged space and an outdoor open space, so it all worked out .

The condo market here might start to favor the buyer soon. When I was looking almost 2 years ago, there were only 3-4 condos a week on RILIVING.com with garage spaces on the East Side. When I checked yesterday, I think there were like 35 or 40. That's a stunning increase in supply in less than 2 years, and I think most, if not all, are overpriced. Who's going to pay $360,000 for a 2 bedroom condo in a musty Victorian on Doyle when 110 Westminster opens and you can buy the same right downtown in a gorgeous new skyscraper for nearly the same?

There's also no substitute for coming here and checking out the neighborhoods yourself. I read a ton on this board and elsewhere before I came, but touring really put things in perspective.

- Garris

[Jenkins]

refering to cotuit's map again, which areas are considered north end?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi - I live in the North End of Providence, but not near Providence College (Elmhurst being a distinct area from the North End). If you are looking for a very good value in a quiet neighborhood, you might want to check out the streets off of Windmill. Basically, any street inbetween Argol (to the east) and Windmill (to the west) is a good choice. You can still get a single family home for under 300k, and be within a mile or two of downcity and the east side.

The down side is that it feels more like a suburb than a city neighborhood. You would drive to say Hope Village to go out for some curry, as opposed to walking. But only a 2 minute drive. Also, if you are really lucky, you might find a house that actually has views of downtown Providence, since Windmill is up on a hill. In fact, there is a very large brick Cape on sale with amazing views of downtown Providence. It is on Windmill, although that house is closer to 350K. Good luck!

[d2Lw]

thanks a lot for the many inputs. I'm very excited to fly in tomorrow and drive around saturday+sunday. hopefully I get better perspective by then and find something this weekend itself

Edited July 14, 2005 by d2Lw

[Frankie811]

thanks a lot for the many inputs. I'm very excited to fly in tomorrow and drive around saturday+sunday. hopefully I get better perspective by then and find something this weekend itself

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I doubt you'll be all that excitied when you get here. The weather forcast calls for hot and humid conditions.

[Griswald]

thanks a lot for the many inputs. I'm very excited to fly in tomorrow and drive around saturday+sunday. hopefully I get better perspective by then and find something this weekend itself

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Any luck on your trip to Providence?

[d2Lw]

Any luck on your trip to Providence?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think I get pretty good perspective of the area, but I haven't found a place to live yet

I like the benefit street with view to the city but I didn't see any for rent. I checked out the Regency but it's a bit old and creepy. I'm not sure when I can fly there again to see more places, but if I'm going to live in some house with not much going on around it, I might as well live close to work, probably looking into east greenwich since statistic shows that it is a safe neighborhood.

more inputs?

[Garris]

I think I get pretty good perspective of the area, but I haven't found a place to live yet

I like the benefit street  with view to the city but I didn't see any for rent. I checked out the Regency but it's a bit old and creepy. I'm not sure when I can fly there again to see more places, but if I'm going to live in some house with not much going on around it, I might as well live close to work, probably looking into east greenwich since statistic shows that it is a safe neighborhood.

more inputs? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, the Benefit Street area is gorgeous and is, along with Beacon Hill (Boston), Gramercy Park (NYC), and Rittenhouse Sq (Philly), one of America's most beautiful and dramatic "downtown" neighborhoods in my opinion. But rent wise or condo wise, you're going to pay top dollar and it's not a fully realized "neighborhood." There's no real walkable shopping or leisure opportunities. Your "neighborhood" there is really Downcity, and that's still, of course, a work in progress. On the East Side, Wayland Sq and "Hope Village" are the only really fully realized neighborhoods.

Otherwise, you may, with your working situation, be better off looking at some of the higher density condo, etc. developments near Main St in East Greenwich.

Can you clarify if you will be renting or buying?

- Garris

[Recchia]

4 new condo units left in downtown East Greenwich in a new building near First and Main.

http://www.sellri.com/condo_detail.cfm?mls=545853 I think this is the link to it.

[d2Lw]

Well, the Benefit Street area is gorgeous and is, along with Beacon Hill (Boston), Gramercy Park (NYC), and Rittenhouse Sq (Philly), one of America's most beautiful and dramatic "downtown" neighborhoods in my opinion.  But rent wise or condo wise, you're going to pay top dollar and it's not a fully realized "neighborhood."  There's no real walkable shopping or leisure opportunities.  Your "neighborhood" there is really Downcity, and that's still, of course, a work in progress.  On the East Side, Wayland Sq and "Hope Village" are the only really fully realized neighborhoods.

Otherwise, you may, with your working situation, be better off looking at some of the higher density condo, etc. developments near Main St in East Greenwich. 

Can you clarify if you will be renting or buying?

- Garris

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I guess my budget is quite flexible, I don't mind paying more for place like benefit street, but you're right, there's not much neighborhood. I did expect a bit more from westminster loft based on what I see on the internet but looking at them in person, they're not that attractive at all (i.e. what's going on around them).

I do like Wayland sq, the nice shops near whole food and starbucks, but it seems like not a convenience location to highways? Probably not true, I just didn't find one that grab my attn

I probably didn't go around the right spots but I didn't see much in Hope Village.

Thayer is nice tho, but I bet there's no parking spot @ that area's house/apt.

I was planning on renting, but looking at the price Recchia's link takes me, I might as well buy and rent out the extra room. Or is it going to be a lot of headache? (being landlord). Plus, investing @ providence would probably easier to rent out in the future than @ east greenwich? (if I decide to leave RI)

4 new condo units left in downtown East Greenwich in a new building near First and Main.

http://www.sellri.com/condo_detail.cfm?mls=545853 I think this is the link to it.

Thank you so much for the info

[Garris]

I did expect a bit more from westminster loft based on what I see on the internet but looking at them in person, they're not that attractive at all (i.e. what's going on around them).

That's too bad... That's been one of the criticisms of some folks... That for all the laudable things being done there on Westminster right now, not every building and every block is on-board, so it feels like a patchwork quilt. One building can be beautiful and have a cafe, and the one across the street can be boarded up and falling apart. There still just also isn't that much there at the moment retail or shopping wise... It's all potential right now, and there's no doubt that the first folks to move in at this stage (like some of the people who post here) are the pioneers. I'm sure it'll be different in 5-10 years (if not sooner) with OTW built, the 500+ RISD students living downtown, all the lofts occupied, the Westin Condos and Waterplace condos done, etc, etc., but that's tomorrow, not right now...

I do like Wayland sq, the nice shops near whole food and starbucks, but it seems like not a convenience location to highways? Probably not true, I just didn't find one that grab my attn

Edited July 21, 2005 by Garris

[d2Lw]

I don't think that's true, actually.  Highway access is easy and fast.  I usually leave my condo in the heart of Wayland Sq, during rush hour, blast down Gano St, and I'm on the highway in 4 minutes or less:).  I know this to be true since I've timed it.  I'm in the RIH parking lot 8-9 minutes after leaving my parking garage, and that involves getting onto 195, merging onto 95, cutting over 4 lanes of traffic, and getting off at Exit 18, and then negotiating the parking maze...  Nope, highway access isn't a problem .

- Garris

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

got an extra room for rent?

[Frankie811]

got an extra room for rent?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So where did you stay while you were here? What did you think of the city?

[d2Lw]

So where did you stay while you were here? What did you think of the city?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I stayed at Hilton near airport. RI is beautiful, I had the chance to visit a few times last year but mostly just the beaches and newport.

This time I get to drive around and get lost a little bit throughout providence and rt. 1 toward down south. downcity is small place and like garris mentioned, it's going to be great but not quite yet. I've driven mostly around wayland sq, go up through hope st, down thru main st, a little bit over benefit street, pass thayer a few times. Defi a lot of charming neighborhoods, if my job is in providence, i think i have lots of choices. Having a job in the south, I want the place to be really worth it for me to be willing to drive 25 miles to work everyday plus traffic.

I think I need another visit or some more time before I can actually get the feel of the city. Otherwise, I may end up living in east greenwich or warwick

I heard east greenwich is safe, what about warwick?

However, I'm very sure that I'll discover a lot more after I move there. I've seen the pictures posted in the pics section, and they are beautiful.

Still hunting and inputs are welcome

Cheers

[Recchia]

I stayed at Hilton near airport. RI is beautiful, I had the chance to visit a few times last year but mostly just the beaches and newport.

This time I get to drive around and get lost a little bit throughout providence and rt. 1 toward down south. downcity is small place and like garris mentioned, it's going to be great but not quite yet. I've driven mostly around wayland sq, go up through hope st, down thru main st, a little bit over benefit street, pass thayer a few times. Defi a lot of charming neighborhoods, if my job is in providence, i think i have lots of choices. Having a job in the south, I want the place to be really worth it for me to be willing to drive 25 miles to work everyday plus traffic.

I think I need another visit or some more time before I can actually get the feel of the city. Otherwise, I may end up living in east greenwich or warwick

I heard east greenwich is safe, what about warwick?

However, I'm very sure that I'll discover a lot more after I move there. I've seen the pictures posted in the pics section, and they are beautiful.

Still hunting and inputs are welcome

Cheers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Warwick is pretty safe, little to no violent crime throughout it. It's a very dense suburb though, not quite urban but too dense to be a typical suburb by today's standards. So, it can be a nightmare of traffic at times. It has a few more urban neighborhoods like Oakland Beach, Apponaug and Pontiac Mills, but even these have little or no nearby walkable retail/services.

If you're an urbanite, I'd say definitely Providence or downtown East Greenwich. I don't know your price range, but there are condos now above Lupo's (theres a thread about it on this site under PVD Projects and Construction) for as low as 129,000, and they're right downtown on Washington St.! Also those EG condos I mentioned. Main St. (Hill and Harbour District) in EG is pretty cool in the sense that it's not like the other little old towns in RI--it has good restaurants, decent nightlife depending on your age, some practical retail, offices, etc. as opposed to places like Wickford that shut down at 5pm and have nothing more than overpriced tourist shops and expensive "cafe's." Plus, EG will most likely in the future get a commuter rail station so living without a car could become marginally feasible there.

The only major thing lacking in EG, and most of south county outside of the Quonset area of North Kingstown, is diversity, both ethnically and racially. It's pretty much a "white-bread" area and you might find some people there to be ignorant and narrow-minded when it comes to certian things. You should definitely check it out though given its proximity to North Kingstown.