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Here is what to expect in the more affordable areas of Providence
Anyone who actually knows Providence, would know many of these urban areas are not typically considered "affordable". These are absentee owned multi-family rental houses and often very expensive because of their income potential. But, as a rental option, it's possible, depending on what your looking for. Some such areas experience high levels of poverty.
New England in general is cold and expensive, with high taxes and bad roads. Providence offers the added bonus of few jobs. Welcome aboard?
5 years ago I think Prov was a good value. Not so sure about now. It's interesting to see folks living in formerly liberal leaning cities now ruined by progressives looking for other liberal leaning cities that haven't yet been destroyed by same.
Providence is probably at the top of my list of places I'm thinking of moving too. I'm going to try and visit this summer. I've been doing a lot of reading and research, but I'm sure people who live there can tell me better. What is something I should know about Providence that may effect my decision? I can tell you I'm looking for a mid-sized city close to a larger city, with 4 seasons, liberal leaning and LGBTQ friendly, with a good art scene and food scene. I've been told Providence checks all these boxes. What else should I look into?
It does check all of those boxes on paper, and it's a great little city overall. That said, coming from Austin will be an adjustment. Assuming you're able to maintain a comparable salary, your money will probably go a little further in PVD than it will today in Austin. Neither are "cheap" cities, but Austin has gotten pretty wild in recent years.
One thing I think you'll notice immediately is that Providence is old. I know that this may sound like stating the obvious, but it's a jarring transition for people who aren't used to it. Austin is younger city that has seen a surge of new development in the past decade or so. There are new condos and apartments everywhere. Providence has some new development, but its bones are much, much older. Much of the housing stock is close to 100 years old. Some of it quite a bit older than that. Even the renovated homes show their age and can be "quirky." While I know traffic has gotten really bad in Austin, the roadway infrastructure is much newer and in much better shape. Providence's highway network was added long after the city was established. It's a mess. And the surface roads can be similarly confusing and in poor repair (bad winters combined with lack of investment).
Another thing worth mentioning is that Providence is "decentralized" to a greater extent than Austin. Downtown Providence can, at times, feel a bit dead compared to some cities' downtown areas. Providence is not the economic engine it once was, and the downtown area feels a bit overbuilt for the current level of activity there (it's very pretty though and there are a lot of great shops and restaurants). It's still very much worth exploring, but I would caution basing your whole opinion of Providence's appeal solely based on a walk around downtown. Much of what makes Providence great is found in nodes and neighborhood centers adjacent to or outside of downtown. Explore Federal Hill (and not just Atwells Ave.), College Hill, Fox Point, Wayland Square, etc. Check out the repurposed industrial spaces along Sims Ave (along with the new Farm Fresh RI building) for a nice collection of restaurants, distilleries, shops, galleries, and more. Grab a hot weiner from Olneyville NY system, etc.
Finally, Providence feels smaller than its metro area population numbers would lead you to believe. Certainly a good deal smaller than Austin (even though they aren't that far off on paper). In a similar fashion to the city itself, the metro area is a bit decentralized. It's not your typical metro with a large city in the center of a ring of suburbs slowly decreasing in density until it becomes rural. A good chunk of those metro area numbers come from the Fall River/New Bedford area. These are two semi-independent cities in Southeastern Massachusetts which have their own urban centers and suburbs ringing them. There's definitely a good deal of connectivity with Providence (which is undoubtedly the principal city for the region), but it is a bit more of a self-contained ecosystem than you'll find in most other metros. You have the same effect on a smaller scale with Attleboro, Woonsocket, and Newport - all small, semi-independent cities with their own spheres of influence that are part of the Providence metro area. Additionally, the 95 corridor north of Providence has a lot of pull from Boston as well. In a nutshell, Providence feels a good deal smaller than similarly sized "peer" metros like Milwaukee, Nashville, Norfolk/VA Beach, Richmond, New Orleans, San Jose, etc.
5 years ago I think Prov was a good value. Not so sure about now. It's interesting to see folks living in formerly liberal leaning cities now ruined by progressives looking for other liberal leaning cities that haven't yet been destroyed by same.
Progressivism is an infectious disease. Some hosts succumb more quickly than others.
It mainly infects the young & educated. Old white men seem relatively immune.
Au contraire. I know and have known a great many old white curmudgeons with serious cases of the disease.
As an aside, those of us with the benefit of having a good deal of education coupled with street experience interacting with and getting to know all types of people, understand that "educated" does not always equal smart, and young often equals naive. But of course naivete can also afflict the old depending on their exposure to the real world.
Compared to Austin you may find Providence less expensive for housing, even though the market for buyers & renters is considered tight by local standards.
Au contraire. I know and have known a great many old white curmudgeons with serious cases of the disease.
As an aside, those of us with the benefit of having a good deal of education coupled with street experience dealing all types of people, understand that educated does not always equal smart.
He flies from Jamestown to Aruba and lectures us on the miracles of diversity and progressivism. 30 years of civil service and I'm driving an inner city school bus to supplement a pension. I invited him to join me but I don't think he gets up that early. I know I wouldnt.
Au contraire. I know and have known a great many old white curmudgeons with serious cases of the disease.
Indeed young man. Some of us contracted the disease later in life. And, once you get it later in life, it can be terminal.
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