Checking out Rhode Island and a possible RELOCATION? (Providence, Bristol: real estate, loft)
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Can any of you please give me information on the following items regarding a possible move to Rhode Island? Right now it's a toss-up between Prescott or Sedona Arizona (LOVE the dryness, cost of living, the weather!) and R.I.. I went to Roger Williams so I know Bristol well, and the state is JUST GORGEOUS..no denying that! But there are intricacies that may not have dawned on me as a college student all those years ago that I need to inquire about now.
SO here goes!
-What's the cost of living like? Can anyone give me some examples? I live outside Philly and pay WAAYYYY too much in real estate taxes (yikes)
-What are the winters like up there? I can't recall...here we are frozen to the core for about 3 months. I do like winter, but it looks like a murder scene where I am because we are inland and have nothing beautiful to look at saving for the barren trees and murky brown rivers filled with ice chunks. Are the winters bearable? (I know this is a relative question, but wondering if the ocean breeze calms the chill at all or mellows it in any way?)
-Are the summers HUMID????? I cannot STAND PA summers...SOOOOOO hot, humid, sticky, and oppressive! Nothing to do in the summer but hibernate in the A/C inside I do not like this! The lakes are scary and dark and murky and so are the streams and rivers...so no swimming there! Perhaps because I'm so inland we don't get any ocean breeze from NJ
-How are the people? Kind? Rushed? Here in PA, everyone is MEAN on the road...geez people, calm down and be courteous!!! (talking to my PA kinfolk) I'm sure it varies from town to town in RI, just as it does here.
-Does anyone know if there are good Christian churches around? This is very important to me!
-How about the high schools? Anyone know about those? Ours are really quite good here, and I'd be moving with my son who would be going into 10th grade
-Anyone know about school sports or sports clubs? My son's a soccer keeper and wants to continue
-Good coffee shops? We do have good ones here
-What's the Providence Airport like? Easy access? High Prices to normal places?
-What's getting around like? Can I ride my bike or is everything car-only-access?
-What's the cultural atmosphere like? Museums/Music, etc?
What I know and love about R.I. so far:
-close to/right ON the beaches and not too far from the NH mountains (which I love!)
-quaint and quintessential New England vibe...unassuming, humble feel (NOTHING like Wildwood NJ, Atlantic NJ...which is super busy, congested, and way too fast for my taste)
-close to my sister and her family near Mystic CT
-Great colleges around the area
-Hop skip and jump to Martha's Vineyard, a place I go for a few days each year
-Ocean breezes!
Your input is greatly appreciated in helping me decide!
Well that's a huge differential Arizona vs RI!!! If you like dry- this ain't it. We just had several weeks of high heat coupled with high humidity. If you can't take humidity, don't even think about a maritime climate.
What are high taxes to you? What is a high cost of living? What is your idea of place- a house, a condo, a loft ??? We need to know more about what you're looking for.
RI is a few degrees cooler than where you are throughout the year, other than that no HUGE difference in climate the I don't think (save for maybe the NW part of RI where there is a good deal more snow).
TF Green Airport is OK, not too too expensive but direct flights are limited to mostly the main eastern hub airports. Boston is an hour away, you can usually get cheaper fares there and a wider range of destinations.
All the rest of your questions...RI is a small very localized state and there is an enormous difference from community to community. Most of what you are looking for is available SOMEWHERE in the state.
With your requirements, East Bay - google East Bay Bike path, I generally do my shopping in here Barrington on my bike. Barrington has one of best school systems, but you pay for it, no free ride..quality education pay taxes. Your other requirements, music, etc is more challenging, as you would need to be closer to Providence. East side nice, but again expensive both housing and taxes. RI is generally more secular state, but churches in every town. Suggest taking a vacation up here, stay at an AirBnb and just check things out. Bristol (east bay) and west side are total opposites in feel/style, much busier on west side of Narragansett.
You may, based on write up want to check out coast of lower Maine, near Portsmouth NH or Portland.
Taxes in RI might be similar to PA, you'd have to do a search to compare the difference.
Our winters are definitely milder than the mid west, and have the advantage of the ocean keeping winters somewhat mild by New England standards, but we do get a at least one or two bad winter storms each season.
The entire northern hemisphere is hot right now, the mid west is hotter than southern New England. Heat and humidity usually don't last, and are usually completely gone by the second week of September.
Yes, we have mean people on the road. I think the behavior of drivers is often equated with the population density and the stress of rush hour traffic. Rhode Island has a problem of being landlocked, surrounded by water, with a long jagged coastline of islands and peninsulas, completely dependent on bridges.
There are plenty of Christian churches, but bible thumping is not hip here, in spite of having a large Catholic population, it is still quite progressive and secular as well.
Green Airport is a breeze, very easy access on and off the highway, arrivals and departures very easy to get to.
It is really best to take a visit here before making any final decision.
Well that's a huge differential Arizona vs RI!!! If you like dry- this ain't it. We just had several weeks of high heat coupled with high humidity. If you can't take humidity, don't even think about a maritime climate.
What are high taxes to you? What is a high cost of living? What is your idea of place- a house, a condo, a loft ??? We need to know more about what you're looking for.
Oh thank you! This is the information I really needed! So, I live in a 2000 s.f. townhome (paid 208K) and the taxes are 4K..this is high in my opinion. You can't touch a decent home in my area for under 400K...yikes! Tell me, does the ocean breeze help with the heat factor at all?
RI is a few degrees cooler than where you are throughout the year, other than that no HUGE difference in climate the I don't think (save for maybe the NW part of RI where there is a good deal more snow).
TF Green Airport is OK, not too too expensive but direct flights are limited to mostly the main eastern hub airports. Boston is an hour away, you can usually get cheaper fares there and a wider range of destinations.
All the rest of your questions...RI is a small very localized state and there is an enormous difference from community to community. Most of what you are looking for is available SOMEWHERE in the state.
Yes! Great info. I really like how you put this: Most of what you are looking for is available SOMEWHERE in the state..I'm sure. I wish I wasn't so attached to climate issues, but I've "suffered" so long in the humidity I feel like it's just time for a change for me. It seems to get harder for me the older I get! Your info is great, so thank you!
Taxes in RI might be similar to PA, you'd have to do a search to compare the difference.
Our winters are definitely milder than the mid west, and have the advantage of the ocean keeping winters somewhat mild by New England standards, but we do get a at least one or two bad winter storms each season.
The entire northern hemisphere is hot right now, the mid west is hotter than southern New England. Heat and humidity usually don't last, and are usually completely gone by the second week of September.
Yes, we have mean people on the road. I think the behavior of drivers is often equated with the population density and the stress of rush hour traffic. Rhode Island has a problem of being landlocked, surrounded by water, with a long jagged coastline of islands and peninsulas, completely dependent on bridges.
There are plenty of Christian churches, but bible thumping is not hip here, in spite of having a large Catholic population, it is still quite progressive and secular as well.
Green Airport is a breeze, very easy access on and off the highway, arrivals and departures very easy to get to.
It is really best to take a visit here before making any final decision.
Great idea about taking a visit...probably good to visit in the summer AND the winter months to get a good cross-sectional view of the state. Thank you for the great advice!!!
With your requirements, East Bay - google East Bay Bike path, I generally do my shopping in here Barrington on my bike. Barrington has one of best school systems, but you pay for it, no free ride..quality education pay taxes. Your other requirements, music, etc is more challenging, as you would need to be closer to Providence. East side nice, but again expensive both housing and taxes. RI is generally more secular state, but churches in every town. Suggest taking a vacation up here, stay at an AirBnb and just check things out. Bristol (east bay) and west side are total opposites in feel/style, much busier on west side of Narragansett.
You may, based on write up want to check out coast of lower Maine, near Portsmouth NH or Portland.
OH MY GOSH!!! I did not even know this existed! How beautiful!!! I need to get onto that path
Great idea to check out an AirBnb...I just will do that. Thank you for the school info, as well. I will check out Barrington housing on Zillow, too. What are your thoughts on the summer humidity up there? I've been hearing that it's very hot and very humid during the summer.
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I do not like this! The lakes are scary and dark and murky and so are the streams and rivers...so no swimming there! Perhaps because I'm so inland we don't get any ocean breeze from NJ
