Providence, Rhode Island
Providence | |
---|---|
State capital city | |
UTC−4 (EDT) | |
ZIP Codes | 02901–02912, 02918-02919, 02940 |
Area code | 401 |
FIPS code | 44-59000 |
Website | www |
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, it is one of the oldest cities in New England,[7] founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers. The city developed as a busy port, as it is situated at the mouth of the Providence River at the head of Narragansett Bay.
Providence was one of the first cities in the country to industrialize and became noted for its textile manufacturing and subsequent machine tool, jewelry, and silverware industries.[8][9] Today, the city of Providence is home to eight hospitals and eight institutions of higher learning which have shifted the city's economy into service industries, though it still retains some manufacturing activity.
At the
History
Providence was settled in June 1636 by
Providence lacked a royal charter, unlike Salem and Boston. The settlers thus organized themselves, allotting tracts on the eastern side of the Providence River in 1638 allowing roughly six acres each. These home lots extended from Towne Street (now South Main Street) to Hope Street.[15] Over the following two decades, Providence Plantations grew into a self-sufficient agricultural and fishing settlement, though its lands were difficult to farm and its borders were disputed with Connecticut and Massachusetts.[12]
In 1652, Providence prohibited indentured servitude for periods of longer than 10 years. This statute constituted the first anti-slavery law in the United States, though there is no evidence the prohibition was ever enforced.[16] However, the Rhode Island General Assembly legalized African and Native American slavery throughout the colony in 1703, and Providence merchants' participation in the slave trade helped turn the city into a major port.[17]: 11–13 By 1755, enslaved people made up 8% of Providence's population, below the 10% average for colonial Rhode Island, but above the 5% average for the northern colonies.[17]: 24–25
In March 1676, Providence Plantations was burned to the ground by the
In 1772, a group from Providence burned a British customs schooner south of Providence in the event known as the
Following the war, Providence was the nation's ninth-largest city[b] with 7,614 people. The economy shifted from maritime endeavors to manufacturing, in particular machinery, tools, silverware, jewelry, and textiles. By the start of the 20th century, Providence hosted some of the largest manufacturing plants in the country, including Brown & Sharpe, Nicholson File, and Gorham Manufacturing Company.[12] The city's industries attracted many immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Sweden, England, Italy, Portugal, Cape Verde, and French Canada. These economic and demographic shifts caused social strife.[12] Hard Scrabble and Snow Town were the sites of race riots in 1824 and 1831.[24][25]
Providence residents ratified a city charter in 1831 as the population passed 17,000.[12] The seat of city government was located in the Market House[26] in Market Square from 1832 to 1878, which was the geographic and social center of the city. The city offices soon outgrew this building, and the City Council resolved to create a permanent municipal building in 1845.[26] The city offices moved into Providence City Hall in 1878.[27]
Local politics split over slavery during the American Civil War, as many had ties to Southern cotton and the slave trade. Despite ambivalence concerning the war, the number of military volunteers routinely exceeded quota, and the city's manufacturing proved invaluable to the Union. Providence thrived after the war, and waves of immigrants brought the population from 54,595 in 1865 to 175,597 by 1900.[12]
By the early 1900s, Providence was one of the wealthiest cities in the United States.
In 1922, it was affected by the 1922 New England Textile Strike, shutting down the mills in the city over an attempted wage cut and hours increase.[31][32]
The city began to see a decline by the mid-1920s as manufacturing industries began to shut down. It was deeply affected by the
From 1975 until 1982, $606 million of local and national community development funds were invested throughout the city. In the 1990s, the city pushed for revitalization, completing a number of major development projects. Among these were the realignment of railroad tracks; the relocation of rivers, creation of Waterplace Park, and development of a riverwalk; the construction of a Downtown ice rink;[40] and the development of Providence Place Mall.[12] In 1980, Providence's previously declining population began to grow once again.[41]
In the early 2000s, Providence developed an economic development plan that outlined a shift to a knowledge-based economy. These efforts involved the rebranding of the formerly industrial Jewelry District as a new "Knowledge District".[42] Despite new investment, approximately 21.5-percent of the city population lives below the poverty line.[43] Recent increases in real estate values have further exacerbated problems for those at marginal income levels, mirroring a statewide housing affordability crisis.[44] From 2004 to 2005, Providence saw the highest rise in median housing price of any city in the United States.[45]
Geography
The Providence city limits enclose a small geographical region with a total area of 20.5 square miles (53 km2); 18.5 square miles (48 km2) of it is land and the remaining 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) is water (roughly 10%). Providence is located at the head of Narragansett Bay, with the Providence River running into the bay through the center of the city,[46] formed by the confluence of the Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket Rivers. The Waterplace Park amphitheater and riverwalks line the river's banks through Downtown.[47] Providence is one of many cities claimed to be founded on seven hills like Rome. [48][49]
As with many cities worldwide, the
Neighborhoods
Providence has 25 official neighborhoods, though these neighborhoods are often grouped together and referred to collectively:[51][52]
- The
- The Jewelry District describes the area enclosed by I-95, the old I-195, and the Providence River. The city has made efforts to rename this area the Knowledge District to reflect the area's newly developing life sciences and technology-based economy.[53][54]
- The North End is formed by the concatenation of the neighborhoods of Charles, Wanskuck, Smith Hill, Elmhurst, and Mount Pleasant.[51]
- The South Side (or South Providence) consists of the neighborhoods of Elmwood, Lower South Providence, Upper South Providence, Washington Park, and the West End.[51]
- West Broadway is an officially recognized neighborhood with its own association. It overlaps with the southern half of Federal Hill and the northern part of the West End.[55]
Cityscape
Geographically, Providence is compact—characteristic of eastern seaboard cities that developed prior to use of the automobile. The street layout of the city is irregular; more than one thousand streets run haphazardly, connecting and radiating from traditionally bustling places such as Market Square.[56]
Downtown Providence has numerous 19th-century mercantile buildings in the
The streetscape of much of historic downtown has retained a similar appearance since the early 20th century. Many of the state's tallest buildings are found here. At 426 feet (130 m), the city's
The city's southern waterfront, away from the downtown core, is the location of oil tanks, ferry and sailing docks, power plants, and nightclubs. The
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The Shepard Company Building in Downtown Providence's compact urban center
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Burnside Parkin Downtown Providence facing the city's primary row of high rises
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The Providence Riverwalk, at the edge of downtown
Climate
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Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Providence has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) bordering a humid subtropical climate with hot summers, and cool to cold winters. The 2023 USDA places the city in hardiness zone 7a.[63] The influence of the Atlantic Ocean keeps the state of Rhode Island warmer than many inland locales in New England.[64][65][66]
July is the warmest month with a daily mean of 73.5 °F (23.1 °C) and highs rising to 90 °F (32 °C) or higher an average of 10 days per summer, January is the coldest month with a daily mean of 29.2 °F (−1.6 °C) and low temperatures dropping to 10 °F (−12 °C) or lower an average of 11 days per winter. [67] while.[67] Extremes range from −17 °F or −27.2 °C on February 9, 1934[68] to 104 °F or 40 °C on August 2, 1975;[69] the record cold daily maximum is 1 °F (−17.2 °C) on February 5, 1918, while the record warm daily minimum is 80 °F (26.7 °C) on June 6, 1925.[67] Temperature readings of 0 °F or −17.8 °C or lower are uncommon in Providence and generally occur once every several years. The year which had the most days with a temperature reading of zero degrees or lower was 2015 with eight days total—one day in January and seven days in February.[67] Conversely, temperature readings of 100 °F or 37.8 °C or higher are even rarer, and the year with the most days in this category was 1944 with three days, all of which were in August.[67]
Monthly
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Record high °F (°C) | 70 (21) |
72 (22) |
90 (32) |
98 (37) |
96 (36) |
98 (37) |
102 (39) |
104 (40) |
100 (38) |
88 (31) |
81 (27) |
77 (25) |
104 (40) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 58.7 (14.8) |
57.9 (14.4) |
67.1 (19.5) |
79.3 (26.3) |
87.2 (30.7) |
91.5 (33.1) |
94.8 (34.9) |
92.7 (33.7) |
87.6 (30.9) |
78.9 (26.1) |
70.1 (21.2) |
61.5 (16.4) |
96.6 (35.9) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 38.3 (3.5) |
40.5 (4.7) |
47.7 (8.7) |
58.9 (14.9) |
68.9 (20.5) |
77.7 (25.4) |
83.6 (28.7) |
82.2 (27.9) |
74.8 (23.8) |
63.8 (17.7) |
53.2 (11.8) |
43.4 (6.3) |
61.1 (16.2) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 30.2 (−1.0) |
32.0 (0.0) |
38.9 (3.8) |
49.3 (9.6) |
59.1 (15.1) |
68.2 (20.1) |
74.4 (23.6) |
73.0 (22.8) |
65.6 (18.7) |
54.4 (12.4) |
44.5 (6.9) |
35.5 (1.9) |
52.1 (11.2) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 22.1 (−5.5) |
23.5 (−4.7) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
39.6 (4.2) |
49.2 (9.6) |
58.8 (14.9) |
65.2 (18.4) |
63.9 (17.7) |
56.5 (13.6) |
45.1 (7.3) |
35.8 (2.1) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
43.1 (6.2) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 4.1 (−15.5) |
7.4 (−13.7) |
15.1 (−9.4) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
38.1 (3.4) |
47.2 (8.4) |
56.2 (13.4) |
54.3 (12.4) |
43.1 (6.2) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
21.8 (−5.7) |
12.3 (−10.9) |
2.0 (−16.7) |
Record low °F (°C) | −13 (−25) |
−17 (−27) |
1 (−17) |
11 (−12) |
29 (−2) |
39 (4) |
48 (9) |
40 (4) |
32 (0) |
20 (−7) |
6 (−14) |
−12 (−24) |
−17 (−27) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.96 (101) |
3.44 (87) |
4.90 (124) |
4.29 (109) |
3.37 (86) |
3.81 (97) |
2.91 (74) |
3.59 (91) |
4.17 (106) |
4.18 (106) |
4.27 (108) |
4.65 (118) |
47.54 (1,208) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 10.3 (26) |
10.5 (27) |
6.4 (16) |
0.6 (1.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
1.0 (2.5) |
7.6 (19) |
36.6 (93) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11.2 | 10.3 | 11.6 | 11.7 | 12.2 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 10.2 | 9.6 | 11.9 | 127.0 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.7 | 5.4 | 3.7 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 19.3 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
63.9 | 63.0 | 62.9 | 61.4 | 66.6 | 70.1 | 71.0 | 72.5 | 73.0 | 70.2 | 68.9 | 67.0 | 67.5 |
Average dew point °F (°C) | 16.3 (−8.7) |
17.4 (−8.1) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
33.1 (0.6) |
45.0 (7.2) |
55.6 (13.1) |
61.5 (16.4) |
61.0 (16.1) |
53.8 (12.1) |
42.6 (5.9) |
33.3 (0.7) |
22.1 (−5.5) |
38.9 (3.8) |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 171.7 | 172.6 | 215.6 | 225.1 | 254.9 | 274.1 | 290.6 | 262.8 | 233.0 | 208.7 | 148.0 | 148.6 | 2,605.7 |
Percent possible sunshine | 58 | 58 | 58 | 56 | 57 | 60 | 63 | 61 | 62 | 61 | 50 | 52 | 58 |
Average ultraviolet index | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Source 1: | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Weather Atlas [74] |
Climate data for Providence | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average sea temperature °F (°C) | 41.4 (5.2) |
38.1 (3.4) |
38.7 (3.8) |
44.1 (6.7) |
50.9 (10.5) |
59.6 (15.3) |
67.0 (19.4) |
69.3 (20.7) |
66.7 (19.3) |
61.6 (16.4) |
54.2 (12.3) |
47.7 (8.8) |
53.3 (11.8) |
Source: Weather Atlas [74] |
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
See or edit raw graph data.
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1708 | 1,446 | — |
1730 | 3,916 | +170.8% |
1748 | 3,452 | −11.8% |
1755 | 3,159 | −8.5% |
1774 | 4,321 | +36.8% |
1782 | 4,310 | −0.3% |
1790 | 6,380 | +48.0% |
1800 | 7,614 | +19.3% |
1810 | 10,070 | +32.3% |
1820 | 11,767 | +16.9% |
1830 | 16,833 | +43.1% |
1840 | 23,171 | +37.7% |
1850 | 41,513 | +79.2% |
1860 | 50,666 | +22.0% |
1870 | 68,904 | +36.0% |
1880 | 104,857 | +52.2% |
1890 | 132,146 | +26.0% |
1900 | 175,597 | +32.9% |
1910 | 224,326 | +27.8% |
1920 | 237,595 | +5.9% |
1930 | 252,981 | +6.5% |
1940 | 253,504 | +0.2% |
1950 | 248,674 | −1.9% |
1960 | 207,498 | −16.6% |
1970 | 179,213 | −13.6% |
1980 | 156,804 | −12.5% |
1990 | 160,728 | +2.5% |
2000 | 173,618 | +8.0% |
2010 | 178,042 | +2.5% |
2020 | 190,934 | +7.2% |
2022 | 189,563 | −0.7% |
Source: Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States 1790 to 1990[75] 2022 Estimate[76] 1708 to 1782[77] |
As of the
Demographic profile | 2020[79] | 2010[81] | 1990[82] | 1970[82] | 1950[82] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
White |
53.1% | 49.8% | 69.9% | 90.0% | 96.5% |
—Non-Hispanic | 33.8% | 37.6% | 64.5% | 89.5%[e] | N/A |
Black or African American |
16.1% | 16.0% | 14.8% | 8.9% | 3.3% |
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 43.5% | 38.1% | 15.5% | 0.8%[e] | N/A |
Asian |
5.6% | 6.4% | 5.9% | 0.5% | 0.1% |
Providence has a racially and ethnically diverse population. In 2020,
In 2020, people of
Providence has a considerable community of immigrants from various
The
Economy
Over one third of Providence's economy is based in trade, transportation, utilities, and educational and health services.[100] As the capital of Rhode Island, the city's economy additionally consists of government services, with approximately 70,000 jobs.[100] The unemployment rate in the city is 5.0% as of August 2022, compared to a national rate of 3.8%.[100]
Prominent companies headquartered in Providence include Fortune 500 Textron, an advanced technologies industrial conglomerate; United Natural Foods, a distributor of natural and organic foods; Fortune 1000 Nortek Incorporated; Gilbane, a construction and real estate company. Other companies with headquarters in the city include Citizens Bank,[101] Virgin Pulse, Ørsted US Offshore Wind, and Providence Equity.[102] Providence is the site of a sectional center facility (SCF), a regional hub for the U.S. Postal Service.[103] Providence is also home to some of toy manufacturer Hasbro's business operations, although their headquarters are in Pawtucket.
The city is home to the
Arts and culture
Much of Providence culture is synonymous with the
During the summer months, the city regularly hosts WaterFire, an environmental art installation that consists of about 100 bonfires which blaze just above the surface of the three rivers that pass through the middle of Downtown Providence.[107] There are multiple WaterFire events that are accompanied by various pieces of classical and world music.[108]
Providence has several ethnic neighborhoods, notably Federal Hill and the North End (Italian),[109] Fox Point (Portuguese),[110] West End (mainly Central American and Asian),[111] and Smith Hill (Irish).[112] There are also many dedicated community organizations and arts associations located in the city.[113]
The city gained the reputation as one of the most active and growing gay and lesbian communities in the Northeast.[114][115] The rate of reported gay and lesbian relationships is 75% higher than the national average.[116] Former mayor David Cicilline won his election running as an openly gay man.[117] Former Mayor Buddy Cianci instituted the position of Mayor's Liaison to the Gay and Lesbian community in the 1990s.[115] and Providence is home to the largest gay bathhouse in New England.[118]
The city is the home of the