Providence

Sister cities

• Florence
• Kyiv
• Phnom Penh
• Kremenchuk
• Afula

History

Providence was settled in June 1636 by Puritan theologian Roger Williams and grew into one of the original Thirteen Colonies. As a minister in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Williams had advocated the separation of church and state and condemned colonists' confiscation of land from the Indians. For these and other "diverse, new, and dangerous opinions," he was convicted of sedition and heresy and banished from the colony. Williams and others established a settlement in Rumford, Rhode Island. The group later moved down the Seekonk River, around Fox Point and up the Providence River to the confluence of the Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket Rivers. The settlement was named after "God's merciful Providence". 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. 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. 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. 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. In 1770, Brown University moved to Providence from nearby Warren. At the time, the college was known as Rhode Island College and occupied a single building on College Hill. The college's…

Geography

The Providence city limits enclose a small geographical region with a total area of ; of it is land and the remaining 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, formed by the confluence of the Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket Rivers. The Waterplace Park amphitheater and riverwalks line the river's banks through Downtown. Providence is one of many cities claimed to be founded on seven hills like Rome. As with many cities worldwide, the Northeastern megacity has a large population of feral pigeons (Columba livia). Providence has 25 official neighborhoods, though these neighborhoods are often grouped together and referred to collectively: * The East Side is a region comprising the neighborhoods of Blackstone, Hope (aka Summit), Mount Hope, College Hill, Wayland, and Fox Point. * The North End is formed by the concatenation of the neighborhoods of Charles, Wanskuck, Smith Hill, Elmhurst, and Mount Pleasant. 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. Downtown Providence has numerous 19th-century mercantile buildings in the Federal and Victorian architectural styles, as well as several postmodern and modernist buildings. In particular, a fairly clear spatial separation appears between the areas of pre-1980s development and post-1980s development; West Exchange Street and Exchange Terrace serve as rough boundaries between the two. includes the Providence Place Mall (1999), Omni Providence Hotel (1993) and…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  26,299
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  25,281
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  24,609
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  23,094
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  21,974
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,680
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  19,619
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  18,481

Largest nearby schools

• Cranston High School West
  High · Cranston · 1,715 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• East Providence High
  High · East Providence · 1,659 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Cranston High School East
  High · Cranston · 1,499 students · 12.5:1 ratio
• Cumberland High School
  High · Cumberland · 1,446 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Central High School
  High · Providence · 1,302 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• Mount Pleasant High
  High · Providence · 1,164 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Classical High School
  High · Providence · 1,113 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• North Providence High
  High · North Providence · 1,090 students · 12.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2020-11-08
  10 km S of Bliss Corner, Massachusetts
• M 2.6 — 2015-01-13
  2 km E of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 3.3 — 2015-01-12
  0 km NE of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 2.5 — 2007-10-19
  2 km WSW of Littleton Common, Massachusetts
• M 2.5 — 2005-11-17
  4 km S of Plymouth, Massachusetts
• M 2.5 — 2002-06-07
  3 km NNW of Hopedale, Massachusetts