Hey all!
Not gonna bore y'all with my life story, but here's the facts.

I'm in the US Navy Reserves, going on a deployment soon (lasting about 9 months to a year), which will be lucrative enough to allow me to move out of my current living situation in Connecticut. I've browsed a lot of apartments, mostly out of curiosity and a feeling that I should probably plan this out well in advance, and I'm seriously considering moving into Providence. I know my timetable is a bit far out, but I figure it's better to prepare for the future before you look both ways to cross the street and get hit by an airplane yaknow?

Without giving too much away, I'll be moving in with my girlfriend and a friend of mine. We'll have a decent budget put together (friend is a welder, gf is a writer, and I'm gonna be looking for either security or office work), but we're a little concerned with crime rates in the city, specifically vehicle jackings or theft.

My main question for y'all is; where would a decent 2 Bed, 1-1.5 Bath in a relatively safe area be, and how much roughly would it cost with regards to utilities/food/rent and such. Does such a place exist? Should I not waste my time with Providence? Is it truly a wretched hive of scum and villainy?

Best place I've seen that ticks all the boxes is US Rubber Lofts, but I've heard a lot of mixed reviews and want advice from people who are familiar with the area, or have lived there themselves.

TL;DR, Looking for someplace to call home, Providence seems to be it, but I don't want to waste my time looking for a place that isn't going to be safe/affordable/happy to live in for a few years if I don't have to.