Submitted by FriendPlastic t3_11uf3cl in providence
Hello,
I am a 27 year old female moving to Providence for work in the children’s hospital. Excited to experience a new city. I am moving from Philadelphia. Any tips on housing, locations to avoid, dating scene if any, fun places to check out will be much appreciated.
The West End has it's benefits, but "everything in walking distance" is not one of them honestly. I wouldn't walk to Hasbro Children's Hospital from there, or to any grocery store.
"Real neighbors who look out for each other" is the luck of the draw. I'm sure some parts of the West End have it ... my daughter did not when she lived there. I have it in Mount Hope, but people I know just a few blocks away do not.
If you are comfortable anywhere in Philadelphia, there is no neighborhood here to avoid - just blocks to avoid in some. For a one-seat bus commute look at Southside, Washington Park, Edgewood, East Side off Hope. Not having a car means much more $ for rent and fun.
When someone says they're "moving from Philadelphia", it doesn't mean they're "comfortable anywhere in Philadelphia". The OP may even be from the suburbs.
Near brown is nice and quiet with good restaurant and bars, but it’s expensive as hell
Lots to do here. It’s a great place- you will love it.
i moved from philly to the West End recently, loving it! similar to fishtown area, people & businesses wise, and clark park, housing wise. for housing look between broadway and Westminster, super cute old victorians! feel free to message me too :)
Check Edgewood in Cranston for ease of Hasbro-Childrens access
Nice wide streets
and general RI "8 minute drive" ability
Welcome to Lifespan. I work there. One app you should download is "Ride Systems", which tracks the Lifespan shuttle buses to and from the hospitals to various parking lots, etc. You might be able to take a RIPTA bus to a location along Allens Ave, then jump on the next Lifespan shuttle to and from work. If you get a place in downtown Providence, it's an easy walk over to the Coro building and take a shuttle from there to work. In bad weather you can walk the "tunnel" that stretches from Hasbro Childrens Hospital all the way to Women and Infants, it's a 5 minute walk underground one way. There are off shoots in that tunnel to other buildings, so don't get lost like I did my first week on the job!
In some ways PVD is more expensive than Philly. It’s hard to find a one bedroom apt. Personally I would look for a monthly AirBNB in order to get a feel for the city and the neighborhoods.
Oh wow, that’s crazy
Southside is where it is really at.
Most diverse in every way, most neighborly, therefore not exactly the quietest in the Summer.
Anywhere along Elmwood or Broad. You could walk or cycle to work.
Don’t be shy!
Our family has lived in this area for 20+ years. Close to the hospitals; close to downtown; easy public transportation.
Biggest downside might be getting to South County beaches in the summer. However, RI has a lot of beaches 😉.
Sure if you like drive by shootings.
[deleted]
Anywhere on the east side is great especially fox point and Wayland there’s workout studios, restaurants, bars and easy to walk and bike. The west side is also great especially Broadway and the dexter park neighborhood. You’ll love it here it’s a very charming city and you can’t beat RI in the summer
Hope neighborhood is very chill and has some a little shopping area with great restaurants. There’s usually a farmers market in Hope park on weekends in the spring and summer. It’s close to Thayer which has some rly great food (Shaking Crab and Heng Thai 🤤) and a little movie theatre. It’s also not far at all from downtown and the bus runs through it. Would very much recommend. Oh Federal Hill seems like a fun place to live, also. It’s littered with shops and cafes throughout. A must try from that area is Jade Tree Asian Bistro.
I’m a 27f who moved here about a year ago. I love it, and I hope you do too! I can speak to the dating scene a bit. I have not had much luck meeting people out in the world, but I think that’s how it is everywhere these days. There are folks on the apps and I’ve met some nice people that way! There are also things like the RI beer club and super fun activities club that offer some chances to socialize. I was surprised that RI beer club is actually run by women, which made me a lot more comfortable checking it out and Ive had a good time! Feel free to DM!
Moved here from Philly about 8 years ago. I’d recommend checking out the West End, Hope Village, and Fox Point. The lofts in Olneyville/Valley are worth checking out too. It’s not an easy place to find an apartment though, the recommendation someone else made to get a long term Airbnb is a good one, and what I did when I moved here. And honestly a lot of the locals will give hilariously out of touch advice about how dangerous downtown Providence is. If you’ve lived in a city before and have even a shred of common sense you’ll be fine.
Tiverton, RI is a cute place to check out. I love Coastal Roasters and the little beach nearby.
You might like the Wickendon Street area in Fox Point. Easy commute, restaurants, bars, specialty shops, and two nearby grocery stores. Unlike the West End, it's already gentrified if that matters to you. You are far less likely to be displacing a longtime, low-income neighborhood resident or a family wanting to stay in the neighborhood.
Samson Reality is a Realtor who finds tenants for landlords at no cost to the renter. Worth checking out. They know the area and are probably no stranger to finding housing for people moving here to work for the major employers. And search this sub; this question pops up a lot, although I don't remember anyone planning to commute to the hospitals.
What is the timing of your move? I may know of a furnished sublet if you want to get your bearings before signing a lease.
What do you value most as far as your housing situation goes? Space? Quiet? Walking distance to restaurants, cafes, shopping? Nature? Bike paths?
Also, what is your budget?
I value space most, somewhat quiet and walking or driving distance to fun stuff like theatre, bars and gym. Budget is max $1500-1700
Your budget is very doable for a 1 bedroom with the exception of the yupster exposed ductwork and brick lofts. I would look around the wayland square, hope st, wickenden st, or college hill area, but also around south water st., and edgewood and even garden city in cranston.
The best thing to do would be to take a few weekdays off work and contact the building owners or property managers by phone and in person. Online applications tend to get lost in the deluge. Samson and Biloudeau (sp) are a few that service the area.
[removed]
Avoid the area near the hospital. It's the ghetto.
Providence is Ghetto in general. Take 15/20 minutes and move to Warwick or Coventry instead.
Warwick is like Providence except without the art, restaurants and nightlife and in place of those things you get low-flying airplane traffic, a persistent sewage odor and Warraq jumping out of a Canoe to steal your EBT card. 😏
Warwick is just a series of 4 lane stroads lined with box stores. It looks like every other boring suburb of every city in the entire county.
So Warwick is just balled hill road? Looks like you need to get out more. Providence is Ghetto just like Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Central Falls. When you drive in from Mass first thing you drive through you are like what the hell is this dump.
I'm out all the time, I walk and bike all over providence, esp the west end and downtown. It's not ghetto. The surrounding suburbs are suburb-y just like everywhere else but Providence proper is actually very pretty. It's architecturally unique, the bike paths that run through the city and outside the city are beautiful, the bay is beautiful, there are lots of murals downtown, lots of greenery. The river is really nice during the summer, especially when there are food trucks out and food festivals. Atwells is nice also during the summer when they block off the streets and have music playing outside. It just sounds like you have only driven around and need to get out of your car more often.
I've lived a lot of places. The absolute worst parts of Providence are urban heaven compared with, say, East Colfax in Denver or south Fort Worth (both places I've briefly lived). Providence is a really nice city, but people from here often don't realize that for whatever reasons.
Have you searched the past hundred discussions on this topic?
Nope, will do!
zen_mctunamelt t1_jcot1lr wrote
Welcome to Providence. May I suggest you look at the West End / Federal Hill area. I have lived in every section of PVD over the last 30 years and I truly love living in the West End the most. Beyond the gorgeous architecture it is a true neighborhood. You will have real neighbors that look out for each other. Plus everything is within walking distance including the hospital complex. Add to this that there is great food throughout and a smattering of awesome bars and it’s hard to beat. Best of luck to you.