Providence is great! And luckily it's fairly small, you'll never be far away from the train station it's in a good location. Some people do bus a lot of people bike and a lot of people simply just walk to it. There is parking but if you can avoid paying a monthly fee for that, you'd be better off. But there are lots around the train station as well as right underneath it so there is plenty of parking

Depending on where you live in Providence, you could just walk, and take a bus home.

I live in Mount Pleasant/Elmhurst, but see people taking the 57 bus to and from the train station.

Providence is pretty nice, but very small, so you're never that far away from the station. I usually Uber for the convenience, but you can certainly drive/bus/bike/walk there pretty easily. For figuring out where to live in RI, it's more about what kind of neighborhood you want, and mainly which colleges you want to be close to (they're everywhere). I learned that the hard way when I lived next to PC.

Great to know. Is Elmhurst to PVD walkable?

Great point, thanks!

Do people bike in the winter?

Elmhurst is a neighborhood in Providence. I wouldn't walk from Elmhurst.

You said you would be taking the commuter rail everyday, so I assume this wouldn't be a remote position. You really shouldn't underestimate the cost and time that goes into a commute from PVD to BOS, especially if it's downtown. I did a commute from just south of PVD to Jamaica Plain (south of Boston) for around three years, and you sacrifice a lot of time and flexibility to make that work. I chose to drive and it was 1-1.5h each way depending on traffic. I worked with people who did the commuter rail and it was expensive and they had to really adhere to the train schedules. You mentioned kids too which is another factor since you're not going to be able to do quick doctors appointments, let alone unexpected things for them. Providence is great, but commuting to Boston is not something to take lightly.

Yes.

I use the commuter rail. I highly recommend living within walking distance. I do not but wish I did.

I hear that... It’s just Boston is way out of my price range.

There are many buses that go right up to the train station but usually I just take the bus downtown and walk to the station. It's like 4 blocks from the central bus hub of Kennedy Plaza so it's a quick walk. If you are lucky some of the buses you catch could drop you right off at the station. I probably wouldn't take to long to grab a transfer from Kennedy Plaza to the train station but it's like a 5-7 minute walk so I don't really bother.

I've been living car free in Providence for almost 10 years now, it's a great city for walking and the buses are usually pretty good.

Yep. That's the dilemma. Even living in the Boston suburbs you're going to be commuting 30-45 minutes in traffic plus paying through the nose for housing. Just wanted to make sure you knew what you're signing up for. You can make it work, but it will wear on you.

The commuter rail is great if your schedule lines up with it, but keep in mind a monthly pass (which includes unlimited commuter rail and subway/bus/ferry rides) is over $400. Per month. But you’re ahead of the game after round trip commuting for like 10-15 days depending on if you have to take a bus/subway after you get to your desired train station.

Great solution if you can make it work, but if you work weird hours get used to a lot of traffic all the time. Either way plan on about 2 hours each way, give or take depending on your situation.

Elmhurst is Providence. If you mean Elmhurst to the train station, not for most people, no. It’s a little under an hour’s walk.

Yes, I meant the train station. Thanks for figuring out what I meant, instead of what I typed!

J.P. is part of Boston friend. Not south of it.

With kids? And a dog? Not in one of those overpriced towers I hope? I think with a family living right by the train wouldn’t be first choice. Having said that train is superior to 2-4 hours in a car every day!

Tons of people make that commute from all over PVd. Find a house you like and then adjust from there. You can take the 1 for example if on the east side to Kennedy plaza and walk over. Where in Boston is your job and which station are you getting off at? Downtown could mean lots of things. Also regular biz hours? Every day? Any WFH days? All these things come into play.

When I do go in the office in Boston I drive to the station and park there but it could get pricy (I go once every two months or so). Bus is pretty reliable (took it for a year when I worked in downtown PVD).

A lot of times you can pay for it pretax which actually makes it a lot cheaper.

I think the bigger question is where is your office in Boston located? That’s what will make things a pain if you have to do an additional segment.

Pvd is small and a piece of cake to get around…that’s not what will add a ton of time.

I’m pretty sure South Station

Not to talk you out of PVD, but if you’re commuting to Boston every day via commuter rail, maybe consider another town/city along the commuter rail that might be a bit closer to Boston. Rent is comparable in most places.

I know some folks on east side and Pawtucket drive to Attleboro so going downtown isn’t nec the best option. Keep that in mind.

Right. Just trying to help someone not from the area. But yes since we're being pedantic - Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood south of downtown Boston.

And also yes affordability is a real thing. Bos is crazy expensive.

Incorrectly referring to city limits and getting corrected is not about being pedantic. Esp when advising someone about where to live. City limits aren’t up for debate.

You're fun.

I walk it every day, but your definition of walkable and my definition may vary, and the walk could range from 20 minutes to 40 minutes, depending on where you live in Elmhurst.

🤡

I live in Federal Hill. I usually walk or use the rental e-bikes floating around. I usually travel late at night - the buses aren't generally available past 8pm. I've left my personal bike at the station for a few days before but I wouldn't make a habit of it.

We really don't get ice here and the streets get plowed and salted very quickly. So winter biking is not bad at all as long as you own a coat and gloves

My brother had done with PVD to Boston commute and liked it a lot. The commute is a lot of hours, but at least you can sit and read or something instead of having to drive. If you can find a place in Elmhurst near Smith street there is a frequent bus that will take you right to the bus station.

I’d honestly look for something in Attleboro though. It probably would be much cheaper and you’d have a bit more room in terms of house / yard. It would also shave a bit off your commute each day.

They are almost done with the new Pawtucket commuter station there will be a huge parking lot available like most mbta stations vs providence station. I live right around the corner and I doubt traffic will be crazy right at that station so depending on what part of providence you move to could be anywhere from a 5 min drive to 40. Commuter line from forge park to back bay is on average a little over an hour but the back bay to providence Attleboro line is about the same so I expect this new one to be the same.

Also commuter rail is super expensive so see if your job can get you discounted passes. Lofts 125 allows pets and is decently priced for the space and utilities for Rhode Island. I pay 1250 for a large one bed studio. I’m sure with a kid you would want a two bed which I think they charge upwards of 1600 for but check it out. Approval process was quick(2 days)

I used to live in PVD and now in NYC. One of the biggest changes was acclimating to commuting times. I haven't worked a job that was less than a 45 minute commute. It's just normal to me

In PVD, I would weigh heavily if I wanted to drive 15 minutes across town. Going to Boston would require packing a toothbrush.

It's all relative. I'm sure there is a lot of time spent getting to and from the stations, but for the right cost savings, I'd consider it

If you can find a daily schedule that works for you, an Amtrak monthly pass is actually less expensive than an MBTA commuter rail pass. Taking Amtrak instead of commuter rail means that there are only 2 stops between Providence and South Station instead of about a dozen, and the train is far more comfortable. You get power outlets, a cafe car, and save about 25 minutes each way.

As far as getting to the station, if you live in walking distance to the R-Line, you can reliably get to the station. It's the closest thing Providence has to a rapid transit line, and it runs every 10 minutes or so and goes directly to the train station.

If op doesn't want to deal with walking or transfers find a place that is near an R/green line stop, that takes you straight to the station and during the morning and evening commute comes every 10-15 minutes.

Wow! Great tip!

If you can get someone to drop you off at the station, your life will improve dramatically. Buses are an option but you'll be spending a good chuck of time on the train anyways so anything that can save your time is an improvent. Also don't forget, in regards to housing, that there are also nearby stations in Attleboro, TF Green (Warwick/Cranston), the soon to open Pawtucket/Central Falls and if they ever get the repairs done in South Attleboro.

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Someone probably already said it but dude! Get a job in providence if you’re going to love there. The commute will wear you down and you’ll always be law to work or late to let the dog out or late to get the kids. You’ll spend 3+ hours commuting each day on the train. probably closer to 4 the way that damn train runs. Good luck! Think carefully!

No but there’s federal hill, smith hill, college hill, mt hope, and upper south all in what I consider to be walking distance. Maybe not the shortest walk but it’s really great to remove a needed additional step of the bus or a Lyft.

OP, also keep in mind with kids that the school situation is complicated and requires a lot of research on its own BPS PPSD or all the towns inbetween. So, (depending on your preferences) you may be paying the difference into very expensive schools (New England has private school tuition on the level of private colleges).

I think walking to the train from most of those places year round is ambitious. Walking down to north main means you have to walk up. Hence the 1 bus. I’m not saying it’s impossible but I know very few people who actually do that on foot (maybe e bike tho?). I mean I agree with the post of choices but think the idea of walking from mt hope in bad weather or winter is……. Not ideal.

Has anyone mentioned the tight housing market? I understand it's tight everywhere -- including Canada!

But it is crazy tight in Providence.

Are you thinking of renting a house or apt? Renting anywhere with a dog has reportedly become much more difficult according to posts in this sub this past year. (Note though that there are dogs in nearly every property on my street and most are rentals; I see tons of pittie mixes everywhere in Fox Point. Doodles and pitties.)

A bigger concern re: kids + Providence is how incredibly, inexplicably bad Providence Public Schools are. We pay a lot for them yet they are awful.

So, definitely research both housing availability and schools before you decide.

Comparable in Attleboro maybe but to take a chunk out of travel time the rent goes up much higher! Like orders of magnitude higher.

Not enough to make it Worth it for quality of life v pvd! Attleboro is boring as hell. And barely makes a dent in the commute. Attleboro is the suburbs / pvd is city life so if that’s your goal ……I know many friends who drive from Sharon and Mansfield to come to the PVd farmers market and restaurants for example. The quality of life here is totally worth it.

Ugh, good point. (How do people live here?)

Many folks have mentioned the cruddy schools. Because of that, we’re also looking at Dover NH and Salem MA, which seem to have decent schools. But the commutes are gnarlier. It’s a puzzle!

Not to talk you out of Providence (I grew up here and I love it), but it might be worth looking into Attleboro. There's an MBTA stop downtown with a lot of recent development clustered around it, so you can easily get to Providence or Boston. It's also in Massachusetts, which has a much better school system overall and access to in-state UMASS benefits. Massachusetts also has the closest thing to universal healthcare that exists in the US right now.

I haven’t been super impressed with Attleboro, but you make good points here. I’ll take a second look.

I do. Also, Providence is in the process of developing a network of urban trails, the first of which is open and is pretty great for the most part.

https://www.providenceri.gov/planning/broad-street/

It's one of those old small northeastern cities that was gutted when all the industry left, but it's definitely on the upswing recently. It has a really cute, relatively intact downtown with a ton of potential and a bunch of very recent development adjacent to the station. Capron Park and its little zoo is a really nice asset too. That said it's definitely way sleepier than Providence (but only a 20 minute train ride away). The bus system there is bad though.. GATRA makes RIPTA look like the Tokyo Metro

As someone that went to school in Boston and worked (commuting to Boston from PVD) don’t do it. The cost is so high now for the rail and the schedule kind of sucks. You’ll end up driving in and paying to park which can be $100’s/mth.

Driving is absolutely impossible to downtown Boston unless you have non-rush hour work times, and even then it’s tricky. Many people do the daily train commute. Check to see whether your work would allow you to do pre-tax transit deductions (mine does). It’s most ideal to do the commute if you have the kind of job where you also do some work on the train (or you are an avid reader and read books). I do lesson plans, write emails, and grade papers, for example.

It would be ideal also to have a partner/other parent who could deal with kid stuff while you are at work (my co-parent works from home in Providence).

Providence public school are not well regarded, fyi. There are exceptions and many public school devotees, and there are also many independent schools and parochial schools.

It's expensive. Double incomes typically and for higher paying jobs, buying housing 10 years ago, etc.

The reality is that everything from utilities to housing to car insurance is on the higher end. Your job offer hopefully reflects the most likely large CoL jump if its a Back Bay offer.

Look at Attleboro!

Honestly, I’m excited about the train for just the reasons you describe. I’ll never drive to Boston, it sounds miserable.

Pretty much everywhere closer along the commuter rail has inflated massively wrt price. North Attleboro is po dunk boring but just being rail accessible has shot their real estate sky high

The commuter rail is okay for an occasional use (I'd even say 2-3 times a week), but given there's one train per hour, and it over an hour of travel, and it's like 7$ each way, yeah I wouldn't commute to Boston.

Attleboro has gotten nonsensically expensive because of the commuter rail

And not many people want to live in a shitty old 900 sq ft apartment that costs $4k/mo with kids, a spouse, and a dog lol.

I’ve consistently heard from coworkers that Belmont (a suburb) is a great place for families, including schools, if you do want to live closer and want space. It’s more dense, of course, and still pricey, but nowhere near as pricey as in the city. My coworker pays ~$3800/mo for a 2,000 sq ft house with a garage and it only takes her around 30 minutes to drive into work (near MIT) with traffic. She also has the option to take the red line in from Alewife or the commuter rail.

I guess it also depends on if you want more suburban, more suburban that’s closer to the city so you get more amenities, or urban.

I live in Mansfield right next to the commuter rail because I can’t take cities or dense areas. When I take it in it takes me about 40 minutes to get to work if I take my electric scooter with me, but the Providence line has gotten packed as of late so I don’t take my scooter anymore, so it’s usually 50 minutes.

There’s also a station at TF Green Airport I’m Warwick. Check out Cranston, Warwick, West Warwick. The train only stops there about half as often as Providence but if it lines up with your schedule then it’s quick and easy to get to via car and has on site parking in a garage. Also a roof on the platform so in bad weather you’re not getting drenched waiting for your train. Not really up on the schools as I don’t have kids of my own but there’s some great neighborhoods for families all within a 15 minute or less drive from the airport train station. Also only 10-15 to get into Providence for all the city amenities. Cumberland and Lincoln are within driving distance to take the train out of Attleboro too, my mother did that for years when she lived in Lincoln and worked out in Boston. The Cumberland/Lincoln area is much more suburban also if that’s something that’s important to you

Great tips, thanks!