Submitted by messerdouglas t3_10lg93f in providence
Possibly moving to RI from SoCal in the near future with my wife who is Mexican. If possible, I want to live in a neighborhood where there are other Mexican families so the move isn't a massive culture shock for her. Neighborhoods that are predominantly Latino would be good to know, but neighborhoods that are specifically Mexican would be great to know (if there are any). Thanks!
Thanks!
Smith Hill and Olneyville are pretty rough relative to where you may want to live. New England is pretty segregated
There are nice buildings in Olneyville though and a lot of cool stuff going on in Olneyville square. Check out arising Sun Mills and The Plant.
Yeah, I agree but my friend who’s Dominican and grew up there couldn’t wait to get out. She was scared of the neighborhood. Let’s not pretend that it’s not a rough neighborhood.
Not really sure about Mexican neighborhoods specifically but there are a few areas with a big Latino/Hispanic presence. The south side of Providence has a large Dominican/Puerto Rican/Caribbean community. Central Falls has a more central/south america/mexican community I would say. Good places to start.
Great thank you!
I looked it up a while ago and there are only about 10k Mexicans in Rhode Island. My husband gets mistaken for Guatemalan quite frequently. By Guatemalans.
Even in heavily Latino neighborhoods, there was still culture shock as there is so much variation.
This is helpful to know. Thank you!
Yeah for reference the past two former mayors were of Dominican and then Guatemalan heritage. Those are the two larger Latino communities in RI. Broad St and Cranston st are kind of Dominican areas of the city. Smith hill and Manton I would say is more Guatemalan.
And lots of Guatamalan bakeries FYI, that have many similar things to Mexican bakeries.
I definitely knew there was a strong Dominican presence in Providence but didn't realize there was also a Guatemalan population there. Really interesting. Thanks!
Yes, the Guatemalan consulate is here too. There are several K'iche speakers as well. There is also a fair concentration of Guatemalans around Cranston Street and Plainfield—it was not uncommon to see women wearing their native clothing and speaking K'iche. Just be aware of the scale we are talking about—we are talking about, like, a street and a couple of side streets coming off of it. Not like, fullblown actual neighborhoods in other cities.
Someone who knows! Kudos!
In Providence you'll find more Guatemalan, Puerto Rican and Dominican communities. The Mexican community is small. While there are many "Mexican" restaurants in the area, they are more of a mixed. They are all spread out through the city. You'll enjoy Providence, everything is within 5 mins.
Thank you!
Here’s the breakdown:
Providence the State capital:
The communities in Silver Lake, Mt. Pleasant, Chalkstone and Elmhurst, Manton, Hartford Ave. Olneyville and the West End are predominantly of Guatemalan and Central American descent. Of course you do have a handful of Mexican’s in the area along with some awesome Mexican restaurants.
The communities in South Providence are predominantly Dominicans, even a street is named after their founder Juan Pablo Duarte.
The city of Pawtucket has a huge melting pot of Latinos/Hispanics.
The city of Central Falls is again Guatemalans, Puerto Ricans and a huge Colombian population.
Like someone on this thread mentioned the highest Latino population are of Guatemalan and Dominican descent with the majority residing in Providence, so plenty of Latinos in the state. Mexicans are not the majority like in the west coast but they are definitely in the area. I’m sure you and your wife will love it here!
This is super helpful. Thank you!
No suggestions but I would tell your wife not to worry too much as Providence is one of the most accepting places I've ever lived. Just be a gokd neighbor and we will always look out for ya.
I've always thought this way about Providence as well. Thanks!
Most areas in Providence will have some Latin American however the Manton/Atwells/Smith Hill/Academy/Olneyville areas are highly populated.
Thanks!
As a Mexican in Providence I would agree with other comments in that most Mexicans reside in the northern and western part of PVD, like Olneyville/Manton/Atwells/Academy/Chalkstone and silver lake Areas. These are the areas my family live in. It’s really a melting pot for Central Americans. You’ll quickly notice all the carnecerías, panaderías,mercados and taquerias as your drive through these main streets. Best of luck!
This is great, thank you! I'm surprised to hear there are actual carnicerías in the area. She'll be happy to hear that.
If you don't mind me asking, what has your honest experience been like being Mexican living in PVD?
PVD has been good to my family and I. I’ve been here almost my entire life so it’s hard for me to compare it to anywhere else. My nationality doesn’t really play a role in my overall experience as ppl here are very accepting of everyone. I think mostly because PVD is made up of so many different ethnicities and backgrounds. I have no plans of leaving at the moment. The COL has been going up recently but I think that’s everywhere. I hope that helps! 😄
This definitely helps. Thanks!
Almost all of providence is Latino populated with the exception of the east side. Diversity in Rhode Island in general is INSANE. It’s one of the reasons why I love this place. To be completely truthful Providence In particular isn’t super heavy populated by Mexican Americans. Most of our Latino population in the city is Central American. There are definitely a lot of Mexicans but it definitely won’t be even remotely close to SoCal. That being said if you want heavy Latino presence the silver lake/west end area is what you’re looking for. It’s where I grew up and currently reside. It’s a total mix here of Latinos along with other races and ethnicities. But as sad as it is, wherever many Latin migrants live along with it being an urban area, it’s not the prettiest area or crime free. But besides very minor petty crimes I believe that the silver lake area that borders cranston (another local city) is very safe. Lived here since 2016 and have 0 complaints other than someone going in my car one time and stealing a pair of prescription glasses and chuck e cheese tickets lol literally other than that I’ve been blessed to live away from most of the drama that goes on in the city.
Very helpful, thanks! We've been to Cranston and thought it seemed like a nice community so I'll definitely check out the silver lake area near there
Definitely the place to live and raise a family if you want to be away enough from the capital city to live somewhat away from any crime and violence but close enough to enjoy all the amenities Providence has to offer! Hope you guys enjoy Rhode Island and make it your home!
Yeah, that sounds like what we're looking for. Thanks
I disagree. I raised both my kids in Providence. We are also a multi-cultural family and living in an urban setting was part of their education. They went to Classical High school (the highest performing high school in the State of RI - not just the city) which is about 1/3 Latino.
As others are saying, olneyville is good. Also Chalkstone and silverlake. Both neighborhoods are VERY diverse (especially in terms of Latinos) but have a lot of Mexican markets/good restaurants.
La lupita in olneyville and Taconazo in silver lake are the best Mexican restaurants in town.
Thank you!
Yeah i hate to be that guy but there aren’t very many Mexicans. Im Mexican myself (moved from CA myself) and in the past two months I only met one other Mexican that wasn’t operating a Mexican restaurant. It’s gonna be weird. people are in fact racist here, but there are plenty of good people to balance it out
Thanks for being honest. How's your overall experience been so far... Are you happy with the move there coming from CA?
Overall I would say it’s like a 7.5. I’ve had a ton of family misfortune that really makes me want to be home but aside from that I have enjoyed exploring New England.
I have insane work hours and am in grad school but when the weekend I have no shortage of things to do or go see.
I found a group of guys for basketball, found a group of people to go out with, and have found a couple areas I frequent. Overall, people are friendly but not as bubbly as they were back home. You just gotta find your people and it’ll feel like home.
That being said, it’s not California. The weather is odd and has yet to settle into a routine of any sort. The food is solid, but more often than not I find myself craving west coast eating. While there is a lot to do on the weekends, I find that weekdays can be pretty dead which is fine given my work hours but it would be nice to be able to have more attractions/events during the week.
EDIT: People are really weird about crime and homeless here. It’s very odd how little empathy people show for poverty despite many people here being in lower economic status or sharing the same neighborhoods. As a whole, crime and homelessness is similar to California. I haven’t had any issues with random passerby’s and I mostly feel safe. The worst that’s happened is being followed by people in my neighborhood which I imagine happens to me because I happen to be brown in white areas.
Nice assessment. Very helpful. My wife grew up in LA but I've been living out in this area for 6.5 years. Being originally from New England, I've found it difficult to meet genuine people and friends out here, although mostly everyone is nice at first. I love the food and scenery out here but I do miss the realness of people in New England and I do have family there that I miss as well. My wife on the other hand won't have any family in PVD but we've visited (during summer) and she does like it. But, living in PVD is different than visiting.
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I’m sorry but if she’s specifically wanting Mexican families then she will be in for a culture shock. Don’t get me wrong there are Mexicans here but it’s not like how it is in California or other border states. The majority of Hispanic people here are Dominican and Puerto Rican, also Guatemalans.
All that being said South providence or around chalkstone Ave might be staring points for you. But either way be in for some major culture shock either way. We are on opposite sides of the country. I don’t say this in any mean way of course but you need to manage your expectations.
For reference I’m Hispanic (Dominican and Costa Rican) and those are some spots I lived in. Chalkstone (or parts of it) I think might be nice than the south side.
Thanks for this. Yeah, I figured this would be the case but wanted to check in to be sure. I grew up in western mass so I've spent a little time in PVD but not enough to get an understanding of the neighborhoods. Very helpful!
There's a flea market in Olneyville with lots of Mexican vendors
Can I get more info on this? Sorry to hijack your post, OP!
Sundays at the Atlantic Mill.
Thank you!
Thanks!
As most have said here there are Mexican people here but a predominately Mexican neighborhood/enclave really doesn't exist.
The Latino neighborhoods and demographics have been pretty well covered already so I’ll just say that Chilangos is a fantastic Mexican restaurant owned by Mexican Americans and definitely worth checking out
Once you move here try out El Tapatio in Cranston. It’s a Mexican restaurant and as far as I remember they were very nice Mexican owners and they had a large Mexican customer base.
Will do. Thanks!
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Move to the hood
Impossible-Heart-540 t1_j5wodfr wrote
Mount Pleasant, and down into Olneyville have a pretty good saturation of Taquerias and small Mexican markets.