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Location: Providence County
Population: 173,618, (As of April 1, 2000)
Population density: 9,402 persons per square mile of land area. (As of April 1, 2000)
Land Distribution: Total area is 20.524 square miles, 18.461 sq. miles of land area, 2.063 sq.
miles of water area
Established in: 1636
Incorporated in: 1832
School Information: visit www.schoolmatch.com
Form of Government: Fifteen member City Council headed by Mayor
City Hall: 25 Dorrance Street, Providence, RI 02903, 8:30-4:30
Climate: annual rainfall 41.7", annual snowfall 35.0", average humidity-January 63.5%, july 56.3%,
average temperatures- dec-feb 30o, mar-may 47o, jun-aug 70o, sep-nov 53o
History: As one of the first cities established in America, Providence has served to establish Rhode Island in the forefront of industry and culture. From its founding by Roger Williams, in 1636, to its involvement in the American Revolution, Providence has gone on to become the state's enduring and gracious capitol city.
Accessibility to excellent transportation facilities, including the Port of Providence, with its 40-foot channel and 27 public and private docks, and a high concentration of trained workers, Providence is Rhode Island's major industrial center. In fact, Providence is one of the major commercial, financial, and industrial centers in New England, with an economy based upon a foundation of manufacturing and service oriented enterprises. The manufacture of jewelry, which is shipped worldwide, establishes Providence as one of the largest jewelry centers in the United States.
In Providence, one witnesses the artful blend of the past and present--rich in architectural,
educational, and social significance. Atop the magnificent white marble State House, the bronze
"Independent Man" champions the cause for which Providence was founded--religious liberty and
individual freedom. The fine, restored 18th century homes along Benefit Street are only a short
stroll from Brown University, the seventh oldest American college. The first Baptist Church in
America, a national historic landmark built in 1775, and the Arcade, the nation's first enclosed
shopping mall are only part of this living story. While a more recent architectural gem is includes
the Rhode Island School of Design, founded in 1877 and recognized as one of the nation's foremost
art schools.
Providence, a city of over 150,000 people, is located in southeastern New England, at the head of
Narragansett Bay on the Atlantic seacoast. Providence is the business, financial, government and
cultural hub of a metropolitan area of over 1,000,000 persons. Providence's economic assets include
accessibility to excellent transportation facilities, including the Port of Providence, with its
40-foot channel, a high concentration of skilled workers, and six colleges and universities.
Providence's major manufacturing industries: metals, machinery, textiles, jewelry, and silverware
were established by 1830 and helped attract the international immigrants that have shaped
Providence's neighborhoods. At the turn of the 20th century, Providence boasted the world's
largest tool factory (Brown and Sharpe), file factory (Nicholson File), engine factory (Corliss
Steam Engine Company), screw factory (American Screw), and silverware factory (Gorham).
Today Providence is one of the largest centers of jewelry design and manufacture in the United States.
Major employers in Providence include over a half dozen hospitals, Citizens, BankBoston, and Fleet
banks, the Diocese of Providence, state government, and a diverse range of manufacturing and service
companies.
New ideas and economic initiatives flow outward from Providence's many colleges. The culinary school
at Johnson and Wales University has helped Providence claim some of the best restaurants in New
England. Current interfaces between universities and business include the Center for Cellular
Medicine at Brown University and the Center for Design and Business at Bryant College and the
Rhode Island School of Design.
Providence has taken on the name "The Renaissance City" in the 1990s as new office buildings,
apartments, hotels, the Rhode Island Convention Center, Waterplace Park, and the Fleet Skating
Rink liven the Downcity District. The Providence Place Mall is scheduled to open in late 1999.
Downcity Providence also includes an Arts and Entertainment District where artists are encouraged
to combine their homes, studios, and galleries. Providence's fabric of historic architecture has
been enhanced through the renovation of buildings including the Providence Foundry and the
Shepherd's Building. Providence is successfully integrating its history into its future to create a
dynamic, livable city.
The many interesting features in Providence which stem from a unique past and a stimulating
present serve to make Providence the fascinating and beautiful city that it is today.
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©2001-2002 The Sharon Steele Group -- All Rights Reserved.
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