For a state capital, Providence, RI is located on a relatively small parcel of land. Still within the borders of Providence, RI. one can find numerous neighborhoods, many with their own ethnic heritage and cultural uniqueness. Population shifts within the city have occurred over the centuries and even during the last few decades which have altered the popularity and the affluence of some of these neighborhoods. Looking at Providence as it is today might lead one to choose these three as the best neighborhoods in Providence.
College Hill For a small city Providence has more than its share of higher education facilities. Two of the best are located in one of the best neighborhoods in Providence.,RI. Brown University, an Ivy League college, with all its associated wealth and tradition sits astride College Hill. Also on the hill are buildings associated with the nationally known Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Together these two institutions give College Hill youth, exuberance and a scholarly tone.
While their presence is notable, the schools are only part of the College Hill neighborhood. Significantly many of the other properties on College Hill are relatively new having been built during the twentieth century. They represent the development of the city rather than its historic origins. College Hill is a neighborhood erected on bluffs that overlook the Seekonk River and adjacent city. The geography of College Hill affords those who live there a tremendous view of Providence spread out below.
The population of College Hill has a great deal of homogeneity. A large percentage of the population of College Hill is professional, white and well off. While there is a quiet fellowship based on these demographics, College Hill is still a very welcoming neighborhood and one of the best and most desirable neighborhoods in Providence, RI.
Hope (Summit) Tucked away in the northeast corner of Providence, RI is one of its best neighborhood communities known officially as Hope, but to most of its residents as Summit. Whatever you choose to call this neighborhood you can’t help but sense that living within its boundaries is a small but very proud and unified community.
Hope is one of the smallest neighborhoods in Providence numbering only approximately 4,000 people. Much of the neighborhood is middle class and it has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the city at only 3%. It’s small area has been dominated for many years by the original Miriam Hospital which was constructed in 1945, and its many additions spawned over the ensuing years. As omnipresent as the hospital may be, it has not destroyed the very strong neighborhood fabric in Hope.
What has kept the neighborhood vibrant is the active presence of a Summit community organization. This group produces and distributes a monthly newsletter , encourages local participation in local activities and works to improve and enrich community life. The result of their efforts over the years has been the maintenance of a highly stable and resilient community of interdependent neighbors and one of the best neighborhoods in Providence, RI
Elmhurst Filling out the northwest side of Providence is the one of its best neighborhoods, Elmhurst. With a population of some 11,000, Elmhurst seems to revolve around a large number of institutions that support its economic, physical and intellectual needs.
Elmhurst is home to Women and Infants Hospital and Roger Williams Hospital both of which provide medical services and service related jobs. Ordinarily two such institutions would be sufficient for a single neighborhood but not in Elmhurst. In fact perhaps the most dominant institution in the neighborhood is Providence College.
Led by Dominican Friars Providence College has an active and ongoing involvement in the Elmhurst community. The college provides jobs but it also provides recreation sites and on campus facilities for community activities. Students from Providence College play an active roll in Elmhurst community affairs working through youth programs and in the hospital environments already present.
LaSalle Academy ,a second, smaller academic institution, also adds its character to the neighborhood. La Salle is a private, Catholic high school which draws top notch teachers and a highly competitive student body and adds academic distinction at the secondary school level to the Elmhurst neighborhood.
Elmhurst is not the richest neighborhood in Providence in a strictly financial sense but the presence of top notch medical and academic institutions gives it a quality of life factor that few other neighborhoods can touch and makes Elmhurst one of the best neighborhoods in Providence, RI.
For its size, Providence, RI is blessed some of the best neighborhoods in New England.
