Edging the river, Providence is the palatial city of Providence that showcases a beautiful blend of the goodwill of a culturally-rich small town and the sophistication of a frantic city.Over the past fifty years, the city has undergone a mammoth transformation with an artsy community, vibrant and sundry neighborhoods, extravagant hotels, scenic restaurants, and more. Providence has an illustrious name: tourism, infrastructure, arts, and entertainment!Here is a quick glance to acquaint yourself with this majestic city!Providence, the capital of the US state Rhode Island, is distinguished as the most populous capital city in the US. Founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay colony, the city is revered as one of the oldest cities in the US. Further, he had established the Providence plantations, the first permanent European-American settlement in Rhode Island. Situated in the heart of Rhode Island, the city was named in honor of ‘God’s merciful providence’ by the founder Roger Williams. At the head of Narragansett Bay stands the city of Providence, bestowing Providence on its mighty population!One of the first cities in the US to industrialize, Providence soon got earmarked for its textile, manufacturing, machine tool, jewelry, and silverware industries. Home to eight hospitals and educational institutions, the city has carved its name as one of the best infrastructures in the whole country. Now you know the reason why Providence has this dense population. The industrial and tertiary sectors back the economy, preferring immense employability for the residents. With an area of 33.15 sq mi (53.35 sq km), this tiny city has a population of 190,934. It’s jaw-dropping that Providence is the third-most-populous city in New England, after Boston and Worcester in Massachusetts.The city is bustling with some impressive architectural masterpieces that come under the purview of the City Council. The Rhode Island Auditorium is a famous sports arena that has hosted many important events over the years. The auditorium has hosted 29 of the 49 bouts of the acclaimed boxes Rocky Marciano. The Alex and Ani City Center are located alongside the Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence. This famous location was earlier known as the Bank of America Skating Centre and the Fleet Skating Rink. The Market Square is the geographic and social center of the city of Providence.The Market House located here also used to be the seat of the city government with various city offices located here. The self-supporting marble dome located in the Rhode Island State House is the second-largest such structure in the entire United States and the fourth-largest locally preceded by the St. Peters Basilica (Rome), Minnesota State Capitol (St. Paul), and the Taj Mahal (Agra, India). There are several mercantile buildings from the 19th century located in Providence. These buildings have been constructed in Victorian or federal architecture styles. Numerous buildings have been constructed in the postmodern and modernist styles. You will notice that there is a very well-defined boundary between the areas that have been developed before the 1980s and the areas that have been developed after 1980. The demarcation boundary between the two regions is served by the Exchange Terrace and the West Exchange Street. The recently developed area is also sometimes referred to as the Capital Centre. The Providence skyline is relatively modest but still houses several buildings of importance.Did you know that Providence is also referred to as the ‘Divine City’ or the ‘Renaissance City’! A trip to the fantastic city wouldn’t be complete without visiting some of these historical sites.Read on for some interesting facts about Providence, Rhode Island. Afterward, also check the facts about Oregon and about Minnesota.Providence Public LibrariesProvidence is home to one of the most popular libraries in the state of Rhode Island, the Providence Public Library. Along with this well-known library, several other public libraries offer people access to some of the rarest books in history.If you plan to visit any of the public libraries in Providence, these facts will undoubtedly pique your interest.Providence is known for its public and community libraries at every nook and corner of the city. Founded in 1875 is the Providence Public Library. This central library building is located at 225 Washington Wall Street and was opened in 1900, showcasing a Renaissance style of architecture. Private donations from individuals further added to the glory of the library.The largest donation received to date was from John Nicholas Brown 1st, after which addition was built in 1954. This prominent city library is hailed for its vast collection of books, historical physical and digital collections, impactful exhibitions, thought-provoking educational programs, and a plethora of information resources. This 146-year-old PPL, governed by a board of trustees, is running as non-profit cooperation, opening gateways of knowledge to the people. The fourth oldest library, Providence Athenaeum, is housed in the city.Other community libraries include Rochambeau Library, South Providence Library, Smith Hill Library, Wanskuck Library, East Providence Public Library, and the North Providence Union Free Library. These community libraries are continually transforming spheres, driven by a thirst to offer transformative experiences for the Rhode Islanders. These are spaces where people converge and connect for productive collaborations, teaching, learning, and participating in intellectually stimulating symposiums. They are propelled by a mission to cater to the Rhode Island families, teens, early care providers, learners, and teachers to chase their creative and scholarly endeavors.Public And Private SchoolsBeing the state capital, Providence s home to some of the best schools in the state of Rhode Island. There are various public and private schools located in Providence that offer educational facilities for the students.Read further to know more about the educational facilities available for students in Providence:It’s not always about tourism and job prospects. People migrate in search of better infrastructure, and the city of Providence never disappoints them. Read along to know how efficient and excelling are the centers of knowledge here.The Providence Public School District, with over 37 schools, serves over 22,000 students. Providing employment to over 3200 professionals are the 21 elementary schools, seven middle schools, nine high schools, and two public district charter schools. These educational centers are positive and diverse learning communities that strive to excel and offer centers to learn, grow and thrive. With students hailing from varying ethnicities and backgrounds, the schools boast of immense diversity with Latinx, Black, White, Asian, multi-racial, and Native American student populations, hailing from 91 countries. Despite stark cultural differences, they chase eminence by embracing this diversity.The list doesn’t end here! Private and charter schools like that of Moses Brown, Lincoln School, the Wheeler School, and La Salle Academy, to name a few, are transcending centers of education in Providence, Rhode Island. The public charter schools like the Time Squared Academy High School and Textron Chamber of Commerce run on private funding and cater to the students with special needs and the low-income students even in the city outskirts.The city is also a widely preferred center for higher education. The main campuses of Rhode Island’s colleges and universities include the Brown University and Ivy League, Johnson and Wales University, Providence College, Rhode Island College, which is one of the oldest; and the Rhode Island School of Design; an eminent institute that has earned fame for its studio-based learning and liberal arts studies.Apart from these main campuses, the Community College of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University, and the University of Rhode Island have their satellite campuses in the city. A notable fact is that Brown University is acknowledged for being the second-largest employer in the city, exerting considerable influence on the city’s politics and economy.Nearby Cities And TownsThe location of Providence in the vicinity of the Atlantic Ocean has contributed to making it a major economic center of the state. The city enjoys excellent connectivity with several towns and cities of importance in Rhode Island.Several important cities are located near Providence. Read these facts given below to understand the importance of these cities and towns presence near Providence:The state of Rhode Island is located in the Northeastern United States. The eighth least populous and the smallest by land area, Rhode Island has 39 municipalities, eight cities, and five towns. Providence, the capital city of Rhode Island, is the largest municipality, with over one lakh residents.The city population of Providence, Rhode Island, has been calculated at around 180,000 as of the year 2020. The Providence city also includes the Providence metropolitan area that extends up to southern Massachusetts. The population of the Providence metropolitan area is around 1.6 million.With just 1400 year-round residents are the smallest municipalities of New Shoreham and Block Island. However, byland area, Coventry is the largest municipality, and Central Falls; the smallest.These cities and towns are marked as a tourist and cultural hubs. Home to over 485 hectares (1200 acre) park system, Providence is acclaimed for its Waterplace Park, the Riverwalk, Roger Williams Park, Roger Williams National Memorial, the historic neighborhood of College Hill, and the Prospect Terrace Park. The Terrace Park gives a spectacular view of the downtown area and is notable for its 15 ft (four and a half m) tall granite statue of the much-celebrated Roger Williams.The city is known for its glorious historical monuments and pre-revolutionary houses that blazon the glory of American historicity. Home to the first Baptist Church in America and fourth-largest self-supporting marble dome in the world, the dome of Old State House, and the congregation of the first unitarian church of Providence, the city is also a favored religious attraction. The illustrious city of Providence is fabled for its Westminster Arcade and a handful of museums and libraries that blow the trumpet of its glorious past. The Alex and Ani City Centres and Banknewport City Centre are favored for their ice-skating rinks.Providence is located along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, and this close proximity to the ocean has a considerable impact on the weather of the city. Winters in Providence are extremely cold, with average daily temperatures plummeting to 37 degrees Fahrenheit (2.7 degrees Celsius) during the coldest month of January. On the other hand, the winters in Providence are extremely hot and humid. July is the warmest month in the city, with average temperatures reaching up to 82 degrees Fahrenheit (27.7 degrees Celsius.) The proximity to the Atlantic Ocean ensures that the weather in Providence is moderated to a certain extent. This ensures that the summers are slightly cooler while the winters are somewhat warmer when compared to the rest of New England.Another is the city of Downtown, landmarked for its Kennedy Plaza, the historic hotel of Providence Biltmore, and parks and planetariums. Providence is the capital city for Rhode Island and is located in Providence County at the head of the Narragansett Bay present along the Providence River.Health And MedicineBeing the capital city of the state of Rhode Island, Providence enjoys good medical facilities. Several healthcare institutions of repute offer comprehensive healthcare facilities to the residents of the region. If you are looking for some facts on the state of health and medicine in Providence, then please read further:Home to well-infrastructure eight hospitals, Providence is famous for its Rhode Island Hospital, the state’s largest general acute care hospital.Also, the Level One Trauma Centre for Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts, and Connecticut, the hospital is a sprawling complex that includes Hasbro Children’s Hospital and Women and Infants Hospital.The city is bookmarked for its Roger Williams Medical Centre and St. Joseph Hospital for Speciality Care. The Miriam Hospital is a teaching center aligned with Alpert Medical School of Brown University and VA Medical Centre. The city headquarters has been the Rhode Island Blood Centre since 1979 and has been esteemed as the sole organization for blood collection, testing, and distribution of blood variants to over 11 hospitals in the state. The city houses a number of other public and private hospitals with premier infrastructure and top-quality treatment.Providence Arts And EntertainmentWhen it comes to arts and entertainment, Providence has a lot to offer to the residents and visitors, irrespective of the city’s modest size. If you are interested in exploring the culture and history of Providence, then these facts on Providence art and entertainment will undoubtedly intrigue you:The arts and entertainment in any city trumpet its culture, civilization, and lifestyle. It gives a sneak-peek to the buzzing city life and assuages the monotonous life of city dwellers.One of the Tony-Award winning theatre groups Trinity Repertory Company, Providence Black Repertory Company, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, and the American Band; associated with David Wallis Reeves, Providence is admired for its remarkable contributions to the field of art and entertainment. The city envelops numerous performing art centers like Veterans Memorial Auditorium, the Providence Performing Arts Centre, and the Festival Ballet Providence.The wen is applauded for its underground music circles like Fort Thunderer and improvisational theatres like the Providence Improv Guild. It houses the attractions of AS220, which is a celebrated arts center, praised for its exhibitions, educational and performance spaces, and live-work studios.The sports culture is quite popular in Providence city. The city also boasts of its very own derby league that was established in the year 2004. The providence Derby league features four teams as of now, the Sakonnet River Roller Rats, Providence Mob Squad, the Old Money Honeys, and the Rhode Island Riveters. The headquarters for the American Athletic Conference are also located in Providence.As of the year 2008, there are three sister cities of Providence that have been officially recognized. The names of these cities include Florence (2002), Praia (1994), and Santo Domingo (2004).Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for facts about Providence, Rhode Island, then why not take a look at about Kentucky or about Maryland.
Edging the river, Providence is the palatial city of Providence that showcases a beautiful blend of the goodwill of a culturally-rich small town and the sophistication of a frantic city.