Providence, Rhode Island | ||
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City | ||
Top: Downtown Providence skyline and the Providence River from the Point Street Bridge; Middle: Federal Hill, University Hall at Brown University, Roger Williams Park, and the First Baptist Church in America; Bottom: WaterFire at Waterplace Park, and the Rhode Island State House.
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Nickname(s): The Creative Capital, Beehive of Industry, the Renaissance City, the Divine City, PVD, Prov | ||
Motto: "What Cheer?" | ||
Location in Providence County and the state of Rhode Island. |
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Location in Rhode Island, United States & North America | ||
Coordinates: 41°49′25″N 71°25′20″W / 41.82361°N 71.42222°WCoordinates: 41°49′25″N 71°25′20″W / 41.82361°N 71.42222°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Rhode Island | |
County | Providence | |
Settled | 1636 | |
Incorporated (city) | 1832 | |
Government | ||
• Type | Providence City Council | |
• Mayor | Jorge Elorza (D) | |
Area | ||
• City | 20.6 sq mi (53 km2) | |
• Land | 18.5 sq mi (48 km2) | |
• Water | 2.1 sq mi (5 km2) | |
Elevation | 75 ft (23 m) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• City | 178,042 | |
• Estimate (2015) | 179,207 | |
• Rank | US: 134th | |
• Density | 9,676.2/sq mi (3,736.0/km2) | |
• Urban | 1,190,956 (US: 39th) | |
• Metro | 1,604,291 (US: 38th) | |
Time zone | EST (UTC−5) | |
ZIP code | 02901–02912, 02918, 02919, 02940 | |
Area code | 401 | |
FIPS code | 44-59000 | |
GNIS feature ID | 1219851 | |
Website | www.providenceri.com |
Providence | |
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Crime rates* (2013) | |
Violent crimes | |
Homicide | 12 |
Robbery | 365 |
Aggravated assault | 641 |
Total violent crime | 1,115 |
Property crimes | |
Burglary | 1,828 |
Larceny-theft | 5,184 |
Motor vehicle theft | 962 |
Arson | 22 |
Total property crime | 7,974 |
Notes
*Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population.
2013 population: 178,887
Source: 2013 FBI UCR Data |
Providence is the capital of and most populous city in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, founded in 1636 and one of the oldest cities in the United States. It was founded by Roger Williams, a religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers to settle. The city is situated at the mouth of the Providence River at the head of Narragansett Bay.
Providence was one of the first cities in the country to industrialize and became noted for its textile manufacturing and subsequent machine tool, jewelry, and silverware industries. Today, the city of Providence is home to eight hospitals and seven institutions of higher learning which have shifted the city's economy into service industries, though it still retains some manufacturing activity. The city was once nicknamed the "Beehive of Industry"; it began rebranding itself as the "Creative Capital" in 2009 to emphasize its educational resources and arts community.
The city is located in Providence County and is the third most populous city in New England, after Boston and Worcester. Providence has a city population of 179,154; it is also part of the Providence metropolitan area which extends into southern Massachusetts. The Providence metropolitan area has an estimated population of 1,604,291, which exceeds that of Rhode Island as a whole by about 60%. This can be considered, in turn, to be part of the Greater Boston commuting area, which contains 7.6 million people.