Upper South Providence, Providence, Rhode Island

Upper South Providence is an official neighborhood in the South Side in the city of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bound to the north by Interstate 95, the east by the Providence River, to the south by Public Street, and the west by Broad Street. Often associated with Lower South Providence directly to its south, Upper South Providence is a distinct neighborhood.

After the founding of Providence, the area that is today Upper South Providence Between 1754-1868, the neighborhood and areas south were part of the city of Cranston, Rhode Island. The area did not witness substantial development until the industrialization of the late 19th century, when it attracted Irish and Jewish immigrants.

At the municipal level, all of Upper South Providence falls within Ward 11. This ward is represented in the Providence City Council by Mary Kay Harris, a Democrat.

As of March 2007, 41.2% of residents in Upper South Providence were Hispanic, 34% were Black or African-American, 28.7% were White (18.8% Non-Hispanic White), 2.6% were Asian or Pacific Islander, and 2.6% were Native American.

Nearly half of all public school children under the age of six speak a language other than English as their primary language. This is slightly below the city-wide average of 54%.

The Upper South Side continues to struggle with entrenched poverty. The median family income was $24,656 as of March 2007, well below the city-wide average of $32,058. As of the year 2000 census, the area's unemployment rate at 17% was the highest in the city, with 27% unemployment in the Upper South Side's largest block. 36.4% of families live below the poverty line while 16% rely on some form of public assistance. One in four children in this neighborhood under the age of six have been exposed to high amounts of lead, primarily from lead paint in older homes.

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