"Hasbro and Blackstone Falls" Central Falls by atufft

I drove my big rig into Central Falls around midnight, to deliver office furniture to the loading dock of the old Hasbro factory. So I found the larger opportunity to study a town well visited by the Industrial Revolution. I only had a few hours in the morning to walk mostly along Broad Street, but I found a few things of interest for this report. Resident Rhode Island VT member Pawtuxet provides an excellent background history to this city, so I provide only some details, particularly with regard to the influx of Hispanic culture to a community once dominated by Hasbro, Rhody Rugs, Sylvania. Central Falls and its neighbor on the opposite bank of the Blackstone River, Cumberland, originally tapped the Blackstone Falls to power a world center of textiles, but by the late 19th century, established corporate names and products well known throughout the world. Some of these factory buildings remain, having been converted to other purposes.

Overview of Central Falls residential neighborhood

Locals regard Central Falls as something of an immigrant gangster town, but having been raised in Stockton, CA, where gang wars are a serious problem, I frankly didn't see much to be concerned about. During the wee hours of the morning when I arrive, Broad Street was asleep, and even on the following Monday morning, the town appeared less than alive. Besides the walk along the Blackstone River, there is another central park with a good view of town, and plenty of working class architecture to ponder over as one nibbles on an empanada and sips a cup of real Colombian coffee.