"What a great place to live!" a Providence Travel Page by Bunsch

When our family relocated to Providence from Detroit, I was excited about living close to the ocean again -- not to mention close to skiing, close to great theater (I thought I'd have to go to New York for it, though), close to places that were special to me. But I wasn't excited about Providence itself, which had little charm. Over the past twenty years, though, the city has experienced a dramatic renaissance. It began with the river relocation, construction of the river walks, and the nearly wholesale restoration/renovation/reconstruction of much of the downcity area. Now Providence is a destination community, crammed with artists, new downtown living options, great restaurants, exciting cultural events, a major downtown mall...and it is STILL close to the ocean, close to skiing, etc. I've had opportunities to move, and haven't accepted them, because I love coming home. The picture is of the city's signature event, WaterFire, created by Barnaby Evans, a colleague in Leadership Rhode Island. During the late spring through early fall, our rivers are "lit" -- Barnaby's multimedia event draws thousands to the waterfront.

Probably most people think of Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design as being associated with Providence, but they're hardly the only games in town. Johnson & Wales University, Providence College, and Rhode Island College also educate thousands of students. Many of these colleges and universities offer opportunities for residents to take or audit courses, and their vast resources (libraries, museums, theater, dance and music programs, etc.) are available to the community. Our mayor, David Cicilline, negotiated a program in which all these institutions make significant contributions to the city -- not just in terms of payments in lieu of taxes, but also in sharing the educational wealth (ideas and people) with the city's school system. That benefits everyone!

How many cities cherish a giant termite? Or insist on giving directions featuring landmarks which no longer exist? Folks in Rhode Island are absolutely addicted to Dunkin' Donuts -- there are more shops here, per capita, than anywhere in the world. There is a bit of pride about being a city built on seven hills, like someplace in Italy. People here have summer homes that are only twenty or thirty minutes away from their primary residences! Rhode Island operates like a city-state; in fact, it is substantially smaller than many counties elsewhere. We only have one statewide newspaper; in Providence, the entire City Council membership is Democratic. We celebrate St. Patrick's Day (March 17) and St. Joseph's Day (March 19) almost as state holidays, since a large percentage of the population is of Irish or Italian descent (and overwhelming Roman Catholic).