Living in RI
Providence is a fun city to live in: as the capital of Rhode Island (the name originated from the beautiful Greek Island of Rhodes), it is large enough to offer excellent cultural opportunities in arts, music, and theatre the Trinity Repertory Company (http://www.trinityrep.com), for instance, has won national and international recognition yet small enough so that urban congestion is not a problem.Downtown stores, mall, theatres, from College Hill. Waterplace Park, and the Providence Riverwalk, flows through the center of the capital city, and hosts WaterFire, an award-winning fire installation by alumnus Barnaby Evans '75, Biology. Gondolas and canoes are available for cruising the length of the river.
With an average population age of 29, downtown Providence is always lively and filled with crowds of young people mostly students from Brown, the Rhode Island School of Design, Johnson & Wales University, and smaller colleges. In the summer and early fall, a bi-weekly waterfire a unique arts event, invented in Providence attracts many people, who come to listen to ambient music played along the river banks, and watch fires burning on pontoons in the middle of the river.
In spite of its ease of access to the city center, the College Hill location of the University is residential and provides a typical New England University campus setting. Thayer Street is conveniently located in the heart of the campus and is the favorite place for lunch, coffee, book and music shopping for Brown students.
The city of Providence is beautifully situated at the northern end of Narragansett Bay, offering magnificent bay and ocean sailing, swimming and fishing. Newport, famous for its beautiful villas, is nearby, at the southern end of the bay, with the excitement of major sailing races, world-renowned jazz, unusual music and film festivals in settings of great charm and interest.
The recreational facilities of the immediate area are easily expanded Boston and Cape Cod are an hour's drive away, and the mountains of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine can be reached in 3 to 4 hours. Fast Boston-New York-Washington rail line and major bus lines serve Providence, which is also connected to Boston and New York by Interstate 95. T.F. Greene Airport (15 minutes from the University) provides convenient air service to all major cities.
Thayer Street is a popular meeting place for Brown students with restaurants, cafes, bookstores and a movie theatre.
Students can find apartment housing in Providence, within walking or biking distance of the University, or accommodations in Miller Hall, a colonial style building located on the Pembroke campus at the north end of campus. The student rooms in Miller Hall are designed for single occupancy.
For more information on living in Rhode Island, see:
http://www.providencephoenix.com
independent arts guide, beloved by students
http://www.projo.com
for the local newspaper
