Providence metropolitan area
Encyclopedia
The Providence metropolitan area is a region covering six counties in two states, and is the 37th largest metropolitan area in the United States. Anchored by the city of Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

, it has an estimated population of 1,622,520, exceeding that of Rhode Island by slightly over 60%. The area covers all of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

's five counties, making it the only U.S. metropolitan area that covers an entire state, and extends into southern Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 with an average population density of 2300 per mi² (888 per km²). Its Gross Metropolitan Product
Gross metropolitan product
Gross Metropolitan Product or Gross Regional Product is one of several measures of the size of the economy of a metropolitan area...

 the country's 42nd largest at $64.7 billion, just above the Gross State Product
Gross state product
Gross state product is a measurement of the economic output of a state or province...

 of Hawaii

In 2006, this area was officially added to the Boston Combined Statistical Area (CSA), the fifth-largest CSA in the country
Table of United States Combined Statistical Areas
thumb|An enlargeable map of the 125 [[Combined Statistical Area]]s of the [[United States]]The United States Office of Management and Budget has defined 125 Combined Statistical Areas for the United States of America...

.

In 2004, Smart Growth America named the New York City metro area the "Least Sprawling" metropolitan area in the country, though Wendell Cox, correcting for the fact that this is only true when New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

's and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

's contributions are ignored, asserts that this title should belong to the Providence metropolitan area. Cox makes clear, however, that he is criticizing the definitional criteria of "sprawl" developed by Smart Growth America, sarcastically pointing out the incongruity of Providence winning the crown when, for example, only 0.4% of transportation uses mass transit.

Boundaries

The Providence metropolitan area contains towns from all five counties in Rhode Island and one county in Massachusetts, including:
  • Bristol County, Rhode Island
    Bristol County, Rhode Island
    The border with Bristol County, Massachusetts is rather unusual since the counties both share the same name. The only other instances in which two neighboring counties with the same name share a state border are Sabine County, Texas and Sabine Parish, Louisiana, Union Parish, Louisiana and Union...

  • Kent County, Rhode Island
    Kent County, Rhode Island
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 167,090 people, 67,320 households, and 44,969 families residing in the county. The population density was 982 people per square mile . There were 70,365 housing units at an average density of 414 per square mile...

  • Newport County, Rhode Island
    Newport County, Rhode Island
    -National protected areas:* Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge* Touro Synagogue National Historic Site-History:Newport County was constituted on June 22, 1703, as one of the two original counties of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. As originally established, Newport...

  • Providence County, Rhode Island
    Providence County, Rhode Island
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 621,602 people, 239,936 households, and 152,839 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,504 people per square mile . There were 253,214 housing units at an average density of 613 per square mile...

  • Washington County, Rhode Island
    Washington County, Rhode Island
    Washington County, commonly known colloquially as South County, is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Washington County borders Kent County to the north, New London County in Connecticut to the west, Suffolk County in New York to the southwest, the Atlantic...

  • Bristol County, Massachusetts
    Bristol County, Massachusetts
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families residing in the county. The population density was 962 people per square mile . There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile...



The New Bedford metro area is not included in the Providence NECTA, but is included in the Combined NECTA and MSA definitions.

Principal Cities

  • Providence, Rhode Island
    Providence, Rhode Island
    Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

  • Fall River, Massachusetts
    Fall River, Massachusetts
    Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...

  • New Bedford, Massachusetts
    New Bedford, Massachusetts
    New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...

  • Warwick, Rhode Island
    Warwick, Rhode Island
    Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000...

  • Cranston, Rhode Island
    Cranston, Rhode Island
    Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,387 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...


Transportation

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...

 (MBTA) operates a commuter rail connecting the metropolitan area to Boston. There are commuter rail stations in Providence
Providence (Amtrak station)
Providence Station is a railroad station in Providence, Rhode Island and is served by Amtrak and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority . The station has four tracks for passenger service, with a fifth track passing through for Providence and Worcester Railroad freight trains...

, South Attleboro
South Attleboro (MBTA station)
South Attleboro is the southernmost station in Massachusetts on the Providence/Stoughton Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail, and was the southernmost station on weekends, until June 29, 2006, when Rhode Island began funding weekend service to Providence...

, and Attleboro
Attleboro (MBTA station)
Attleboro is a commuter rail station on the MBTA's Providence/Stoughton Line located in Attleboro, Massachusetts.The two station buildings were originally built in 1906 and 1908 by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Later in the 20th Century, the station was both an MBTA and Amtrak...

. An extension of the commuter rail to T.F. Green Airport in Warwick
Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000...

 is expected to be completed in 2009. Extensions to Fall River and New Bedford have also been planned. Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

 provides regional rail service to the Providence and Kingston
Kingston Railroad Station (Rhode Island)
Kingston Station is located at 1 Railroad Avenue, in West Kingston, Rhode Island. It was built at this location in 1875 by the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad, also known as the Stonington Line.-History:...

 train stations as well.

Rhode Island Public Transit Authority
Rhode Island Public Transit Authority
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the state of Rhode Island. The main hub of the RIPTA system is Kennedy Plaza, a large bus terminal in downtown Providence, Rhode Island...

 (RIPTA), which has its hub
Kennedy Plaza
Kennedy Plaza is a transportation hub in downtown Providence, Rhode Island next to the Providence City Hall and Providence Federal Building. It serves as the nexus of the state's conventional-bus and trolley-replica bus public transit services operated by Rhode Island Public Transit Authority , as...

 in downtown Providence
Downtown, Providence, Rhode Island
Downtown, also known as Downcity, is the central economic, political, and cultural district of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bounded on the east by Canal Street and the Providence River, to the north by Smith Street, to the west by Interstate 95, and to the south by Henderson Street...

 manages local bus transit for the state, serving 38 out of 39 Rhode Island communities, RIPTA has 58 bus lines, 2 tourist trolley lines known as LINK, and a seasonal ferry to Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

. Ferry services link Block Island
Block Island
Block Island is part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately south of the coast of Rhode Island, east of Montauk Point on Long Island, and is separated from the Rhode Island mainland by Block Island Sound. The United States Census Bureau defines Block...

, Prudence Island
Prudence Island
Prudence Island is the third largest island in Narragansett Bay in the U.S. state of Rhode Island and part of the town of Portsmouth. It is located near the geographical center of the bay. It is defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 3, Census Tract 401.03 of Newport County,...

, and Hog Island
Hog Island (Rhode Island)
Hog Island is an island in Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, USA. It lies at the entrance to the harbor of the town of Bristol, and is part of the town of Portsmouth. The 60-foot tall Hog Island Shoal Lighthouse stands off the south end, warning ships to beware of the dangerous shoals around the...

 to the Rhode Island mainland. Southeastern Regional Transit Authority
Southeastern Regional Transit Authority
Southeastern Regional Transit Authority is a public transport authority in Bristol County, Massachusetts. A variety of bus services are offered to serve the cities of New Bedford, Massachusetts and Fall River, Massachusetts.-New Bedford Services:...

 (SRTA) provides local bus service in the Massachusetts locales of Fall River and New Bedford.

The major airport is T. F. Green Airport
T. F. Green Airport
T. F. Green Airport , also known as Theodore Francis Green State Airport, is a public airport located in Warwick, six miles south of Providence, in Kent County, Rhode Island, USA. Dedicated in 1931, the airport was named for former Rhode Island governor and longtime senator Theodore F. Green...

 in Warwick
Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000...

, though Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...

 in Boston is also used. The commuter rail is in the process of being extended to the airport, which will link by rail T.F. Green to Providence and Boston.

Two interstates connect major population centers in the region: 95
Interstate 95 in Rhode Island
Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States, runs generally southwest-northeast through the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It runs from the border with Connecticut near Westerly through Warwick and Providence and to the Massachusetts state line...

, which runs diagonally across Rhode Island, and 195
Interstate 195 (Rhode Island-Massachusetts)
Interstate 195 is an Interstate Highway running a combined 40.1 miles in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It travels from a junction with Interstate 95 in Providence, Rhode Island east to a junction with Interstate 495 and Route 25 in Wareham, Massachusetts...

, which runs east from Providence into Massachusetts. The auxiliary interstate 295
Interstate 295 (Rhode Island-Massachusetts)
Interstate 295 is an Interstate route in length within the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. It serves as a western bypass around Providence, Rhode Island. The southern terminus is a junction with I-95 in Warwick, Rhode Island...

 provides a bypass around Providence.

Demographics

The Metro Area is marked by large populations of Irish-American, Italian-American, and French Canadians French-American throughout the region. The Irish form the largest group in Newport, and Washington Counties. The Italians in Kent, and southern Providence County. the French in northern and western providence county. All groups however can be found throughout the region in large numbers.

Also included are very large concentrations of Lusophone
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

 populations across the region with the largest density being from East Providence to New Bedford. The two Bristol counties (RI, and MA) are the only two counties in America where Portuguese-Americans form a plurality of the Population.

Pockets of English and Scots-Irish Americans are found in rural areas of the region such as South County where they are known locally as "Swamp Yankees", and also in towns such as Barrington, East Greenwich and the East Side of Providence.

Other Groups include Poles, Swedes, Germans, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and Arabs (especially Lebanese and Syrians).

More recent immigrant groups include continued migrations from Portugal, Cape Verde, Brazil, and other Lusophone nations, South East Asia specifically Laos, Cambodia, Hmong (mostly from Vietnam), small but growing Chinese, Japanese and Korean populations, and the Former Soviet Union.

However, the largest group of recent immigrants has been Latino. The Latino population is very diverse with older populations of Puerto Ricans (many 3rd and 4th generation) being joined more recently by significant and growing Dominican, Guatemalan, Salvadorian, Mexican, Colombian, Venezuelan and Bolivian communities. Providence, RI holds the distinction of being the first city where a native born Dominican was elected to the Senate in the state of Rhode Island.
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