Rhode Island, a U.S. state in New England, is known for sandy shores and seaside Colonial towns. It’s home to several large cities, including Newport, which is famed for sailing, and Gilded Age mansions, such as The Breakers. Providence, its capital, is home to Brown University, green Roger Williams Park, landscaped Waterplace Park, and Riverwalk, with the famed WaterFire art installation.
This is the smallest state in the country – it’s only about 1,200 square miles. It’s 48 miles tall and only 37 miles wide. It’s about the same size as Yosemite National Park. In fact, the city of Anchorage Alaska is bigger than the whole state of Rhode Island, and you could fit 552 Rhode Islands inside of Alaska. You can drive across this whole state in about 40 minutes. For many Americans, it takes 40 minutes just to get to the HIGHWAY en route to work in the morning.
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the United States, but it packs a wallop when it comes to history and scenic beauty. The state’s top destination, Newport. Rhode Island has an extensive shoreline – a rich industrial history, and an idyllic island, and you’ll see why Rhode Island should be on any New England itinerary. If you want a relaxing vacation, then consider Rhode Island. The Ocean State may be small, but it has just as much to offer visitors as any other part of the United States.
If you’re moving to Rhode Island, there are a lot of things you’re going to need to know. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place.
Here are a few pros and cons to consider as you make your move to The Ocean State:
Too small for large-scale agriculture, forestry, or mining, Rhode Island’s economy has historically relied on manufacturing and trade since the 1700s. The state boasts more than 1,000 jewelry manufacturers, and other leading products include silverware, boats, chemicals, electronics, and ocean technology. The state is home to pharmacy giant CVS and toy behemoth Hasbro, whose beloved Mr. Potato Head graces a fundraising license plate.
Other important industries include health services as well as financial services, with major companies like Citizens Bank and Fidelity headquartered in the Providence metro area. Employing more than 50,000 people, tourism is also significant to the Rhode Island economy, as is education, thanks to the state’s more than 12 colleges and universities. They include the Ivy League institution Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). With higher education offerings within an hour drive than any other location, Rhode Island ranks 13th in the U.S. for residents with bachelor’s degrees (over 30%) and 10th for graduate degrees (over 11%).
Rhode Island has also benefitted from its economically robust neighbors Massachusetts and Connecticut, as the state has recruited many businesses to relocate, bringing employees pleased to find more affordable real estate, a milder climate (relative to New England) and cosmopolitan culture of its resurgent capital, Providence. In turn, many residents commute to jobs in Massachusetts or Connecticut but live in the Ocean State, so-named because no point in this tiny state with 40 miles of coastline is more than a 30-minute drive from the sea.
You definitely won’t be cut off after moving to Connecticut because of the well-established highway system. However, the state has quite a well-known traffic congestion issue in certain areas, particularly on I-84 and I-95, which run from New Haven to New York. WalletHub ranked Connecticut as 38 on its best states to drive in the list—not the worst, but pretty darn close!
Public transportation is good, though, with a decent rail system compared to many U.S. locations, meaning you don’t need a car to travel around. Amtrak is great for inner-city journeys, and reaching airports like JFK and LaGuardia is easy using Metro-North. A variety of local and express route bus services run by CTtransit are also available.
The famous ferries are definitely something you should experience after moving to Connecticut. Hop on the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Ferry, which will take you on a picturesque journey to Long Island—it carries cars as well as passengers.
Providence, Rhode Island’s cost of living is 22% higher than the national average. The cost of living in any area can vary based on factors such as your career, its average salary, and the real estate market of that area. Renting a two-bedroom apartment in Providence, Rhode Island, will cost you around $1,700.
In Providence, you can buy property for between 280 and $ 350,000 and in cities like Boston or New York, you can’t even touch properties like that without having $ 500,000 or $ 600,000 in your pocket, so obviously that’s very attractive for a Many people and many buyers who approach Rhode Island for this reason are right because housing is unaffordable in most of these cities and states, so it is part of the lifestyle.
- Family of four estimated monthly costs are 3,583.74$ without rent.
- Providence is 23.50% less expensive than New York.
- A single person estimated monthly costs are 1,021.31$ without rent.
- Rent in Providence is, on average, 50.71% lower than in New York.
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