Providence tourist information

This area was first settled in 1636 by Roger Williams, and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies. Williams secured a title to the land from the Narragansett natives around this time, renaming the area "Providence," because of "God's merciful providence." Williams cultivated Providence as a refuge for persecuted religious dissenters, as he himself had been exiled from Massachusetts. Shortly after being settled, much of Providence was burned down in King Philip's War, which lasted from 1675 to 1676.

Providence's growth was slow during the next quarter-century. The first census of the colony, taken in 1708, recorded 1,446 residents. However, in the second census taken in 1730, the colony's population had almost tripled to 3,916 people. The Providence territory would become smaller as more and more of the land would become part of different towns, including Scituate and Johnston. The city's slow growth was also due to the rocky, hilly, and heavily wooded land which made farming difficult, as well as the tradition of dissent and independent-mindedness (Rhode Island was the first of the thirteen colonies to declare independence from Great Britain). Residents often fought over land titles, politics, and religion.

In the mid-1770s, Providence was focused on fishing and maritime trade, and was becoming a major commercial center. Nevertheless, the British government's passage of several laws levying various taxes caused Providence to join the other colonies in renouncing allegiance to the British Crown. One such law was the Sugar Act, which levied a tax on sugar and molasses imports, and impacted Providence's distilleries and its trade in rum and slaves. In response to enforcement of unpopular trade laws, Providence residents spilt (arguably) the first blood of the American Revolution in 1772 in the notorious Gaspee Affair. During this period, Providence's population had exceeded 4,300 citizens by 1776, and Providence was able to avoid occupation by British soldiers during the American Revolutionary War, though the city did suffer major interruptions in education and trade as a result of its location and facility as quarters for many troops passing through the area.

Following the war, Providence's main focus on its economy shifted from maritime endeavors to manufacturing. Samuel Slater is credited as having begun the shift in about 1790, and historians mark the transformation's completion at about 1830. Manufacturing would be the city's major industry for the next one hundred years, particularly in machine tools, silverware, jewelry and textiles. At one time, Providence boasted the largest steam engine factory in the US (Corliss), the largest silverware plant (Gorham), the largest machine tool plant (Brown and Sharpe), the largest file and rasp maker (Nicholson), and the largest screw manufacturer (American Screw). The city's industries attracted many people, including immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Sweden, England, Italy, Portugal, Cape Verde, and French Canada. Nevertheless, the city experienced social strife, notably with a series of race riots between whites and blacks during the 1820s. In response to continued growth and social conflicts, Providence residents issued ratified a city charter in November 1831. The city became the sole capital of Rhode Island in 1900. From 1854 to 1900, Providence was the joint capital of the state with Newport.

The city began to see a decline by the mid-1920s as industries, notably in textiles, began to shut down and unemployment rose. The Great Depression hit the city hard, and Providence was further hit by the New England Hurricane of 1938, which flooded the downtown area. The city saw further decline as a result of the nation-wide trends affecting most American cities in the post-WWII era, with the construction of highways and increased suburbanization, manifested in the loss of population and capital.

Providence was notorious from the 1950s into the 1980s as a bastion of organized crime. The city was the seat of power for the New England "Cosa Nostra" or Mafia. "The Office," as the organization was sometimes known, was run out of a small vending machine office on Atwells Avenue in the heart of Federal Hill, Providence's "Little Italy." The legendary mafia boss Raymond Patriarca ruled a vast criminal enterprise with an iron fist from here for over three decades. At the height of his power in the 1960s, Patriaraca was thought to be more powerful than the Governor of Rhode Island and was alleged to have judges, the police, and politicians at his command through bribery and intimidation. Murders and disappearances associated with organized crime were commonplace during this period and were accepted with resignation by most Rhode Islanders.

The city began to revive beginning in the 1970s. From 1975 until 1982, $606 million of Community Development money, including funds from other federal, state, and city sources, were invested in the downtown area and neighborhoods throughout the city, and the population began to stabilize. In the 1990s, Mayor Vincent Cianci, Jr. showcased the city as a center for the arts and pushed for further revitalization. These included opening up the Providence River and moving the railroad tracks underground, building Waterplace Park and riverwalks along the river's banks, and the construction of the Fleet Skating Rink (now the Bank of America Skating Rink) in downtown and the 1.4 million ft2 Providence Place Mall.

The recent Providence Renaissance has triggered new investment within the city. GTech is in the final stages of moving its headquarters to downtown Providence. Due to be completed in 2006, the 10-story 210,000 square foot (19,500 m²) building will contain about 500 people. The Waterplace Residential Towers, to be built overlooking Providence's Waterplace Park, will consist of 193 luxury condominiums in its 17 and 19-story buildings, and is estimated to be completed in mid-2007. Additionally, a former parking lot adjacent to the state capitol is being developed into low-rise apartments. Other recent residential construction includes The Jefferson behind Providence Place mall and the historic preservation and conversion of the Foundry, the former plant of Brown and Sharpe.

Much of Providence culture is synonymous with Rhode Island culture including the spoken accent, propensity for coffee, and cuisine, though the city's diversity, social attitudes, and events append to its local flavor.

Providence has several ethnic neighborhoods, notably Federal Hill (Italian), Elmwood (Vietnamese), Lower South Providence (Dominican and Liberian), Fox Point (Cape Verdean)and Smith Hill (mixed -- Irish, Bolivian, Cambodian). There are also many dedicated community organizations and arts associations located in the city.

The city gained the reputation as one of the most vibrant and growing LGBT communities in the Northeast. The current mayor won his election running as an openly gay man, making him the first openly gay mayor of a US state capital. Mayor Cianci instituted the position of Mayor's Liaison to the Gay and Lesbian community in the 1990s. There are numerous social and community organizations supporting the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community.

During the summer months, the city regularly hosts WaterFire, an environmental art installation that consists of about 100 bonfires that blaze just above the surface of the three rivers that pass through the middle of downtown Providence. There are multiple Waterfire events that are accompanied by various pieces of classical and world music. The public art displays, most notably sculptures, change on a regular basis.

The city is also the home of the Tony winning theater group Trinity Repertory Company and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra. Providence is also the home of several performing arts centers such as the Veterans Memorial Auditorium and the Providence Performing Arts Center. The city's underground music scene, centered around artist-run spaces such as the now-defunct Fort Thunder, is internationally revered.

Providence and the surrounding area have been used as a backdrop for several movies and television series. The animated television series Family Guy takes place in Quahog, a fictional suburb of Providence and prominently features the most pronounced segment of Providence's skyline several times an episode (the buildings are One Financial Plaza, 50 Kennedy Plaza, and the Bank of America Building respectively). The city and its name were used in the television series Providence, and Showtime's upcoming series, The Brotherhood, was also filmed and set in Providence. The Farrelly brothers used the city as a backdrop for several of their movies, notably Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary. The movie Outside Providence takes place in Pawtucket, adjacent to Providence. Although not set in Providence, the movie Amistad used the exterior of the Rhode Island State House as the United States Capitol exterior, while Meet Joe Black was also filmed on location in Providence. Providence is currently the primary filming grounds for the upcoming Underdog movie. The upcoming CBS show Waterfront will also take place in and be filmed in Providence.