Downtown vs. Federal Hill vs. Fox Point vs. College Hill?

Submitted by lunafranksmum t3_126743z in providence

Hey everyone, seeking advice from you locals. My spouse and I are moving to Providence this summer and we are having some trouble gauging where is best to live. Barring the price point, where would you choose to live? Pros and cons of each would be helpful. We’re also looking at the Wayland and Mount Hope areas. We value a safe neighborhood where we could walk around peacefully, and a bonus if close to great food/cafes. Thank you for your time!

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Ikimasen t1_je7xage wrote

I lived in Fox Point for two years and loved it.

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lunafranksmum OP t1_je7xl20 wrote

Thanks for the input! What did you love about it?

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Ikimasen t1_je92pb8 wrote

It very much felt like a neighborhood, it was very walkable. I could get to a butcher, a grocery store, a bakery, and god knows how many restaurants on foot.

I walked to the park for the fireworks in July, I got to see a lot of Portuguese-American life, and I could stroll right past Captain Seaweed's to go somewhere decent for a beer in the evenings.

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FunLife64 t1_je81zsm wrote

All of them are safe if you aren’t doing anything stupid.

That being said, I find Federal Hill to be a little more rough around the edges/lack of curb appeal. You get this in a lot of PVD…I think some of it is because street parking overnight wasn’t allowed until recently so people would pave wherever they could create a parking space.

That being said, I do like the Fox Point area as you can walk downtown, Collrge Hill, you have the park along the water, and can walk to Wayland easily as well. Depending where you’re moving from that is - some people think a 10 minute walk to go somewhere is crazy! Ha It’s also super convenient to hop on the interstate.

Just note that finding housing for “working professionals” isn’t as easy as you may expect. There’s a lot of grad students living in the area given proximity to Brown and other schools. There’s not a lot of undergrads but there are some (undergrads typically live very close to campus, grad students can venture to Wayland, Hope Village, Fox Point). It’s pretty common in PVD to have multi family homes- so 2 or 3 units in a house. Be mindful of who lives in the unit (this goes for any neighborhood).

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lunafranksmum OP t1_je845fk wrote

I really appreciate your thorough response, this was so helpful. I asked this to a commenter above, but which parts of Federal Hill would you say are most safe?

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Puzzleheaded_Try1359 t1_je8diz4 wrote

Anything between downtown and Valley st. Once you cross Valley the dynamic changes significantly. Not really violent, just a lot of drugs. If you are looking for a family friendly neighborhood I would pick Mt. hope/east side. If you want something hipper then I would look at Wayland sq/College Hill/Fox point area. There are some cool condos downtown, but parking is a bitch

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FunLife64 t1_je9ncjm wrote

Rough around the edges I was referring to is just the general look and feel of the neighborhood. It doesn’t have very good curb appeal except for very select blocks.

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chefsteev t1_je7yxf2 wrote

Moved to Federal Hill recently and have really liked it, very walkable and lots of good food, coffee shops etc. Also only 15-20min walk to downtown.

I will say Fox Point also has many of those same qualities in my experience (walkable, close to downtown, good food).

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lunafranksmum OP t1_je83u3u wrote

Federal Hill seems like a cool spot, though I’ve read that the level of safety/seediness can vary block by block? Have you observed this, and if so, do you know which areas land on the safest side? Thank you so much!

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UncleJimmee t1_je9cq9x wrote

Where are you moving from? Come visit and wander around. Best to do it before students leave for the summer.

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CaaaathcartTowers t1_je84pmr wrote

Lived at the intersection of Fox Point, College Hill and Wayland Square for 6 years and I loved it. I decided to leave Providence 2 years ago and moved to Oak Hill aka Providence without the cost. I cut my tax bill in half and the street parking is unregulated.

Renting/buying? Requirements: floor space? outside space? house vs condo? kids? pets? long vs short-term? Lively v quiet? Are you dead-set on Providence proper or would consider a nearby burb? Are you bringing a car? Two cars? Do you like the outdoors? Are you commuting north, south or Downtown?

Look, in the absolute, all the neighborhoods you've listed are mostly good and have a little bit of bad. Everything here is mostly safe.

Downtown/Jewelry: Fun, lively, no houses and expensive apts/condos. Parking is tough. If I was in my 20s and had money or cared about status or the Theater, I would live here.

Mount Hope/Fox Point/Wayland: Kind of similar, both have a mix of single and multi-fam houses and some proximity businesses nearby. Prices are probably comparable too. If I were middle/upper-middle class and dead-set on Providence, I'd live here.

College Hill: If I were rich or a Brown student ok with 400 sqf or roommates, I'd live here.

Federal Hill: Lots of entertainment, a zoo on the weekend. If I still partied a lot and was addicted to Italian food and late night pizza, I'd live here.

Before making a decision, figure out your budget and take a look at Zillow. That's going to beat any information you get from Reddit.

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lunafranksmum OP t1_je86ydg wrote

Thanks for all this, your personal descriptions of the individual neighborhoods was exactly what I was looking for. I’m definitely most interested in the Mount Hope/eastern areas where it’s a bit more subdued. I’ve been keeping an eye out on Zillow in those areas, and most of 1bd/1ba are so pricey (2k-ish) even for older multi-family units, and less than half of what I see take pets! But hopefully we find something reasonable. Thank you again!

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CaaaathcartTowers t1_je89ahm wrote

If you're looking for an affordable rental with a pet, you're going to struggle mightily in Providence. Look to Cranston, Pawtucket... East Providence and Attleboro (MA) aren't actually that bad, and you'll secure something fairly easily.

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taste_like_a_burger t1_je86v9p wrote

Hope Street is a great area. The stretch from Lippitt Park, which has a farmers market every Saturday May-Oct, to Little Sister is just over half a mile. There are some really good restaurants and cafes along that stretch. If you have a car getting to all the other neighborhoods is very easy.

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Jimmytowne t1_je8071k wrote

Providence is essentially two hills, on either side of a river. On one side is Federal Hill, Patriarca’s domain. The other bank is the east side. It’s where Brown University is, where the doctors and lawyers and professionals live. Between these two hills is City Hall.

If money is no object, move to 33 Power st

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pvdjay t1_je82du2 wrote

Patriarca’s dead

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Jimmytowne t1_je83bjo wrote

It’s a quote from crimetown.

Buddy is dead too, but 33 Power St is still a good house when money is no object

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pvdjay t1_je83n2z wrote

Oh crap! You’re right. Ha. That was a good podcast.

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HaroldWeigh t1_je8pbki wrote

Look at the Armory area on the Westside. Great houses and yards. Sttores and cafes within walking distance.

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mary_wren11 t1_je80cm0 wrote

I think for what you describe, wayland square would fit. I wouldn't live there, but definitely walkable, peaceful, plenty of cafes and shops.

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lunafranksmum OP t1_je83iz0 wrote

Thank you! Would you mind sharing why you wouldn’t live there?

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mary_wren11 t1_je9aux7 wrote

Sure. I like Providence because it's lively and diverse, Wayland Square seems really boring to me. I prefer my neighborhood which can be really loud and always has something going on-but we do not all need to want the same thing!

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werewolfmanjack t1_je87lsr wrote

Federal Hill crushes east side - culturally, but east side is probably what you are looking for if you’re looking to exchange lots of money to mitigate risk.

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playfellow_ t1_je9l9gs wrote

For what you’re looking for, Fox point is the answer. I loved there 2 years and I’m moving back in a couple of days. Amazing cafes, lowkey area, extremely walkable (tons of shops, India point park), very safe.

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RandomChurn t1_je99q8i wrote

OP, you responded to a comment with a mention of pets? What sort of pet/s? That's crucial info to leave out of your OP

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lunafranksmum OP t1_je9esrm wrote

Yes, we’ve got 2 indoor cats!

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RandomChurn t1_je9kkgl wrote

Well, in terms of securing rental housing in this market, that's likely better than a dog I think.

With stats like 3% available housing state-wide (up from 2%), you need to be aware that when there are 100 applicants for every apt listing, the landlord will choose the candidate with perfect credit and zero pets.

People still do manage to find something; it's just more difficult.

Good luck 🍀

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whitman_littlefield t1_jea5xa2 wrote

If you are looking for a house/apartment to rent in the fox point/college hill/wayland square/mount hope neighborhood I used Doyle Realtors and they did right by me. They might be worth a call.

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lightningbolt1987 t1_jeckfcv wrote

It really depends what your priorities are. Every neighborhood has pros and cons.

Fox Point is the most well rounded neighborhood in my opinion: walkable, nice architecture and curb appeal, good shops, diverse population.

Hope has the best most neighborhoody Main Street.

College Hill has great architecture but it’s only main drag (Thayer) is basically a student ghetto, so it’s really not that walkable.

Mount Hope has nice architecture and is a short drive to a lot of places but isn’t that walkable.

Wayland has great architecture, nice parks, and a nice main square, but is sleepy and boring (great for families but maybe not for non-families).

Federal Hill/West End have great night life and are walkable but can be less attractive blocks than the east side and not much green space. The exception is the area around the armory which is a fantastic community and pretty pocket though hemmed in by highways and the hood.

Downtown is actually a great place to live without kids. Walkable, great architecture, a lot going on.

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overthehillhat t1_je9b9ha wrote

Why not just a little bit into the Burb's?

RI is the land of the 8 minute drive

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