Where to live as a young family

Submitted by br4532 t3_z3mmlx in providence

We’re moving from Boston in June for my husband to do a residency at Rhode Island Hospital. Our kid will be 1.5 and that point. I’ll work from home. We want to live maybe 10 minutes from the hospital so he can easily go back and forth when on call. Any suggestions for neighborhoods?

ETA: We do have cars. We could do anything from urban to suburban if he can get to the hospital quickly. Ideally not surrounded by college students, but in a place where there are lots of families with young kids. It’s just for a year, so definitely will rent.

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ghostpepperlover t1_ixmnq48 wrote

10 minutes from the hospital can vary greatly during traffic. I would avoid the east side of the bay as getting over the bridge that’ll be under construction for a year is a horrible commute. The area immediately surrounding the hospital is kind of dicey. As mentioned in a previous comment, the Edgewood community in Cranston is pretty close and is mostly professionals. It’s close to Pawtuxet village, Roger Williams Park and the highway.

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aly-moon t1_ixmukg3 wrote

And during traffic you can use allens ave and Narragansett parkway to get there if the highway is jammed. They go right through to eddy and the hospital

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ghostpepperlover t1_ixmvl0v wrote

I wouldn’t even hit the highway if I lived in Edgewood. I worked on Atwells Ave and live in Warwick. I just took Warwick Ave straight into the city and cut through the neighborhoods of traffic sucked.

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katiebee11 t1_ixn78p6 wrote

I’d echo this. Edgewood (Providence or Cranston — we share a zip, 02905) or Pawtuxet Village (Cranston) or even Gaspee Point (Warwick) are all close enough to downtown to be easily commutable (no highway) but very family friendly.

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UncleJimmee t1_ixmqvjv wrote

Edgewood is great; is also close to roger williams park. stay on west side of the bay bridge traffic can be a disaster. Pawtuxet village may work for you too.

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huron9000 t1_ixmui3i wrote

Yes, Edgewood is really nice. Patuxet Village is too, if not too far.

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PawtucketPatriot t1_ixme38s wrote

So many different options and challenging to give my own perspective without knowing your preferences. Do you prefer suburban style development or more urban. If urban, how urban? Do you have cars? What is your price range? Answers to these questions will help for a more informed response. I also suggest taking some time to come down and explore the area. You are very close and have time.

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br4532 OP t1_ixmihi1 wrote

We’ve lived in the city for many years so we could definitely do urban but would also be thrilled for some green spaces or a yard. Having a toddler to tote around, I would love to not have to deal with some of the usual stressors of city living like parking, but maybe that will be easier in parts of Providence. We do have cars.

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hurricanetruther t1_ixo6xlf wrote

Except for downtown really Providence is the kind of city where you can park and walk if you're willing to do so. Like, Thayer St. is a pretty popular spot, and parking on it directly is tough--but there are several side streets to use, if you're willing to walk an extra few minutes. It's not like a big city where you can be SOL.

OTOH it's also not like a big city where you may have a metro or a quasi-functioning bus system.

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_ixmi33e wrote

Edgewood is a great kid friendly neighborhood but doesn’t have a lot of rentals. East side is a good place to start esp with littles.

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SilverFocus7893 t1_ixmeay3 wrote

Bought a place in East Providence/Rumford a few years ago and like it a lot. Bit more bang for your buck then the East Side of Providence but still an easy commute to downtown or Rhode Island Hospital. There are some nice/ relatively affordable new rental options on College Hill/Wickenden that would be very close to the hospital as well.

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Mountain_Bill5743 t1_ixmnjk4 wrote

I would second EP especially with the desires like a yard and ease of parking.

I will say that the new builds on Wickenden and College Hill are probably at 95th percentile on rent in the city-- probably a minimum of 3k for a 2 bedroom and the new ones above Trader Joes are as high as 5,200 (according to someone's post on here). So compared to Boston it'a not bad, but if OP's husband is only getting paid as a resident, there are much better deals to be had in the city.

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huron9000 t1_ixmud5c wrote

No. East Providence is not 10 min drive from the hospital when that bridge gets backed up.

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pvdred t1_ixow8o0 wrote

90% of the time my commute to near the hospital is 12 minutes.

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Thac0 t1_ixmou0w wrote

I’ll also vouch for East Providence. I bought over near Pierce Field almost 2 years ago and the town and neighborhood is nice and close to green spaces and the bike trail and walkable to the city. It’s ideal. The new high school my son goes to is awesome and we will be updating the other schools too. Also let’s keep Metacomet green 🙏🏻

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pvdchicken19 t1_ixnburw wrote

Metacomet was sold to a private developer years ago. Too late. The same person who was a driving force in a new high school and the money for fixing Waddington and Martin was the city council person KMG boomers attacked. The same boomers btw who were against the new high school. Let’s create more green spaces through the East Providence Land Trust, Metacomet is long gone…. be happy less than half is being developed.

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gradontripp t1_ixmlsjv wrote

I rent on the East Side after living in Boston for 15 years. Both neighbors above and below me are on multiyear fellowships at local hospitals. It’s city living, for sure, but there are tons of young families around. There’s a tot lot on Morris that seems pretty perfect for the wee ones.

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PVDBikesandBeer t1_ixp27wb wrote

Second this. If you can find a rental near Hope St, you'll be good to go.

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nodumbunny t1_ixqgakb wrote

Yup, I live in the East Side and the housing stock is 1, 2 and 3 family homes - my street has all of these and lots of kids. (There were not a lot of kids when mine were little, but there are now, so it can be hit or miss.)

If you want to be able to avoid the highway to and from the hospital, look at the part of the East Side closer to Fox Point and/or College Hill and proximity to the Point Street Bridge. If you don't mind using the highway, look in the part of the East Side near the Rochambeau Library; west of Hope Street will have cheaper rents.

I note people are advising the north part of Edgewood, but one caveat would be that there are a lot of absentee landlords renting to Johnson & Wales students. This can also be true of the Fox Point area, but College Hill is still convenient to the Point Street Bridge, and has fewer absentee landlords and therefore rowdy students.

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coolstoryglenn t1_ixmtbkw wrote

Elmhurst is a great option in PVD for families with kids. We’ve been here for 10+ years and the number of young families continues to grow (at least in our corner of the neighborhood).

Biggest downside is schools. For elementary we’ve done parochial. Friends have done same, as well as some in public and others charter. Oldest is now at Classical

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jimmylstyles t1_ixn13q9 wrote

I second this. Elmhurst is excellent and exploding with new young families

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Beachbabe1186 t1_ixq32uq wrote

Came here to say this! Elmhurst gives the opportunity to be close to the city but still tucked away in a residential neighborhood at a more affordable price tag. You’ll be more likely to find places with yards and driveways here. They may be on the smaller side but if you’re coming from Boston you may not mind. There’s a nice park and splash pad for kids!

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mrbgso t1_ixmtiin wrote

Check out the Oak Hill neighborhood of Pawtucket. Just over the city line from Providence on the East Side. Because it’s technically Pawtucket, housing prices drop sharply, but is very nice with TONS of young families!

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huron9000 t1_ixmuzaq wrote

Not 10 min from hospital with traffic though….

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mrbgso t1_ixn4cfu wrote

My wife commutes to the hospital daily, starting in her fellowship, and I do it regularly for daycare dropoff/pickup. Not for nothing, with traffic there’s no such thing as a guaranteed ten minute commute to the hospital unless you live in like, the Jewelry District or maaaaaaybe Fox Point

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astral_weeks_01 t1_ixq1b4g wrote

OP, frankly everything in Providence will feel very close after living in Boston. The question might be: which part of Boston would you live in if you could? When we moved, we knew we wanted a Jamaica Plain kind of vibe (walkable, shops, mix of people, parks, restaurants, still central to everything) and found it on the East Side of Providence near Pawtucket border. A lot of nice family neighborhoods people are recommending here would be far from retail shops and not very walkable.

FYI, I highly recommend Meeting Street Early Childhood Center (just south of RI Hospital). Great program, excellent teachers, decent price (compared to similar caliber programs).

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fruit_cats t1_ixmj3ex wrote

East providence is probably your best bet, it’s pretty cheap and would fit your distance requirements.

Downside is that the school system is at best mediocre, but you have a few years before you need to worry about that!

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Mountain_Bill5743 t1_ixmlai5 wrote

Just curious about why you'd consider the EP schools at best mediocre? I've never lived in the area, so I'm curious since most parents I know there/prospective parents tend to find the schools a huge selling point (especially with the new high school).

Like not as well regarded as say Barrington, but not one of the districts that gets mentioned negatively in any way.

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fruit_cats t1_ixmsjpg wrote

I admit I’m a harsh judge of schools.

As for EP specifically, their academics and student progress are really not great, especially their middle schools, some elementary schools are decent but others not so much.

I also have a lot of close friends in school/city management and the ones that work in EP describe such ineptitude and uncaring management it’s amazing.

When we were looking for houses, EP was quickly ruled out because of the schools. We spent a lot of time visiting, researching and it just kept landing near the bottom.

Other than that it’s a nice community though!

Maybe the new high school will help, because the sorely need it!

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Mountain_Bill5743 t1_ixn0dae wrote

Thanks for your honesty!

I will admit that the school complex out here confuses me. I grew up in a part of the country where you just went where your family happened to live, with no charter or private options offered. My home school has a similar ranking to this niche page, but in addition to the daycare we had we also had a steady stream of ivy league admissions and ranked one of the most diverse schools in state. I will say that our district was very supportive of staff and admin and my teachers spent their entire careers there-- so it does seem like it's good you heeded that managerial warning.

I guess I'm just always trying to share that kids are pretty adaptable. I will admit we lacked some AP classes, but my friends just got credit by getting books and self studying.

Not trying to change your mind-- I sincerely hope you are happy with your district! Just trying to soothe some nerves of people my age who might not know some of the more successful graduates of lesser ranked public schools.

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Mosstastic_22 t1_ixne5r1 wrote

I live in the Edgewood section like others have mentioned and on my street alone we have like 10 kids under 3, including my own 2.

I love the area. Feel free to ask questions if you’d like

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cheekiewalrus t1_ixnhczc wrote

My wife and I recently moved into the Oak Hill neighborhood on the Pawtucket/East Side line. Absolutely love it over there. Very family friendly.

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TimeSlipperWHOOPS t1_ixo02uf wrote

We lived on the east side during residency. Welcome to the team!

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katiedid1991 t1_ixoa82t wrote

I would say the East Side of Providence. Wayland Square area has a decent amount of families and is walkable to a few parks. Also walkable to grocery stores, restaurants, parks, etc. There are also part-time preschools that you can walk to as well. Depending on traffic, 10-15 minutes to the hospital.

Source: we moved there with a newborn and had our second child on the East Side. We lived off Butler Ave. We moved to the suburbs for better schools but really miss the East Side.

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Pvder t1_ixoot0v wrote

If you are used to city living , then upper south providence or dexter park in the west end are totally fine, and you will find a lot more space for your dollar. There are mostly young families and artsy old people living here despite what you hear from Rhode Island residents who would never step foot in this part of the city. The proximity to pretty much everything Providence has to offer is very convenient, you have the easiest access to 95, you have plenty of mom and pop shops, you have tons of yuccie popups and breweries, and you don’t need to deal with hordes of students everywhere. Also, 3 public high schools including one of the best exam schools in New England. Yes, it has a homeless shelter that closes during the day, and many organizations offering social services which is the main reason for the stigma.

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Full-Magazine9739 t1_ixnbrf1 wrote

Look at the East side. I’d also look at Barrington which is very nice and a short drive. Bristol similarly but a slightly further drive. There are also some nice areas of Warwick and Cranston.

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bpear t1_iy9uc75 wrote

https://theroyaleresidence.com/units.html

This building is a 3 minute drive from the hospital.

Pretty easy walk to the pedestrian bridge, India point park, etc. Nice area to live for sure. Right in the jewelry district.

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