These Are The 10 Best Neighborhoods In Providence, RI For 2018

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Do you like your neighborhood? Is it friendly, and where everyone knows their neighbors? No matter if you live in the sticks or in an apartment building in downtown Providence, you have a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood is different.

Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Providence neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?

Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Providence are the best. If you’re in one of the places we’re about to highlight, odds are you know you’ve got it made.

Here are the best neighborhoods in Providence for 2018:

Read on to see how we determined the places around Providence that deserve a little bragging rights or maybe you’re interested in the worst neighborhoods in Providence.

If you’re thinking of moving to elsewhere in Rhode Island check out:

How do you determine the top neighborhoods in Providence for 2018?

In order to rank the best neighborhoods in Providence, we had to determine what criteria defines a ‘best’.

Using crime, census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:

High incomes
Low unemployment rates
Low crime
High home prices
High population densities (A proxy for things to do)

10 Most Dangerous Cities In Rhode Island

We limited the analysis to neighborhoods with over 1,000 people.

We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 24 in each category, where 1 was the best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.

And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index the ‘Best City Neighborhood In Providence.’ We’re lookin’ at you, Wayland.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Providence has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city from best to worst.

1. Wayland

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 4.0

Population: 2,972
Median Income: $49,078
Median Home Value: $522,425

Wayland Square is a historic area on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island near Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design.
More on Wayland: Real Estate | Data

2. College Hill

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL

Population: 9,345
Median Income: $73,024
Median Home Value: $611,738

College Hill is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island, and one of six neighborhoods comprising the East Side of Providence and part of the College Hill Historic District. It is roughly bounded by South and North Main Street to the west, Power Street to the south, Governor Street and Arlington Avenue to the east and Olney Street to the north. College Hill is also home to Thayer Street, a shopping strip frequented by students in the Providence area.
More on College Hill: Real Estate | Data

3. Elmhurst

Population: 10,809
Median Income: $61,325
Median Home Value: $180,591

Elmhurst is a primarily residential neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of Providence, Rhode Island. Douglas Avenue and Admiral Street bound Elmhurst to the northeast, Academy Avenue and Smith Street bound it to the west, while Chalkstone Avenue marks the southern border.
More on Elmhurst: Real Estate | Data

4. Mount Pleasant

Population: 10,625
Median Income: $58,154
Median Home Value: $158,727

Mount Pleasant is a working-class residential neighborhood situated in the northwest of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bordered by Olneyville to the south, Valley to the east, Manton to the west, and Elmhurst to the northeast, and the Town of North Providence to the north. The major street boundaries that define Mount Pleasant are Academy Avenue to the east, Smith Street to the northeast, Atwells Avenue to the south, and portions of Bullock, Chalkstone, Mera, and Rushmore Avenues to the west.
More on Mount Pleasant: Real Estate | Data

5. Blackstone

Source: Flickr User CthulhuWho1 (Will Hart) | CC BY 2.0

Population: 6,475
Median Income: $94,661
Median Home Value: $430,925

Blackstone is a predominantly residential neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. It is in the northeast corner of the city and is bounded to the south and west by Lloyd Avenue and Hope Street respectively. It is one of six neighborhoods comprising the East Side of Providence.
More on Blackstone: Real Estate | Data

6. Fox Point

Population: 3,257
Median Income: $52,271
Median Home Value: $321,020

Fox Point is a neighborhood in the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bounded by the Providence and Seekonk rivers, Interstate 195 and the College Hill and Wayland neighborhoods. Fox Point is the southernmost neighborhood in the East Side area of Providence.
More on Fox Point: Real Estate | Data

7. Hope

Source: Flickr User CthulhuWho1 (Will Hart) | CC BY 2.0

Population: 2,789
Median Income: $72,622
Median Home Value: $298,550

Hope is a neighborhood on the northern border of Providence, Rhode Island. To the west, it is bounded by North Main Street, the North Burial Ground, and Interstate 95, while Rochambeau Ave, Hope Street, and the Providence-Pawtucket city line roughly delineate its boundaries to the south, east, and north respectively. Hope is sometimes referred to as Summit, named for the street that runs through the middle of the neighborhood. Though ‘Hope’ is officially recognized, residents and the local neighborhood organization more often use ‘Summit’.
More on Hope: Real Estate | Data

8. Mount Hope

Population: 6,204
Median Income: $49,791
Median Home Value: $182,950

Mount Hope is a neighborhood in northern Providence, Rhode Island. It is one of six neighborhoods comprising the East Side of Providence. The area is bounded to the north by Rochambeau Avenue, to the east by Hope Street, to the south by Olney Street, while the western border is the former New York-New Haven Railroad and Interstate 95. Camp Street is often used as a landmark for the neighborhood, as it runs lengthwise through Mount Hope’s center.
More on Mount Hope: Real Estate | Data

9. South Elmwood

Population: 1,771
Median Income: $41,450
Median Home Value: $165,750

South Elmwood is the southernmost neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island, and is home to Roger Williams Park and the Roger Williams Park Zoo. The neighborhood is bounded to the northwest by Interstate 95, to the northeast by Broad Street and Verndale Avenue, and on all other sides by the municipal boundary with Cranston. The population of the neighborhood, as of 2000, was 2,184.
More on South Elmwood: Real Estate | Data

10. Reservoir

Population: 3,022
Median Income: $48,204
Median Home Value: $149,333

Reservoir is a neighborhood in southwest Providence, Rhode Island. It is bounded to the north and east by the Amtrak Northeast Corridor railroad tracks, and to the west and south by the municipal boundary with Cranston. The population of the neighborhood, as of 2000, was 2,963.
More on Reservoir: Real Estate | Data

Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of Providence

If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Providence where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious, here are the worst places in Providence:

Elmwood
Wanskuck
Lower South Providence

For more reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Neighborhoods In Providence

Rank	Neighborhood	Population	Home Prices	Crimes Per 100k	Unemployment Rate
1	Wayland	2,972	$522,425	1,409	0.5%
2	College Hill	9,345	$611,738	1,409	5.2%
3	Elmhurst	10,809	$180,591	3,372	4.1%
4	Mount Pleasant	10,625	$158,727	4,048	10.0%
5	Blackstone	6,475	$430,925	1,409	2.5%
6	Fox Point	3,257	$321,020	1,699	5.0%
7	Hope	2,789	$298,550	1,571	2.4%
8	Mount Hope	6,204	$182,950	3,517	4.5%
9	South Elmwood	1,771	$165,750	4,097	11.3%
10	Reservoir	3,022	$149,333	3,880	14.9%
11	Manton	4,433	$153,300	4,464	6.9%
12	Valley	5,822	$166,160	4,144	8.6%
13	Charles	6,293	$165,400	4,103	6.1%
14	Washington Park	7,012	$166,271	4,623	12.9%
15	Downtown	4,042	$150,700	4,145	5.2%
16	Hartford	6,957	$132,050	4,972	13.6%
17	West End	16,449	$162,386	4,600	10.1%
18	Smith Hill	5,379	$126,867	4,515	10.4%
19	Federal Hill	7,546	$204,314	3,858	8.0%
20	Olneyville	6,873	$122,000	5,139	11.4%
21	Silverlake	11,751	$128,438	4,878	11.8%
22	Lower South Providence	5,770	$112,943	5,072	13.3%
23	Wanskuck	12,096	$143,225	4,661	6.6%
24	Elmwood	10,446	$109,133	4,997	14.3%