1.
Providence, Rhode Island
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Providence is the capital of and most populous city in the U. S. state of Rhode Island, founded in 1636, and one of the oldest cities in the United States. It is located in Providence County and is the third most populous city in New England, after Boston, Providence has a city population of 179,154, it is also part of the Providence metropolitan area which extends into southern Massachusetts. The Providence metropolitan area has an population of 1,604,291. This can be considered, in turn, to be part of the Greater Boston commuting area, Providence was founded by Roger Williams, a religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of Gods merciful Providence, which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him, the city is situated at the mouth of the Providence River at the head of Narragansett Bay. Providence was one of the first cities in the country to industrialize and became noted for its tool, jewelry. The city was nicknamed the Beehive of Industry, it began rebranding itself as the Creative Capital in 2009 to emphasize its educational resources. The area that is now Providence was first settled in June 1636 by Roger Williams and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies of the United States, Williams and his company felt compelled to withdraw from Massachusetts Bay Colony. Providence quickly became a refuge for persecuted religious dissenters, as Williams himself had been exiled from Massachusetts, Providence residents were among the first Patriots to spill blood in the leadup to the American Revolution during the Gaspée Affair of 1772. Rhode Island was the first of the thirteen colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown on May 4,1776. It was also the last of the thirteen colonies to ratify the United States Constitution on May 29,1790, following the war, Providence was the countrys ninth-largest city with 7,614 people. The economy shifted from maritime endeavors to manufacturing, in particular machinery, tools, silverware, jewelry, by the start of the 20th century, Providence boasted some of the largest manufacturing plants in the country, including Brown & Sharpe, Nicholson File, and Gorham Silverware. Providence residents ratified a city charter in 1831 as the population passed 17,000. From its incorporation as a city in 1832 until 1878, the seat of city government was located in the Market House, located in Market Square, the city offices quickly outgrew this building, and the City Council resolved to create a permanent municipal building in 1845. The city offices moved into the City Hall in 1878, during the Civil War, local politics split over slavery as many had ties to Southern cotton. Despite ambivalence concerning the war, the number of military volunteers routinely exceeded quota, by the early 1900s, Providence was one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. Immigrant labor powered one of the nations largest industrial manufacturing centers, Providence was a major manufacturer of industrial products from steam engines to precision tools to silverware, screws, and textiles. From 1975 until 1982, $606 million of local and national Community Development funds were invested throughout the city.4 million ft² Providence Place Mall, despite new investment, poverty remains an entrenched problem as it does in most post-industrial New England cities
2.
Italian Americans
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Italian Americans are an ethnic group comprising Americans who have full or partial ancestry from Italy, especially those who identify with that ancestry, along with their cultural characteristics. Italian Americans are the fourth largest European ethnic group in the United States, about 5.5 million Italians immigrated to the United States from 1820 to 2004. Immigration began in earnest during the 1870s, when more than twice as many Italians immigrated than during the five previous decades altogether. The 1870s were followed by the greatest surge of immigration, which occurred in the period between 1880 and 1914 and brought more than 4 million Italians to America. This period of large scale immigration ended abruptly with the onset of the First World War in 1914 and, except for one year, further immigration would be greatly limited by a number of restrictive laws passed by Congress in the 1920s. Approximately 84% of the Italian immigrants came from Southern Italy and Sicily, after unification, the Italian government initially encouraged emigration to relieve economic pressures in the South. After the American Civil War, which resulted in over a million killed or wounded, immigrant workers were recruited from Italy. In the United States, most Italians began their new lives as manual laborers in Eastern cities, mining camps, Italian Americans gradually moved from the lower rungs of the economic scale in the first generation to a level comparable to the national average by 1970. By 1990, more than 65% of Italian Americans were managerial, professional, the Italian-American communities have often been characterized by strong ties with family, the Catholic Church, fraternal organizations and political parties. Today, over 17 million Americans claim Italian ancestry, third only to Brazil with 31 million, and Argentina, Italians and their descendants in America have helped to shape the country and, in turn, have adapted to it. They have gained prominence in politics, sports, the media, the arts, the culinary arts. Italian navigators and explorers played a key role in the discovery, exploration, christopher Columbus, the explorer who first reached the Americas in 1492–1504, was Italian. Another notable Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, who explored the east coast of South America between 1499 and 1502, is the source of the name America. Englands claims in North America were based on the voyages of the Italian explorer John Cabot, in 1524 the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to map the Atlantic coast of todays United States, and to enter New York Bay. In 1539, Marco da Nizza, explored the territory later became the states of Arizona. In the 17th century, Henri de Tonti, together with the French explorer LaSalle, De Tonti founded the first European settlement in Illinois in 1679, and in Arkansas in 1683. With LaSalle, he co-founded New Orleans, and was governor of the Louisiana Territory for the next 20 years and his brother Alphonse de Tonty, with French explorer Antoine Cadillac, was the co-founder of Detroit in 1701, and was its acting colonial governor for 12 years. Spain and France were Catholic countries and sent many missionaries to convert the native population, included among these missionaries were numerous Italians
3.
Restaurant
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A restaurant, or an eatery, is a business which prepares and serves food and drinks to customers in exchange for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many also offer take-out and food delivery services. In Western countries, most mid- to high-range restaurants serve alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, some restaurants serve all the major meals, such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Other restaurants may serve a single meal or they may serve two meals or even a kids meal. Restaurants may be classified or distinguished in different ways. The primary factors are usually the food itself, the cuisine and/or the style of offering, beyond this, restaurants may differentiate themselves on factors including speed, formality, location, cost, service, or novelty themes. In the former case, customers usually wear casual clothing, in the latter case, depending on culture and local traditions, customers might wear semi-casual, semi-formal or formal wear. Typically, at mid- to high-priced restaurants, customers sit at tables, their orders are taken by a waiter, after eating, the customers then pay the bill. Another restaurant approach which uses few waiters is the buffet restaurant, customers serve food onto their own plates and then pay at the end of the meal. Buffet restaurants typically still have waiters to serve drinks and alcoholic beverages, fast food restaurants are also considered a restaurant. The travelling public has long been catered for with ships messes and railway restaurant cars which are, in effect, many railways, the world over, also cater for the needs of travellers by providing railway refreshment rooms, a form of restaurant, at railway stations. In the 2000s, a number of travelling restaurants, specifically designed for tourists, have been created and these can be found on trams, boats, buses, etc. A restaurants proprietor is called a restaurateur /ˌrɛstərəˈtɜːr/, like restaurant, professional cooks are called chefs, with there being various finer distinctions. Most restaurant will have various waiting staff to serve food, beverages and alcoholic drinks, including busboys who remove used dishes and cutlery. In finer restaurants, this may include a host or hostess, a maître dhôtel to welcome customers and to them. A new route to becoming a restauranter, rather than working ones way up through the stages, is to operate a food truck, once a sufficient following has been obtained, a permanent restaurant site can be opened. This trend has become common in the UK and the US, a chefs table is a table located in the kitchen of a restaurant, reserved for VIPs and special guests. Patrons may be served a themed tasting menu prepared and served by the head chef, Restaurants can require a minimum party and charge a higher flat fee
4.
U.S. Route 6 in Rhode Island
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For the route currently numbered 195, see Interstate 195. U. S. Route 6 is a major east–west road in the U. S. state of Rhode Island, nationally, the route continues west to Bishop, California and east to Provincetown, Massachusetts. In western Rhode Island, it part of one of several routes between Hartford, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island, and was planned to be replaced by Interstate 84. The part of I-84 that was built, from Interstate 295 to Olneyville, is now part of US6, at Olneyville, US6 joins Route 10 and heads east towards downtown Providence, where it turns south on Interstate 95 and east on Interstate 195. US6 splits from I-195 in East Providence, crossing into Massachusetts on Warren Avenue, the whole route of US6 is a state highway maintained by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. US6 crosses from Killingly, Connecticut into Foster, Rhode Island just east of the end of the Governor John Davis Lodge Turnpike and that part of US6 was once the Foster and Scituate Turnpike, now called the Danielson Pike. It crosses Route 94 in Foster before crossing into Scituate, soon after entering Scituate, US6 splits into bypass and business alignments. The business alignment runs further south along the old turnpike, and is signed as US6 without a banner. The bypass is signed mostly as BY-PASS US6 on sign assemblies, most maps and information takes US6 along the bypass. The business and bypass cross Route 102 soon after splitting, the western half of the bypass is a two-lane limited access road, with one grade separation — under Gleaner Chapel Road — and one intersection — at Route 102. This newer section ends as it merges with Route 101, once the Rhode Island and Connecticut Turnpike, the two parallel alignments cross the Scituate Reservoir and Route 116 before they merge near the east edge of Scituate. This merge was the east end of the Foster and Scituate Turnpike, soon after the bypass and business routes merge, US6 enters Johnston. Several miles later it intersects with Interstate 295, from I-295 to Olneyville, the old road — Hartford Avenue — is now U. S. Route 6A, as US6 uses the Dennis J. Roberts Expressway. To get there, it turns south on the I-295 collector/distributor roads to the west end of that freeway, the south interchange of US6 and I-295 has numerous ramp stubs once intended for a western continuation of the Roberts Expressway as Interstate 84. The six-lane Roberts Expressway has interchanges with Route 5, U. S. Route 6A, Route 128 and it crosses from Johnston into Providence just west of the bridge over Route 128. At the second US 6A interchange, the older Olneyville Bypass begins, along the Connector is an interchange with Dean Street before it ends at Interstate 95, with ramps to Memorial Boulevard for downtown access. US6 turns south there with I-95, US6 soon leaves I-95 for Interstate 195, which takes it east across the south side of downtown. U. S. Route 1A and U. S. Route 44 join after it crosses the Providence River, upon crossing the Washington Bridge, US6 enters East Providence
5.
Rhode Island Route 10
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Route 10 is a numbered state highway connector in the U. S. state of Rhode Island, traveling along the Huntington Expressway, the first freeway in the state. It connects Route 12 on the Cranston–Providence city line with Interstate 95, U. S. Route 6 and it provides an alternate route to I-95 south of downtown, and connects it with the US6 freeway west from Olneyville towards I-295 and Connecticut. Route 10 begins at an interchange with Route 12 on the Cranston-Providence border. The bridge that carries Route 12 over Route 10 has enough space for a four-lane freeway underneath, until around 2000, the ramp from Route 10 south to Route 12 east instead passed under the bridge, that movement is now made with a left turn onto Route 12. There were once plans to extend Route 10 south, in conjunction with an extension of the Route 37 freeway. Route 10 heads north through Providence, turning west before crossing U. S. Route 1 at a partial interchange, there is no ramp to Route 10 south, and traffic exiting from Route 10 north must turn north on US1. After crossing US1, Route 10 crosses over Amtraks Northeast Corridor, Route 10 crosses Interstate 95 at a full interchange, sometimes known as the Friendly Interchange for the community of Quakers it partially destroyed. It then heads northwest, crossing under Pontiac Avenue and then junctioning Route 2 just after crossing back into Providence, after the Route 2 interchange, Route 10 again crosses back into Cranston, running west of the parallel Niantic Avenue, which is on the city line. The final crossing, back into Providence, is just after the Cranston Street interchange, upon crossing into Providence Route 10 passes over and parallels the Northeast Corridor as well as interchanging with Huntington Avenue. From this interchange north to Olneyville, Huntington Avenue was upgraded to become the Huntington Expressway, within this stretch of expressway, there is only one interchange. The junction and merge with U. S. Route 6 at Olneyville is part of the Olneyville Bypass, the first freeway in Rhode Island. The current interchange does not conform to modern standards, such as left hand exits/ on ramps, curve radii, exit only lanes. Long term plans of RIDOT involve reconfiguration of this interchange, the combined Route 10 and US6 - known as the Route 6-10 Connector - is the newest part of the Huntington Expressway. It heads northeast and east from Olneyville, interchanging with Dean Street, east of Dean Street, the freeway ends at a complicated interchange with Interstate 95. Route 10 ends there, while US6 turns south with I-95 to reach Interstate 195, access to downtown Providence is provided by ramps to the west end of Memorial Boulevard at Francis Street. Despite the first section opening in 1953, the Route 10 designation was not used until 1966, the 1953 section was the Olneyville Bypass. Construction began in 1950 on the bypass of the congested Olneyville neighborhood, once the bypass opened in 1953, it carried US6. The next section, from Olneyville south to Reservoir Avenue in Cranston, was built partially along the existing Huntington Avenue and it ended at a temporary trumpet interchange with Reservoir Avenue, which at the time carried both Route 2 and Route 3
6.
Interstate 95 in Rhode Island
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Interstate 95 is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States, running generally southwest-northeast through the U. S. state of Rhode Island. It runs from the border with Connecticut near Westerly, through Warwick and Providence and it has two auxiliary routes, both of which enter Massachusetts—I-195, a spur from Providence east to Cape Cod, and I-295, a western bypass of the Providence-Pawtucket area. South of Warwick, I-95 does not follow U. S. Route 1 and it instead takes a shorter inland route, parallel to Route 3. Route 3 was designated Route 1A in 1922, a New England Interstate Route, the diagonal corridor of Route 3 was a well-traveled shortcut to the older U. S. Route 1 even before any part of Interstate 95 was built. In the 1930s, a cutoff was built in southeastern Connecticut and southwestern Rhode Island, joining Old Mystic, Connecticut to Route 3 in Hopkinton. New London Turnpike turns into New London Ave and continues straight for 2¼ miles before connecting with Providence street and it follows Providence Street until it hits the Meshanticut Interchange. The first section of what is now I-95 was planned as an upgrade and relocation of Route 84, the short Route 84 was widened to a four-lane divided road with one intersection at Gray Lane. Instead of merging with Route 3, it was modified to continue northeast, the rest of the new road was designated Route 3 once it was completed on December 12,1955. It was not built to standards, only having interchanges at Route 3 in Hopkinton and Route 138 in Richmond, as well as a bridge over the Wood River. A section of freeway opened in July 1958, running from Route 3 at Kitts Corner northeast across the Big River and east across Route 3 to Route 2 on the West Warwick-Warwick line. Its west end was an intersection with old Route 3. The only two interchanges were with Route 3 east of the Big River and with Route 2 at its east end, the Interstate 95 designation was approved on June 27,1958. The section in southern Rhode Island was temporarily designated Route 95 until it could be upgraded to a freeway. As much as possible, Route 3 was moved back to the old road, Connecticut also renumbered their section of Route 84 to Route 95 at that time. Interstate 95 in Connecticut was finished December 12,1964 to the Rhode Island state line, the old road from the border to Gray Lane was combined with the frontage road built when Route 84 was upgraded to form what is now known as Extension 184. The portion from the Connecticut state line to Route 3 north of Richmond was upgraded to a freeway with construction ending May 1968. To the north, that freeway was connected with the Kent County Freeway by a new section, the connection to Route 3 at Kitts Corner was removed, and Route 3 was moved back to the old road over the Big River. Route 95 was renumbered Interstate 95, as the road was now a freeway
7.
Downtown, Providence, Rhode Island
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Downtown, also known as Downcity, is the central economic, political, and cultural district of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bounded on the east by Canal Street and the Providence River, to the north by Smith Street, to the west by Interstate 95, and to the south by Henderson Street. I-95 serves as a barrier between the citys commercial core and neighborhoods of Federal Hill, West End, and Upper South Providence. Most of the downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Downtown Providence Historic District, originally known as Weybossett Neck or Weybossett Side, Downtown was first settled by religious dissidents from the First Congregational Society in 1746. Their settlement was located near present-day Westminster Street, Downtown did not witness substantial development until the early 19th century, when Providence began to compete with Newport, Rhode Island. British forces had destroyed much of Newport during the American War for Independence and this prevented the development of a commercial district along the western bank of the Providence River. The result of decades of expansion was the isolation of the capitol from the rest of downtown by an imposing mass of railroad tracks. As rail traffic dropped off,75 percent by 1980, city planners saw an opportunity to open up land for development. A new, smaller station was built in 1986 a half mile north of its predecessor. The new land precipitated a massive remaking of the character of the citys downtown, from 1975 until 1982, under Mayor Vincent Cianci, Jr, $606 million of local and national Community Development funds from were invested. Roads were removed and the natural rivers were opened up and lined with a cobblestone-paved park called Waterplace Park in 1994. Private and public developments followed and the new area adjacent to the Capitol became known as Capitol Center, in 2007, the Renaissance Providence Hotel opened in Masonic Temple building, which had been abandoned amidst the Great Depression a half century prior. According to the Providence Plan, a local nonprofit aimed at improving city life, 64% of residents are white and 8. 6% are Asian, 12% of the population is African-American, 11% is Hispanic, and 1% is Native American. 43% of public school children speak a language other than English as their primary language, the median family income is $42,558, over $10,000 above the city-wide average. 14% of families live below the poverty line while nearly 3. 7% receive some form of public assistance, 15% of children under the age of six have been exposed to high quantities of lead. From north to south, Downtown includes portions of Wards 12,13,11 and these wards are represented in the Providence City Council by Terrance Hassett, John J. Lombardi, and Balbina A. Young. Hassett currently serves as the majority leader, Providence City Hall is located at 25 Dorrance Street, at the corner of Dorrance and Washington Street. It is immediately next to Kennedy Plaza and the Biltmore Hotel and it houses the City Council, the Mayors Office, and the offices of some municipal agencies
8.
Smith Hill, Providence, Rhode Island
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Smith Hill is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. Its traditional bounds are the Woonasquatucket River, the Chad Brown public housing complex, Interstate 95, the Roger Williams Medical Center is located in the Smith Hill neighborhood and is adjacent to the VA hospital. The Rhode Island State House is also located on the border with Downtown, the name Smith Hill is therefore used as a metonym for the Rhode Island state government and the Rhode Island General Assembly. The neighborhood is home to whites of European descent and an number of minorities. As of the 1990 census, Smith Hill was 20% Hispanic,17. 2% Asian and 12. 2% black, the neighborhoods unemployment and poverty rates are above average for the city, though efforts have been made to revitalize the area, although, without success. Smith Hill Community Development Corporation, neighborhood non-profit dedicated to community building and affordable housing Providence Neighborhoods at Providenceri. com
9.
Olneyville, Providence, Rhode Island
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Olneyville is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island bordered by Atwells Avenue to the north, U. S. Route 6 to the south and Rhode Island Route 10 to the east. The Woonasquatucket River runs through the portion of the neighborhood. Olneyville Square is a traffic intersection in Olneyville, defined by the intersection of Westminster Street, Broadway, Hartford Ave, Plainfield Street. Settlement in Olneyville began at Olneyville Square in the early 18th century, the area began as a center of trade with a nearby Narragansett village. Larger settlement began in 1785 after Christopher Olney, for whom Olneyville is named, founded a grist mill, Olney was a captain during the Revolutionary War and owned a 95 acre farm in the area. By the end of the American Revolutionary War, a forge and foundry, through the mid-19th century, Olneyville developed as a railroad junction and mill district. However, the mill industries declined after World War II causing economic decline, the construction of the Route 6 connector in the 1950s exacerbated these problems. In the two decades that followed Olneyville witnessed a drop in its population. On May 15,1900, Olneyville was the site of one of the few occasions of raining fish, former warehouses and mill buildings in Olneyville were home to a number of artist collectives including Fort Thunder in the 1990s. Since 2000, many of these buildings have been purchased by developers who plan to convert them into luxury condominiums, however, proposals to develop the Olneyville area have met some local opposition, caused by fears of gentrification. In March 2007, the Olneyville Neighborhood Association declared its opposition to plans from the United Way to move their headquarters from the East Side to Calender Mills in Olneyville. In July 2007, during a meeting of the Providence City Council, the 1990 census reported that Hispanics comprised 34. 9% of the population, African-American 12. 3%, and Asians 7. 2%. Today, according to the Providence Plan, a local nonprofit aimed at improving city life,57. 4% of residents are Hispanic, 22% white,13. 6% African-American,7. 4% Asian, and 1. 6% Native American. 63% of public school children speak a language other than English as their primary language, the median family income is $19,046, well below the city-wide average of $32,058. 41. 1% of families live in poverty while nearly one in four families receives some form of public assistance, one in five children has been exposed to high levels of lead. Olneyville is divided west to east between Ward 6 and Ward 15 and they are represented in the Providence City Council by Democrats Joseph DeLuca and Josephine DiRuzzo, the Council President Pro Tempore. Olneyville has three parks, John Donigian Memorial Park and Riverside Mills Park along the Woonasquatucket River, and Joslin Recreation area, messer Street Grounds was home to the Providence Grays baseball team of the National League from 1878-1885
10.
West End, Providence, Rhode Island
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The West End is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of Providence, Rhode Island in the region often referred to as the South Side. Its boundaries are delineated by Westminster Street to the north, Huntington Avenue to the south, Elmwood Avenue to the east, Cranston Street runs through the center of West End, past the Cranston Street Armory which has given the neighborhood the alternative name of the Armory District. The first settlement of the area took place shortly after King Philips War in the form of farming, in 1739, Obidiah Brown built the Hoyle Tavern at the intersections of Westminster and Cranston Streets, near present-day Classical High School. Early settlers built houses nearby to the tavern, in the 19th century, the area developed industrially and residentially with several factories built near the now-filled Long Pond. Residential construction followed after a coach started serving the area in 1855. Following the urban decline of the 1930s, the West End has become a slowly decaying inner city neighborhood as middle class residents left. The adjacent Huntington Industrial Park in Olneyville had kept industry nearby, further, Route 10 was constructed, physically separating the West End from the rest of the city. In recent years, new residents have worked to improve and renovate the areas housing supply, particularly the more historic houses, including turning older houses into affordable rentals. As of the 1990 census, one in three residents of the West End was Hispanic, about 30 percent were Black, and 14 percent were Asian, about one in three families was living below the poverty line and 44% of residents over 25 had completed high school. 68% of children under the age of six speak a language other than English as their primary language, the median family income is $23,346, below the city-wide average of $32,058. 36. 6% of families live below the poverty line while one in ten families receives some form of public assistance, nearly one in four children under the age of six have been exposed to high levels of lead. Alfred Lima and Asa Messer Elementary Schools are both located in the West End area, also, the West End Community Center, an afterschool program, is located on Bucklin Street. Provplan. org Neighborhood Profiles Neighborhood Profiles at providenceri. com
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