Providence is the capital and most populous city in Rhode Island. Founded in 1636, it is one of the oldest cities in the United States. It is located in Providence County, and is the third-largest city in the New England region. Providence has a city population of approximately 180,000. Check out our smart home price tool for a free instant property evaluation for your Providence home.

The Providence Performing Arts Center or PPAC is a large theater that contains over 3,000 seats and hosts touring Broadway shows, concerts, plays, films, and a variety of performers. PPAC anchors the Providence arts and entertainment district. Rhode Island Convention Center and the Dunkin' Donuts Center are two arenas also used for entertainment events. The convention center is connected to the Providence Place Mall through a skywalk.  Providence is also home to some of toy manufacturer Hasbro's business operations, with headquarters remaining in Pawtucket.

For families, there are the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, the state's only natural history museum and public planetarium; the Providence Children's Museum, a hands-on museum for children; and the Roger Williams Park Zoo, an enormous public park and home to a variety of animals.

WaterFire Providence is a nonprofit organization that organizes a public event in downtown Providence. It is transformed by one hundred fires that burn just above the surface of the rivers that flow through Waterplace Park. It runs more than a dozen nights a year, and on some nights stages are set up that feature free live music or dancing.  It is a major tourist attraction and draws many vendors and artists to the area.

Providence has 25 official neighborhoods, though these neighborhoods are grouped in the East Side, Jewelry District, North End, South Side, West Broadway, and West Side. Several private schools, including Moses Brown, the Lincoln School, and the Wheeler School, are in the city's East Side. La Salle Academy is located on the south side of the city near Providence College.  Five of Rhode Island's thirteen colleges and universities are in Providence. The five colleges are: Johnson & Wales University, Providence College, Rhode Island College, the Rhode Island School of Design, and Brown University, an Ivy League university.