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Opera Providence and the Rhode Island
Philharmonic Orchestra are first rate, and the Tony Award-winning
Trinity Repertory presents a full season. The
Providence Public Library, with its nine branches,
boasts the remarkable Providence Athenaeum, the
fourth oldest library in the country and a favorite
haunt of Edgar Allan Poe's. There are 1,200
acres of parks, and college
sports enthusiasts will enjoy basketball,
soccer and ice hockey games at the University of Rhode Island and
Brown University. Ice skating
downtown and sailing on the rivers are favorite
activities.
The city is flat and very walkable, but
public bus transportation is available through RIPTA
(no subway, though), and both Amtrak and the
Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority provide train
service in and out of the city. Boston is an
hour north, and New York City is three hours
south. The open ocean is just 25 miles away.
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Eight hospitals give retirees a sense of security
when it comes to medical care. Rhode Island Hospital
and Miriam Hospital are both part of the Lifespan health system,
which was just recognized as a Top 100 Integrated Health Network.
RIH is the city's largest hospital with 719 beds and nearly 1,600
affiliated physicians, while MH has 247 beds.
Roger Williams Medical Center is a community-owned teaching
hospital affiliated with Boston University's School of
Medicine. Butler Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital For Specialty
Care and a VA medical center provide further care.
Providence has a Department of Senior Services
(for anyone age 60+) and operates eight senior centers, offering
activities, programs and door to door transportation for medical
appointments. Meals on Wheels is active, as is Capitol
Region RSVP, the organization that gives people age 55+ opportunities
to volunteer in the community.
Summer temperatures do not reach much higher than
the mid-80s, and winter temperatures can dip into the teens and
20s. The city receives three to four inches of
precipitation each month, and December, January, February and
March can each bring six to eight inches of snow as powerful nor'easters
occasionally hit the coast. Autumns are the best time of the
year.
While Providence has a lot going for it, it does
have some problems. It is one of the most affordable
cities in New England, but the cost of living is still high.
And for many residents, it is too high, contributing to a high poverty rate.
Some of this is due to Providence having seen a large influx of
immigrants during the
last ten years, many of whom have not yet achieved a solid economic
footing. Most poverty, though, is confined to specific
neighborhoods, primarily to the south and west of downtown. Crime rates are above
the national average, but most crime also occurs in specific areas of
the city. And the good news is crime rates have been coming down during the last
ten years. The population is not booming, but it has
steadied after years of decline. Jobs are few, but that is
true almost everywhere these days.
So while Providence continues to deal with issues
that many American cities face, it is also emerging as a stimulating place
to live and retire, offering great food, historic architecture, a
revitalized riverfront, top-notch educational venues, an arts scene and
a good selection of medical facilities. An urban retirement is
not for everyone, but for many retirees, Providence may be just
the ticket.
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