Roger Williams founded Providence along College Hill. This area thus includes some of the oldest sections of the city. The spot where Williams landed after crossing the Seekonk River is marked by a small park in Fox Point.
Hope High School is located at the corner of Hope and Olney Streets. It is one of Providence's public high schools.[4]
Restaurants and shoppingedit
Numerous cafes, restaurants, and shops are located along Thayer Street, adjoining Brown University at Veteran's Gate, and along Wickenden Street, South Water Street. Both streets are home to numerous small and independent shops, though Thayer Street has a few chain stores. Brown University's bookstore is located on Thayer.[5] A notable Thayer Street landmark is the Avon Cinema which dates back to the early twentieth century.[6]
Wayland Square is another shopping area, located at the intersection of Wayland Ave. and Angell St.
Parksedit
The East Side contains numerous parks and green spaces. India Point Park, the largest of these, is located along the northernmost shore of Narragansett Bay. It is the only large expanse of Bay-side shoreline in Providence reserved for public use.
Interstate 195 separates the park from the rest of Fox Point. The relocation and reconstruction of Interstate 195 included a new, landscaped pedestrian bridge connecting Fox Point to India Point Park.
Other parks include:
Blackstone Boulevard Park[7] is a green space between northbound and southbound lanes of Blackstone Boulevard. It consists of 19.3 acres (7.8 ha) of parkland and a 1.7-mile (2.7 km) path for jogging and walking.[7][8]
Blackstone Park just north of Richmond Square at the end of Waterman Street in Wayland. Blackstone Park is 40-acre (16 ha) city park with 2,400 feet (730 m) of shore frontage on the Seekonk River.[9]
Brown Street Park, behind Hope High School. Brown Street Park has several children's play structures and an adult fitness equipment area, ongoing programming includes Children's Play Dates, Fitness Classes, Yoga Classes and a Summer Concert Series.
Gano Street Park, along the Seekonk River, has numerous athletic fields and a dog-park. The area is also known as Engineer's Field.[11]
Lippitt Memorial Park, a 6-acre (2.4 ha) park at the intersection of Hope Street and Blackstone Boulevard near the Pawtucket border. It is named after former Rhode Island governor Charles W. Lippitt.[11][12]
Market Square, a small park on the edge of Downtown.
Mary Sharpe Park, a small park between Benefit and Pratt Avenue.
Paterson Park, a small park in Wayland adjacent to Blackstone Park.
Gladys Potter Park is a small park in Wayland at the corner of Elton St. and Humboldt Ave.
Riverwalk located along the Providence River, where part of Waterfire is held.
Veterans' Memorial Park, on the edge of Downtown, is home to a war memorial.
Demographicsedit
Mostly residential,[13] the East Side is the most affluent part[14] of the city with higher property values, lower unemployment, and higher income levels than the city as a whole.[15] Approximately 20% of the city's 190,934 people live on the East Side.[16] Mount Hope and the area along Elmgrove Avenue have historically had a large community of RussianJews.[17]
Governmentedit
Three of the fifteen Providence City Council wards are located on the East Side. Ward One includes all of Fox Point and parts of College Hill and Wayland south of Angell St.[18] Ward Two encompasses the remainder of College Hill and Wayland, most of Blackstone, and parts of Mount Hope.[19] Ward Three includes Hope (Summit) and most of Mount Hope.[20]
Major public buildings include the Rhode Island Supreme Court on Benefit Street and the RI Office of the Attorney General on South Main Street.[21]
Hospitalsedit
Miriam Hospital, a private, non-profit hospital, is located along Summit Avenue in the Hope (Summit) area. Local Jewish organizations founded the hospital in 1926.[22]
Butler Hospital, located off Blackstone Boulevard, is Rhode Island's only private mental health hospital. Founded in 1844, the hospital offers psychiatric and substance-abuse treatment programs.[23]
Landmarksedit
The East Side contains the oldest section of the city. The Providence Preservation Society[24] and the Rhode Island Historical Society have preserved numerous historic buildings, especially in the College Hill area. Historic landmarks include:
^"Freedom: From dream to reality, facing a tough path".
^Note: affluence was assumed to correlate with high property values, low unemployment, and high income.
^* Blackstone on Providenceri.com Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine "The Providence Plan". Accessed 2007-01-29.
Hope (Summit) on Providenceri.com Archived 2007-06-26 at the Wayback Machine "The Providence Plan". Accessed 2007-01-29.
Mount Hope on Providenceri.com Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine "The Providence Plan". Accessed 2007-01-29.
College Hill on Providenceri.com Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine "The Providence Plan". Accessed 2007-01-29.
Fox Point on Providenceri.com Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine "The Providence Plan". Accessed 2007-01-29.
^"Providence RI Relocation Guide - Learn all about the East Side of Providence, RI, home of Brown University". Archived from the original on 2007-10-29. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
^"Providence Neighborhoods: Mount Hope". Providenceri.com. Retrieved 2007-09-22.