Providence is the capital of Rhode Island State. It was among the very first cities to be established in the United States. Situated within the County of Providence, it is the biggest city in the state and the 3rd biggest within the New England region. The city itself has a modest population of around 178,000. However, it is the anchor city in the metropolitan statistical area (or likewise called MSA), which has a population of 1.6 million. This makes it the 37th largest metropolitan population within the United States. The MSA spills beyond the Rhode island border into the southern parts of Massachusetts.
The city of Providence is rather small when it comes to land area. It lies at the mouth of the Providence River on Narragansett Bay. The city of Providence is characterized by a demographic in flux and seemingly erratic streets.
The founder of the city, Roger Williams, was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for religious reasons. He and his followers settled along the Providence River and founded the town in the year 1636. The community was named for God's Providence, which Williams thought was responsible for providing him with a new place to be able to create a community. The city of Providence was called the "Beehive of Industry," since it was among the first cities within the United States to industrialize, making silverware ad jewelry. Manufacturing is still an essential sector within the city of Providence, but the local economy has shifted to service, health care and education industries. Seven educational institutions and eight hospitals are situated in Providence. Providence is seeking to be known these days as the "Creative Capital".
The city has a large government services sector as the city of Providence serves as the capital of the state. The finance sector is also strong, with numerous smaller financial firms and several major financial companies situated there. The head offices of Citizens Bank are located in Providence.
Manufacturing, jewelry, and silverware design are still vibrant industries within the city. The manufacturing sector in the city of Providence produces products like rubber and plastic goods, instruments, electrical equipment and fabricated metal. Various companies make supplies for the military. The state of Rhode Island encourages business by providing generous job training tax credits to businesses. Fortune 1000 company Nortek Incorporated and Fortune 500 company Textron are headquartered in Providence. The international headquarters for GTECH are also situated here.
This modest-sized city has an unusually rich arts and cultural sector. The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is among the top art schools in the United States. The school also houses a fine Museum of Art. Additionally, the city of Providence has the Providence Children's Museum, Providence Performing Arts Center, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Roger Williams Park and Zoo, Trinity Repertory Company and Providence Dunkin' Donuts Center.
The city is also the location of the famed College of Culinary Arts, that is situated on the campus of Providence's Johnson & Wales University. Culinary school graduates have established many restaurants in the city of Providence, giving Providence a lot more eateries per capita than any other major city within the United States.