East Providence is a city in

Providence County Providence County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence County contains the city of Providence, the state cap ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

, United States. The population was 47,139 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-largest city in the state.

Geography

East Providence is located between the

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

and Seekonk Rivers on the west and the Seekonk area of

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on the east. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (19.33%) is water. The following villages are located in East Providence: * East Providence Center *

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

* Rumford

Governance

The City of East Providence is governed by an elected mayor and a five-member city council, with the mayor and counselors elected every four years. City council members are elected one each from four wards and one elected at-large.

Executive branch

The mayor is both the ceremonial leader of the city and the chief executive officer. The mayor runs the daily operations of the city, enforces the charter and ordinances of the city and appoints all department heads except the city clerk. The current mayor of East Providence is Roberto DaSilva, who took office on January 9, 2019. Up until January 9, 2019, the day-to-day operations were managed by a professional city manager appointed by the city council, and the mayor was the president of the city council, acting ceremonially.

Legislative branch

The city council sets all city ordinances, sets the budget of the city (with recommendation from the mayor) and provides legislative oversight for city operations. The city council elects a council president and council vice-president to preside over meetings. The city council also appoints the city clerk. Up until 2019, The city council served two-year terms, and the city council oversaw the entire city government under a council-manager system. , the members of the East Providence City Council are: * Robert Rodericks—At-Large (council vice-president) * Robert Britto—Ward 1 (council president) * Anna Sousa—Ward 2 * Nathan Cahoon—Ward 3 * Ricardo Mourato—Ward 4

Judicial branch

The City of East Providence has a municipal court, which hears cases regarding violations of municipal ordinances, housing code violations and minor traffic violations. The city also has a probate court, which handles estates, name changes, guardianships and related matters. Judges for both courts are appointed by the mayor with confirmation by the city council for a term of two years.

Education governance

The city also has an elected school committee, elected for two year terms by the same ward system as the city council. The school committee has broad authority to manage the school system, including setting all school system policies, setting the school system budget (within the general appropriation by the city, state and federal government) as well as selecting and overseeing the Superintendent of Schools.

Other boards and commissions

The city has an appointed library board of trustees which governs the city's library system and various other appointed governing and advisory boards and commissions.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 48,688 people, 20,530 households, and 12,851 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 21,309 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.49%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 5.02%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.46% Native American, 1.15%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.80% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 4.03% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.89% of the population. There were 20,530 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,108, and the median income for a family was $48,463. Males had a median income of $34,342 versus $26,423 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $19,527. About 6.3% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those aged 65 or over. The population has large immigrant communities from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

the Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, Madeira and Cape Verde.

Education

East Providence has 13 public and 5 non-public schools:

Public schools

Elementary

* Agnes B. "Hennessey" * Alice M. "Waddington" – built 1954 * Emma G. "Whiteknact" * James R.D. "Oldham" * Kent Heights * Myron J. "Francis" - built 1989 * Orlo Avenue School * Silver Spring

Middle schools

* Edward R. Martin Middle School – built 1977 * Riverside Middle School

High school

* Grove Ave. Educational Development Center *

East Providence High School East Providence High School is a public high school located in East Providence, Rhode Island. It instructs grade levels 9 through 12 and is operated by the East Providence School Department. As of the 2014-15 year, there was an approximate studen ...

– built 1952 ** East Providence Career & Technical Center

Non-public elementary and junior-high schools

* St. Mary "Bayview" Academy * Sacred Heart School * St. Margaret School * The Gordon School * Providence Country Day (P.C.D.).

Non-public high schools

* St. Mary "Bayview" Academy * Providence Country Day (P.C.D.).

Health and medicine

Bradley Hospital, East Providence, Rhode Island

Bradley Hospital, the nation's first psychiatric facility exclusively for children, was founded in 1931. It is a teaching hospital for the

Warren Alpert Medical School The Warren Alpert Medical School (formerly known as Brown Medical School, previously known as Brown University School of Medicine) is the medical school of Brown University, located in Providence, Rhode Island. Originally established in 1811, ...

of Brown University.

National Register of Historic Places listings in East Providence

* Bicknell–Armington Lightning Splitter House *

Boston and Providence Railroad Bridge The Boston and Providence Railroad Bridge in East Providence is a railroad bridge on the East Junction Branch spanning Ten Mile River. A portion of the bridge also spans Roger Williams Avenue. The bridge was built in 1884 by the Boston and Pro ...

* Bridgham Farm *

Carpenter, Lakeside, and Springvale Cemeteries The Carpenter, Lakeside, and Springvale Cemeteries are historic cemeteries located on Newman and Pawtucket Avenues in East Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The three cemeteries occupy a triangular area bounded by Newman and Pawtucket Ave ...

Crescent Park Looff Carousel Crescent Park Looff Carousel, also known as Crescent Park Carousel or more officially as Crescent Park Looff Carousel and Shelter Building, is a National Historic Landmark in East Providence, Rhode Island. The hand-carved carousel was built in 18 ...

, (

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

) *

Elm Tree Plat Historic District The Elm Tree Plat Historic District encompasses an early 20th-century neighborhood of East Providence, Rhode Island. Developed beginning in 1924, it contains 53 single-family residences and one commercial building, most of which were built betw ...

* Nathaniel Daggett House * James Dennis House *

District 6 Schoolhouse The District 6 Schoolhouse is an historic school building located at 347 Willett Avenue in East Providence, Rhode Island. It is a single-story wood-frame structure, with a pair of entry doors and a low-pitch gable roof. The interior has been ext ...

Little Neck Cemetery The Little Neck Cemetery is a historic cemetery off Read Street in East Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The cemetery was founded in 1655, when the area was part of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest colonial cemeteries i ...

* Newman Cemetery *

Newman Congregational Church Newman Congregational Church is an historic church at 100 Newman Avenue in East Providence, Rhode Island. It is a two-story wood-frame structure on a high brick basement. It was built in 1810 for a congregation that was established in 1643, wh ...

* Oddfellows' Hall * Pomham Rocks Light *

Rose Land Park Plat Historic District The Rose Land Park Plat Historic District encompasses an early 20th-century neighborhood of East Providence, Rhode Island, most of which was built by a single development group. It is located on the west side of Willett Avenue ( Rhode Island Rou ...

Richmond Paper Company Mill Complex The Richmond Paper Company Mill Complex is an historic American paper mill at 310 Bourne Avenue in East Providence, Rhode Island. It consists of a collection of mainly brick buildings on of land, bounded on the north by Bourne Avenue, the east b ...

* Rumford Chemical Works and Mill House Historic District * Rumford Historic District *

Squantum Association The Squantum Association is a private club in East Providence, Rhode Island on 947 Veterans Memorial Parkway. Its main Club House overlooks the Providence River on a rocky promontory. This Colonial Revival building was constructed in 1900 by Mart ...

* St. Mary's Episcopal Church * Phillip Walker House * Whitcomb Farm * World War I Memorial

Notable people

Arunah Shepherdson Abell Arunah Shepherdson Abell (August 10, 1806 – April 19, 1888) was an American publisher from New England who was active in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Born in East Providence, Rhode Island, Abell learned the newspaper business as an apprentice at ...

(1806–1888), philanthropist and newspaper publisher (''

Philadelphia Public Ledger The ''Public Ledger'' was a daily newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, published from March 25, 1836, to January 1942. Its motto was "Virtue Liberty and Independence". For a time, it was Philadelphia's most popular newspaper, but circulation de ...

'' and ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

''); born in East Providence * Ben Sears, baseball pitcher drafted by the Kansas City Royals; attended

* Rebecca DiPietro, model and

WWE Diva Throughout its history, women have served in various onscreen roles in the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. In the 1990s, WWE (then known as the World Wrestling Federation) introduced the term Diva to refer to its female performe ...

; lives in East Providence *

John Michael Greer John Michael Greer (born 1962) is an American author and druid who writes on ecology, politics, appropriate technology, oil depletion and the occult. Personal life Greer was born in Bremerton, Washington and was raised in the Seattle area. He is ...

, author and former Archdruid; lives in East Providence *

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Elisabeth DelPadre Hasselbeck (; born May 28, 1977) is an American retired television personality and talk show host. Hasselbeck rose to prominence in 2001 as a contestant on the second season of the American version of '' Survivor'', where sh ...

, TV personality on

Fox & Friends ''Fox & Friends'' is an American daily morning news and talk program that airs on Fox News. It premiered on February 1, 1998, and is currently hosted by Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade on weekdays. Will Cain, Rachel Campos- ...

and The View; attended and graduated from St. Mary Academy – Bay View in 1995 *

Jimmy Hatlo James Cecil Hatlo (September 1, 1897 – December 1, 1963), better known as Jimmy Hatlo, was an American cartoonist who in 1929 created the long-running comic strip and gag panel ''They'll Do It Every Time'', which he wrote and drew until his d ...

, cartoonist, was born in East Providence *

Claudia Jordan Claudia Angela Jordan is an American talk show host, actress, model, businesswoman and reality television and radio personality. She is known for appearing as a model on the U.S. version of ''Deal or No Deal'' and ''The Price Is Right'', and fo ...

, model and reality TV personality (''

Deal or No Deal ''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch '' Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this format is the final round (a. ...

Celebrity Apprentice ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' is an American television reality competition series. It was a variation of ''The Apprentice'' series, hosted by then real estate developer (later 45th president of the United States) Donald Trump from 2008 to 2015, an ...

'');

Miss Rhode Island USA The Miss Rhode Island USA competition is the beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state Rhode Island in the Miss USA pageant. It is currently directed by D&D Productions. Rhode Island made its first placement at Miss USA in 19 ...

(1997); grew up in East Providence * Jennifer Lee, co-writer of screenplay for Wreck-It Ralph; writer of screenplay for and co-director of Frozen; born in East Providence *

Davey Lopes David Earle Lopes (; born May 3, 1945) is an American former second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted and threw right-handed. He played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Houston ...

, second baseman and coach for several

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

teams; born in East Providence *

Jamie Silva James J. Silva (born December 14, 1984) is an American former college and professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons. He played college football for Boston College, and earned consensu ...

, football safety for the Indianapolis Colts; born in East Providence *

Meredith Vieira Meredith Louise Vieira (born December 30, 1953) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. She is best known as the original moderator of the daytime talk show '' The View'' (1997–2006), the original host of the syndicated ...

, presenter of ''

Millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short scal ...

'', co-host of ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'' and '' The View''; born in East Providence * Ron Wilson, hockey defenseman and coach for the US Olympic hockey team and several

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

teams; attended

References

External links

City of East Providence

East Providence School Department

East Providence Public Library

East Providence Historical Society

East Providence Arts Council

Births Index
from the Rhode Island State Archives
Guide to the East Providence Public Library Genealogical and Reference Materials
from the Rhode Island State Archives {{authority control 1862 establishments in Rhode Island Cape Verdean American history Cities in Providence County, Rhode Island Cities in Rhode Island Populated places established in 1862 Portuguese-American culture in Rhode Island Providence metropolitan area