Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, and one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is estimated to be the third-largest city in the New England area.

In 1636 Providence was founded by Roger Williams, a religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers to settle. Providence was one of the first cities in the country to industrialize and Providence became noted for its jewelry and silverware industry.

The city of Providence is geographically very compact, which is common of eastern seaboard cities which were developed prior to use of the automobile. The city is among the most densely populated cities in the country.

Downtown Providence has various mercantile buildings built in the 1800s and done in the Federal and Victorian architectural styles, as well as several post-modern and modernist buildings.

History

The location which is now Providence was first settled on June 1636 by Roger Williams, and was part of the original Thirteen Colonies of the United States. Williams secured a title from the Narragansett natives around this time and gave the city its present name. Williams set up Providence as a sanctuary for persecuted religious dissenters, as he himself had been exiled from Massachusetts.

During the Revolutionary War the city escaped enemy occupation, the capture of nearby Newport disrupted industry and kept the population on alert. Troops were quartered for various military campaigns and Brown University's University Hall was used as a barracks and military hospital.

After leaving Newport, French troops sent by King Louis XVI and commanded by the Comte de Rochambeau passed through Providence on their way to join the fight against British forces. The march from Newport to Providence was the beginning of a campaign led jointly by General George Washington in a decisive march that concluded with the defeat of General Cornwallis in the Siege of Yorktown at Yorktown, Virginia and the Battle of the Chesapeake.

Following the war, the economy moved from maritime endeavors to manufacturing, particularly machinery, tools, silverware, jewelry and textiles. At one time, Providence had some of the largest manufacturing plants in the country, including Brown & Sharpe, Nicholson File, and Gorham Silverware, and with a population of 7,614, was the country's ninth-largest city.