Neighborhoods and housing

Across the Providence River from the main part of campus, downtown (aka “Downcity”) Providence is home to the Fleet Library and the CIT/Fletcher Building, where a majority of the RISD graduate departments and studios are located. If you're looking to live off campus, you'll find a range of apartment-style living options and amazing examples of 19th-century architecture here as well.

Beyond being walkable and bikeable, two transportation hubs are in the area: the Kennedy Plaza bus station and the Providence rail station. There are also many restaurants, hotels, bars and shops, and Waterfire draws big crowds during warmer months.

In the winter you can catch hockey and basketball games at “the Dunk” next to the Providence Place Mall, which features a wide range of restaurants and multiplex cinema in addition to three large floors of shopping. Johnson & Wales, Roger Williams, Brown University and the University of Rhode Island all have locations downtown as well.

Just south of downtown is the Jewelry District, where there are a number of loft-style living options as well as restaurants and the Providence Children's Museum. To the north, in Smith Hill, you'll find the Rhode Island State House.

The East Side of town (not to be confused with East Providence across the Seekonk River) is made up of a number of small neighborhoods. College Hill is home to both RISD and Brown University, and its main commercial strip, Thayer Street, has a wide range of dining and shopping options.

To the south of College Hill is the Fox Point neighborhood, with Wickenden Street and India Point Park at its base. You'll find great restaurants and shops on Wickenden as well. India Point Park often hosts festivals and concerts and is the entrance to the well-loved East Bay Bike Path, which runs 14.5 miles along the Narragansett Bay to Bristol, RI.

The Wayland neighborhood lies to the east of College Hill around Wayland Square, where you'll also find a variety of shops and restaurants and a laundromat (most apartments in Providence are equipped with a washer/dryer in the basement, but it's always good to inquire). The Blackstone neighborhood lies a bit further to the east and its Lippitt Park is home to the Hope Street Farmers Market during the warmer months.

Mount Hope is located in the northeast quadrant of Providence, north of College Hill. Hope Street runs through it and is another great area for food and shopping. In general, the East Side is fairly walkable and bikeable and it's also serviced by the RIPTA bus system.

Interstate 95 runs to the west of downtown Providence and the West End lies just beyond it. This area is defined by two neighborhoods: the Broadway/Armory district and Federal Hill. A well known Italian-American community, many restaurants, bars and markets line its main street, Atwells Avenue.

Broadway, a commercial street south of Federal Hill, has a number of vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants and is home to the Columbus Theatre performance venue.

Further to the south of Broadway is the Armory district. In addition to many more restaurants, the Dexter Parade Grounds adjacent to the Armory hosts a farmers market every week in the warmer months.

West End neighborhoods offer a wide range of living options—from condos to apartments to single-family homes—and provide easy access to RISD's campus whether you're walking, biking, driving or taking public transportation.

To the west of the Armory district is Olneyville, a neighborhood known for its mill buildings and its impact on art and music as the home base of the Fort Thunder arts collective in the '90s. You'll find loft- and apartment-style housing here and some great bars and restaurants. There's a lot for artists and designers to get involved in in this part of town too—be sure to check out The Steel Yard and the wurks. If you're an intrepid cyclist, Olneyville is a bike ride away from campus and RIPTA buses also serve the neighborhood.

Just to the north of Providence, Pawtucket was a major textile industry hub in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, many of its mill buildings have been converted to either studio space or living accommodations, making the area popular among RISD grad students and alumni. In Pawtucket, you'll find good restaurants, interesting shops and art/performance venues like Machines with Magnets.