We may be moving from Michigan to Rhode island soon. I am leaning towards East Greenwich for its schools.
I have read a few posts on other forums about the stress level being intense in the state. Also, some references to people being unfriendly. My kids are 6 and 3. They will need to make new friends.
Would anyone be kind enough to comment? I couldn%26#39;t bear to make my kids miserable. Thank you.
moving from Michigan
Your kids are going to love it here. The beaches are less than 30 minutes from East Greenwich. The summers are wonderful.
I don%26#39;t know about EG but most cities/towns have recreation programs for kids, sports, etc. for little or no money. Downtown Providence is another place to spend time in the summer - live theater in Waterplace Park with Waterfire following. Great place for families to spend time together.
We also have the Paw. Red Sox - a small ball park with Boston Red Sox farm team that draws quite a few people and a good way to spend an evening with the kids.
There is a lot of culture, with live theater with Broadway shows, sports, museums (RISD being one) Brown University, Opera, Ballet, etc. Our beaches are very nice and don%26#39;t forget to visit Newport - the mansions, beaches and restaurants.
People here are very friendly and it is a small state, so most people know most other people. East Greenwich has good schools but you will have to pick and choose your acquaintances, as you would anywhere else.
Good Luck
moving from Michigan
We also have wonderful parks. Besides E. Greenwich check out Barrington and Cranston. All are nice places to live with good schools. Have you visited the state yet? I think a visit to look at communities with a good realtor would not only put your mind at ease but make you excited about a move to R.I.
Forget what you hear about unfriendly New Englanders. This is actually a surprisingly friendly place.
About your kids and you: Many folks have lived here for generations, not far from family and old friends, etc. That%26#39;s their frame of reference. The first few times (or the first dozen times) they see you, they just don%26#39;t know you. To break through this, you need to do two things: 1. Be sure to encourage your kids to make good friends in school, then invite these friends to your house for play dates, casual parties, kid movies or sleepovers, go to the ice cream place together., etc. Keep asking. Be a welcoming Mom to the other kids. 2. Show up at school parent meetings, pick your kids up at school, go to the kids%26#39; sports things, sign them up for ballet, volunteer to be a room mom or chaperone on class trips, whatever. After the other parents have seen you over and over, suddenly the ice is broken. It really is a case where YOU need to show up repeatedly. No matter what your schedule is, you must make yourself visible.
About the stress level being intense: nope. We have the usual proportions of motivated vs not-too-motivated adults and kids. East Greenwich and Barrington do, however, have higher proportions of top-level executives and medical folks, who live that lifestyle. To break into that social swirl, you will, again, need to be visible- get involved in the charities, fundraisers, etc. EG and Barrington are the best schools. (Others will name their own school systems, but statistically, these two are the best for younger kids. They have some issues in high school- in some cases, too many teen freedoms.) The East Side of Providence is a great place to live, but most parents send their kids to private schools.
You will enjoy RI.
Thank you for posting your replies so quickly. Great advice! I do all of the extra curricular activities now, so it won%26#39;t be a change for me. I grew up in a resort town on Lake Michigan, and Rhode Island seems similar. I have not been there, but we will visit before accepting an offer.
I%26#39;ve read that driving from Barrington to Providence is difficult, otherwise I would consider a relocation there as well. Thank you everyone.
Thank you for posting your replies so quickly. Great advice! I do all of the extra curricular activities now, so it won%26#39;t be a change for me. I grew up in a resort town on Lake Michigan, and Rhode Island seems similar. I have not been there, but we will visit before accepting an offer.
I%26#39;ve read that driving from Barrington to Providence is difficult, otherwise I would consider a relocation there as well. Thank you everyone.
Here%26#39;s the RI joke: They say the reason certain areas of RI are still pristine, not full of condo developments, etc is: no one wants to commute more than 15 minutes. Things, of course, are changing, but the joke reflects our... well, let%26#39;s just say many people here would never survive in suburban Los Angeles, Chicago or Dallas, where ten miles can take 60 minues at rush hour. On the other hand, many commute long hours up to Boston or drive from far off to bring their kids to the private schools in Providence.
Barrington to Providence is 6-10 miles. At one point, the road narrows, but maybe that makes it 20-25 minutes at rush hour and there are alternate routes. It%26#39;s actually easier to get into Providence from Barrington, because there%26#39;s a long winding road into many parts of E.G. It%26#39;s really about which lifestyle you want. Both towns are beautiful, but have their detractors. Both are on the water; some say these towns are too ';homogeneous.'; Come visit and most real estate people here will be quite honest and open about your choices.
This really is a beautiful state. Not always the most exciting place, but a good place to live. Lots to do and only 4 hours from NYC. Good place to raise kids, once you get into a good school system.
Your children won%26#39;t be miserable, rest assured. Rhode Island is wonderful! I wouldn%26#39;t live anywhere else. We%26#39;ve got everything we need in short distances -- the beach, the arts, the colleges, the history -- you name it. EG is in the middle of the state and easy commute to anywhere else in the state. (I%26#39;d prefer EG to Barrington.) Narragansett Bay is gorgeous. My town, Westerly, is a fantastic place to live, if you don%26#39;t mind the commute to other parts of the state (we%26#39;re in the southwest corner, right next door to Connecticut). Don%26#39;t worry, you%26#39;ll be fine here.
Barrington,East Greenwich,Cranston all good public school systems. RI is a small state with losts of quirky little communities. Check out the entire state before making a move. Hook up with a couple of different realestate agents and have them take you around you will get a feel for each area. Good luck!!
Growing up in RI is great and if it werent for the fact that we have to live where we do now for my husbands business, I would be campaigning hard for a move to RI for when we have children. Your kids are going to love it.
East Greenwich is supposed to have the best school system, though Barrington is just as good. I would lean towards Barrington but that is probably only because I grew up in nearby Rumford (and my parents and all of my friends) still live there.
My child has lived most of her life in RI and likes it just fine. However, as someone who has lived in many different areas in and outside the US (and even lived for some time in Michigan!) I consider myself qualified to comment on the %26#39;unfriendly%26#39; aspect of Rhode Island. The state is very small, and after a few years it seems as if everyone knows everyone. There are many wonderful people here, and you will meet them and be happy. However, when you are dealing with Rhode Islanders that you don%26#39;t know (in a store, for example, or a restaurant, or just on the street) you will generally find that yes, Rhode Island can be a very cold and unfriendly place. Rhode Islanders are pretty curt and I do think that they are often rude. I%26#39;m sure they don%26#39;t mean to be, and it%26#39;s nothing personal, but it is very noticeable to me. I%26#39;ve always thought that this is something that holds Rhode Island back as a tourist destination. Anyway, I%26#39;m pretty used to it now, but when I travel outside Rhode Island (and to a lesser extent, New England in general) I do find myself noticing how friendly the people are. So, maybe you will be lucky, and not feel that people here are unfriendly, but if you do feel this way you should know that you%26#39;re not the only one.
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