East Providence is a city in

Providence County, Rhode Island 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 ...

, 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 some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

and Seekonk Rivers on the west and the Seekonk area of

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

on the east. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 47,139 people, 21,050 households, and 11,510 families in East Providence. The population density was 3,548.6 per square mile (1,370.1/km). There were 22,196 housing units at an average density of 1,670.9 per square mile (645.1/km). The racial makeup was 77.38% (36,474)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

(75.66%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 5.4% (2,547)

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 0.42% (199) Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 2.11% (996) Asian, 0.04% (17)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 4.83% (2,277) from other races, and 9.82% (4,629) from

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 7.06% (3,328) of the population. Of the 21,050 households, 23.0% had children under the age of 18; 39.0% were married couples living together; 33.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 35.5% of households consisted of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 3.1. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 25.3% of the population. 16.7% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 112.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 116.4 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $63,158 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,857) and the median family income was $88,973 (+/- $7,921). Males had a median income of $47,414 (+/- $3,540) versus $37,833 (+/- $2,442) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $42,543 (+/- $2,745). Approximately, 5.9% of families and 9.6% 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 ...

, including 9.3% of those under the age of 18 and 11.4% of those ages 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

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 chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 5.02%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.46% Native American, 1.15% Asian, 0.05%

, 2.80% from other races, and 4.03% from two or more races.

or Latino 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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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

, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those aged 65 or over.

Ancestry

The population has large immigrant communities from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

the Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atlant ...

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

and

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

. Approximately 24% of East Providence residents report Portuguese ancestry, followed by Irish at 18%, and Italian with 11%.

Education

East Providence has 13 public and five 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 2021-2022 year, there was an approximate stud ...

– built 2021 ** East Providence Career & Technical Center

Non-public elementary and junior-high schools

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

Non-public high schools

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

Music and Arts

* On September 2, 1977, The Beach Boys performed before an audience of 40,000 at

Narragansett Park Narragansett Park was an American race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Beginnings On May 18, 1934, Rhode Island voters approved a measure legalizing parimutuel betting by an almost 3 to 1 margin. The following day ...

in Pawtucket,

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, which remains the largest concert audience in Rhode Island history. The City of East Providence provided parking in the area next to Narragansett Park. On August 9, 2017, a commemoration ceremony produced by

Al Gomes Al Gomes is an American record producer, music industry strategist, historian, and songwriter from Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Gomes has been in the music business for over 40 years, is the co-founder of Big Noise, was part of the team ...

and Connie Watrous of Big Noise took place in East Providence with The Beach Boys, along with East Providence Mayor James Briden and Assistant Mayor Robert Britto, who gave The Beach Boys the coveted Key to the City. The street where the concert stage formerly stood at 510 Narragansett Park Drive in Pawtucket, RI was officially renamed to "Beach Boys Way".

Health and Medicine

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, it ...

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

National Register of Historic Places listings in East Providence

* Bicknell–Armington Lightning Splitter House * Boston and Providence Railroad Bridge * Bridgham Farm * Carpenter, Lakeside, and Springvale Cemeteries *

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 ...

, (

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

) *

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 bet ...

* Nathaniel Daggett House *

James Dennis House The James Dennis House is an historic house located at 3120 Pawtucket Avenue in East Providence, Rhode Island. This two-story wood-frame house was built sometime in the 1870s, and is a fine local example of Queen Anne Victorian style. Its mo ...

* District 6 Schoolhouse *

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 a United Church of Christ congregation in East Providence, Rhode Island. The church is a two-story wood-frame structure on a high brick basement. It was built in 1810 for a congregation that was gathered in 1643 ...

* 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 Ro ...

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 comprises a group of mainly brick buildings on of land, bounded on the north by Bourne Avenue, the east by rai ...

* 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 Ma ...

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

Media

Newspaper

Weekly

*The East Providence Post

Monthly

*The East Providence Reporter

Radio

AM

*1110/

WPMZ WPMZ (1110 AM, "Poder 1110") is a radio station licensed to serve East Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The station is owned by Video Mundo Broadcasting Co., LLC. It airs a Spanish tropical format. WPMZ is relayed on an FM translator: ...

: Spanish-language “Poder”.

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". It was Philadelphia's most widely-circulated newspaper for a period, but ...

'' 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, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

''); 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 performers ...

; lives in East Providence *

John Michael Greer John Michael Greer (born 1962) is an American writer and druid who writes on ecological overshoot, ecological economics, appropriate technology, oil depletion, societal collapse, ecocentrism, pantheism, and the occult. Early life and education G ...

, author and former Archdruid; lives in East Providence *

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

, TV personality on

Fox & Friends ''Fox & Friends'' is an American daily morning conservative news and talk program that airs on Fox News and reruns on Fox.Thompson, Ethan, and Jason Mittell. "Fox & Friends: Political Talk." ''How to Watch Television.'' 168-76. Print. It premie ...

and

The View ''The View'' is an American talk show created by broadcast journalist Barbara Walters. , in its 28th season, the show has aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC as part of the network's ABC Daytime, daytime programming block since August ...

; attended and graduated from

St. Mary Academy – Bay View St. Mary Academy – Bay View is an all-girls Catholic school, serving girls and young women from pre-school through grade twelve. Bay View is located in Riverside, Rhode Island. It was founded by the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1874. It is loc ...

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 (born April 12, 1973) 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 American version of '' Deal or No Deal'' and '' ...

, 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 is a variation of '' The Apprentice'' series hosted by real estate developer Donald Trump from 2008 to 2015, and actor and former California Governor Arnold Sc ...

'');

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, second baseman and coach for several

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

teams; born in East Providence *

Jamie Silva James J. Silva (born December 14, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boston College Eagles, earning conse ...

, football safety for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

; born in East Providence *

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

, hostess 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. Many national currencies have, or ...

'', co-host of ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...