The Town of North Providence was set off from Providence in 1769, but on three separate occasions sections of it were reannexed to Providence, with an additional piece of land joined to Pawtucket. North Providence's early history is closely intermingled with Providence and Pawtucket because of these annexations. In 1782 Rochambeau and his troops camped in an area that once belonged to North Providence.  North Providence is centrally located in the Providence metropolitan area, and borders on more suburban communities. Major highways provide easy access to North Providence from any point in the state and connects the town to Woonsocket on the north and to Providence on the south. Although, North Providence is the smallest town in the state, its size has not impeded it from becoming a bustling suburban community. One of it's main thoroughfares, Mineral Spring Avenue, offers a myriad of goods and services. North Providence has experienced a significant rate of residential growth. Over two-thirds of the town's residential civilian labor force are employed in various occupations in other areas throughout the state. Rhode Island College is located in part of North Providence. The college offers degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Science and General Studies. North Providence offers all of the conveniences of city living in a suburban atmosphere.

Government in North Providence, Rhode Island

North Providence was Established in 1636, Incorporated in 1765
North Providence Form of Government: Mayor and seven-member Town Council.
North Providence Council Meetings: The first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm.
North Providence Fiscal Year Begins: July 1

North Providence Town Hall
2000 Smith Street
North Providence, Rhode Island 02911
FAX: 231-9855
Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

North Providence General Demographic Characteristics

• North Providence Population: The population count for The Town of North Providence as of April 1, 2005, was 32,411. This represented a 1.00% increase (321 persons) from the 1990 population of 32,090.
• North Providence Rank: In 2005 North Providence ranks 8th in population among Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns.
• North Providence Median Age: In 2005 the median age of the population in North Providence was 41.2.
• North Providence Age Distribution: In 2005, 81.7% or 26,475 persons residing in North Providence were 18 years of age or older. 25,557 were 21 and over, 7,240 were 62 and over, and 6,395 were 65 and over.
• North Providence Population Density: The 2005 population density of North Providence is 5,720 persons per square mile of land area. North Providence contains 5.67 square miles of land area (14,674,927 Sq. meters) (3,626.28 acres) and 0.12 square miles of water area (320,994 square meters) (76.8 acres).
• North Providence Housing Units: The total number of housing units in the The Town of North Providence as of April 1, 2005, was 14,867. This represented an increase of 733 units from the 14,134 housing units in 1990.
  Of the 14,867 housing units 516 were vacant. 74 of the vacant units were for seasonal of recreational use.
• North Providence Households: In 2005, there are 14,351 households in North Providence with an average size of 2.23 persons. Of these, 8,546 were family households with an average family size of 2.91 persons.
• North Providence Race:
  > North Providence Total Population of One Race: 31,842
  >North Providence White Population: 29,812
  >North Providence Black of African American: 859
  >North Providence American Indian and Alaska Native: 55
  > North Providence Asian Population: 598
  > North Providence Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 7
  > Some Other Race in North Providence: 511
  >North Providence Total Population of two or More Races: 569
  >North Providence Hispanic or Latino: In 2005, 1,247 persons of Hispanic origin resided in North Providence. This represented 3.8% of the population. An increase of 676 or 118.4% from the 1980 Hispanic population of 571. 
  
                                North Providence, Rhode Island Official Web Site