Providence

Providence, city, capital of Rhode Island, United States. Providence is located at the head of Narragansett Bay on the Providence River, in the northern part of the state. In addition to being the seat of the state government, Providence is a busy seaport, used as port of entry for tankers carrying petroleum products for southern New England, as well as a commercial, manufacturing, and financial centre. The city is noted for the production of jewellery and silverware; other major manufactured goods include electronics, machinery, metal goods, telecommunications equipment, textiles, and processed food. Providence is a transport hub, with extensive road and rail links to nearby metropolitan areas, a scheduled air service from Theodore Francis Green State Airport, and ferry links to Newport and Block Island, a popular summer resort.

Among Providence's many historic buildings, some dating back to colonial times, are the Old State House (1762); the First Unitarian Church (1816), with a bell cast by Paul Revere; the Cathedral of St John (completed 1811); and the First Baptist Church (1775), the meeting house of the oldest Baptist congregation in the United States. Also of note is the Providence Athenaeum (1753), one of the oldest libraries in the United States. The city is the seat of prestigious Ivy League Brown University (1764), Providence College (1917), Rhode Island College (1854), and the Rhode Island School of Design (1877).

In 1636, Roger Williams, who had been banished from Plymouth Colony mainly because of his religious beliefs, established Providence as a haven for those who shared his beliefs. He secured the land from Native Americans of the Narragansett tribe and named the community in gratitude for God's “providence”. The settlement soon attracted other dissenters, and by the early 18th century the community was thriving as a port for trade with the West Indies.

In 1772 Providence residents burned the British ship HMS Gaspée, which had been sent to police British navigation laws. They also protested against English taxation by burning tea in the public square. Two months before the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence (1776), the Rhode Island Independence Act was signed (May 4, 1776) in Providence. The community's growth after the American War of Independence was slow, but by the mid-19th century it was a manufacturing centre noted for jewellery and textiles. Many European immigrants settled here later in the century. In 1900 Providence became the sole capital of Rhode Island (Newport had been the joint capital since 1854). Beginning in the 1970s the city underwent extensive renovation. A $290 million convention centre was opened in the city in 1993, part of a vast urban renewal project which included revitalising the riverside. Population 176,862 (2005 estimate).