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What kid doesn't want to live on a "rhode" on an island? Not many.
Now, Rhode Island might not be an island persay, but it does have some pretty cool places--including beaches--for kids. Do we think that's why the state ranked the thirteenth best state to raise a family? Absolutely. More importantly, it has some of the best places inside its borders call home. And lucky for you, HomeSnacks is here to help navigate those places. We've created a list of the best places for families to live in Rhode Island for 2021.
How did we determine Rhode Island's most family friendly places? We consulted the US Census on places in The Ocean State with more than 7,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 10 family friendly Rhode Island places. We discovered that not only is Rhode Island the smallest state in size, it's a state with the least amount of residents. Don't worry, however, what the state doesn't make up in size, it makes up in family friendly amenities, safe cities and neighborhoods, great schools, and competitive jobs and salaries.
That's not all we discovered, folks. Did you know that you can take your family on a ferry from the harbor in Providence to Martha's Vineyard? And if scenic drives are more your family's thing, you can start your minivan in Newport and cruise down Ocean Drive to Gooseberry Beach. That's what we call family friendly! To learn more about our methodology and to see why Rhode Island's top ten best places to raise a family are truly the best of the best, read on.
The 10 Best Cities To Raise A Family In Rhode Island For 2021
No, it's not a coincidence that most of Rhode Island's family friendly places are centered around the state's biggest cities: Providence and Newport. There's more to do in these places and jobs with competitive salaries are plentiful.
But, there can only be one number one best place to raise your family in Rhode Island, and that would be Cranston.
To see how your favorite place in Rhode Island compared, take a look at the list below; and if you don't see it there, head to the bottom.
Check out some more reading about Rhode Island and the best places for families in the country:
- Best Places To Live In Rhode Island
- Cheapest Places To Live In Rhode Island
- Best Cities To Raise A Family In America
- Best States To Raise A Family In America
The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Rhode Island For 2021
/10
Population: 81,254
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 56
Closest Major City: Boston
Households with kids: 28.9%
More on Cranston: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 17,553
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 57
Closest Major City: Boston
Households with kids: 25.9%
More on Westerly: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 7,804
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 63
Closest Major City: Boston
Households with kids: 26.8%
More on Tiverton: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 19,429
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 42
Closest Major City: Boston
Households with kids: 46.6%
More on Central Falls: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 80,993
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 66
Closest Major City: Boston
Households with kids: 25.1%
More on Warwick: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 47,483
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 59
Closest Major City: Boston
Households with kids: 25.4%
More on East Providence: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 24,663
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 91
Closest Major City: Boston
Households with kids: 21.9%
More on Newport: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 71,844
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 62
Closest Major City: Boston
Households with kids: 30.4%
More on Pawtucket: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 179,494
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 88
Closest Major City: Boston
Households with kids: 32.1%
More on Providence: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 41,603
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 38
Closest Major City: Boston
Households with kids: 27.8%
More on Woonsocket: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
How do you determine which place is best for families in Rhode Island anyways?
To give you the places in Rhode Island which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what's family-friendly and what isn't.
So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.
How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Ocean State
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Rhode Island, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries and colleges)
We then gave each city a Family Score.
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 7,000 people. For Rhode Island, that meant a total of 10 cities. You can download the data here.
There You Have It - The Best Places To Raise A Family In Rhode Island
If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in Rhode Island ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
Here's a look at the best cities for singles Rhode Island according to the data:
- Woonsocket
- Providence
- Pawtucket
For more Rhode Island reading, check out:
- Cheapest Places To Live In Rhode Island
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Rhode Island
- Most Dangerous Cities In Rhode Island
Where Are The Best Places For Families In Rhode Island?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cranston, RI | 81,254 |
| 2 | Westerly, RI | 17,553 |
| 3 | Tiverton, RI | 7,804 |
| 4 | Central Falls, RI | 19,429 |
| 5 | Warwick, RI | 80,993 |
| 6 | East Providence, RI | 47,483 |
| 7 | Newport, RI | 24,663 |
| 8 | Pawtucket, RI | 71,844 |
| 9 | Providence, RI | 179,494 |
| 10 | Woonsocket, RI | 41,603 |
Town of Cumberland is one of the finest places in R.I. that you failed to mention.
Your analysis does to address the places with great schools which are important for families. Why not take that into account.
You should have a malpractice suit brought against you!!! Seeing this I don’t believe I can trust your judgement at all. I am looking to move to FL from RI and wanted to check on veracity of info. This couldn’t be more wrong!
Central Falls and Pawtucket have 3rd world school systems. These are truly awful places that were abandoned in the 1960’s. Newport, Cranston and Providence 2nd world at best: small wealthy enclaves surrounded by petty ghettos.
The Best School Districts
Barrington (without a doubt)
East Greenwich
Portsmouth is nice
Kingston
Totally not correct at all! You have; Central Falls, East Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Warwick, and Providence listed as best cities?! That is absurd, while there are parts of Warwick, Providence, and even East Providence that might be considered “nice”, in general the schools are terrible and the taxes are through the roof. What about East Greenwich, Barrington, Portsmouth, Charlestown, etc.? While looking at other cities to potentially move I decided to look at RI as a reference and found your list to be useless. I can’t trust the other cities you recommend now!