Providence metropolitan area

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**Providence–New Bedford–Fall River**
Common name: Providence Metropolitan Area
Largest city Other cities	Providence - New Bedford - Fall River - Warwick
Population	Ranked 35^th in the U.S.
- Total	1,612,989 (2005 est.)
- Density	1,006.21/sq. mi. 2,606.07/km²
Area	1,635.76 sq. mi. 4,236.60 km²
State(s)	- Rhode Island - Massachusetts
Elevation
- Highest point	812 feet (247.5 m)
- Lowest point	0 feet (0 m)

The Providence metropolitan area is a region covering six counties in two states, and is the 36th largest metropolitan area in the United States.^[1]^[2] Anchored by the city of Providence, Rhode Island, it has an estimated population of 1,622,520, exceeding that of Rhode Island by about 60%. The area covers all of Rhode Island's five counties and extends into southern Massachusetts with an average population density of 2300 per mi² (888 per km²).^[3]^[4]^[5] In 2006, this area was officially added to the Boston Combined Statistical Area (CSA), the fifth-largest CSA in the country.^[1]

In 2004, Smart Growth America named the New York City metro area the "Least Sprawling" metropolitan area in the country, though Wendell Cox, correcting for the fact that this is only true when New Jersey and Connecticut's contributions are ignored, asserts that this title should belong to the Providence metropolitan area.^[4]

1 Boundaries
- 1.1 Principal Cities
2 Transportation
3 Demographics
4 References

[edit] Boundaries

The Providence metropolitan area contains towns from all five counties in Rhode Island and one county in Massachusetts, including:

The New Bedford metro area is not included in the Providence NECTA, but is included in the Combined NECTA^[6] and MSA definitions.

[edit] Principal Cities

[edit] Transportation

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates a commuter rail connecting the metropolitan area to Boston. There are commuter rail stations in Providence, South Attleboro, and Attleboro. An extension of the commuter rail to T.F. Green Airport in Warwick is expected to be completed in 2009. Extensions to Fall River and New Bedford have also been planned. Amtrak provides regional rail service to the Providence, and Kingston train stations as well.

A Pawtucket bound RIPTA bus on the #51 line loads at Kennedy Plaza.

Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), which has its hub in downtown Providence manages local bus transit for the state, serving 38 out of 39 Rhode Island communities, RIPTA has 58 bus lines, 2 tourist trolley lines known as LINK, and a seasonal ferry to Newport.^[7] Ferry services link Block Island, Prudence Island, and Hog Island to the Rhode Island mainland. Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) provides local bus service in the Massachusetts locales of Fall River and New Bedford.

The major airport is T. F. Green Airport in Warwick, though Logan International Airport in Boston is also used. The commuter rail is in the process of being extended to the airport, which will link by rail T.F. Green to Providence and Boston.

Interstate 95 runs diagonally across the state connecting major population centers, while the auxiliary interstate 295 provides a bypass around Providence.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
2000	1,582,997		—
Est. 2006	1,612,989	^[8]	1.9%
data source:^[2]

The Metro Area is marked by large populations of Irish-American, Italian-American, and French Canadians French-American throughout the region. The Irish form the largest group in Newport, and Washington Counties.^{[citation needed]} The Italians in Kent, and southern Providence County. the French in northern and western providence county. All groups however can be found throughout the region in large numbers.

Also included are very large concentrations of Lusophone populations across the region with the largest density being from East Providence to New Bedford. The two Bristol counties (RI, and MA) are the only two American counties where Portuguese-Americans form a plurality of the Population.^{[citation needed]}^[9]

Pockets of English and Scots-Irish Americans are found in rural areas of the region such as South County, RI where they are known as "Swamp Yankees", and also in towns such as Barrington, East Greenwich, and the East Side of Providence. Other Groups include Poles, Germans, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and Arabs (Lebanese, and Syrians).^{[citation needed]} Recent Immigrants included continued migration from Cape Verde, Portugal and other Lusophone nations, South East Asia specifically Laos, Cambodia, Hmong (mostly from Vietnam), the Former Soviet Union (primarily Russian Jews), Liberians, Ghanaians. however the largest Immigrant group is Hispanics, the Hispanic population is very diverse with older populations of Puerto Ricans being joined more recently by Dominicans, Guatemalans, Colombians, And Bolivians.^{[citation needed]}