I grew up in NYC and everyday I’m happy not to hear about people getting pushed onto the train tracks, drive by shootings and school stabbings. Watching the news was stressful.

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I can imagine, while yes we do have our crimes and even weird crimes and such, still. Still thankful I live in this state. It’s not perfect but it’s good.

I won’t disagree on that, there definitely is. Crime is definitely on a lesser scale here compared to other states, at least I think so. Maybe I’m just seeing things through rose colored glasses.

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All the time tbh. I’m glad to be here

100% poverty does breed crime. I’m thankful to be in a fortunate lucky spot but this state does have a high rent problem among other things but I’m thinking on the positives. Hopefully these things do get better. For everyone.

Hell fucking yeah dude

I love Rhode Island until I open Zillow

Will not disageee with you there whatsoever.

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RI is home, home is RI. That’s all I know, and I love it.

The crazy weather elsewhere too

Dude I just heard that LA had a tornado, fucking LA! They already have earthquakes! Could not imagine living in tornado alley or anything like that but if we were to have a tsunami here or hurricane we would be super fucked.

Grew up in RI. Went to college and worked in Central NY. Have lived and worked in MA since then.

Tough call. I loved all three places. might retire in Rhode Island. But, honestly, I think Massachusetts has its shit together more than the other 2 states.

Not too much tbh.

Best decision of my life was to move out of Rhody after 34 years there.

My taxes are much better, my house much bigger, my life far more affordable, and my politicians actually have a shot of being president some day (here's looking at you, Chafee!)

I work in Massachusetts because jobs here don’t pay enough so hey, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. There’s more than just the wacky crime that goes on elsewhere that I’m thankful for.

Where do you live now?

I love MA but they priced me out. Still very happy in RI but MA is home.

Glad the last 34 years have been good to you at least. We’re still here kickin’

I’m from Greater Boston and have lived in RI for 25+ years. MA definitely has its advantages but RI has come a looong way.

Where is this magical place?

nope, never. to be honest. not at all.

That sucks, hope you find somewhere you do feel that way about.

We have! But I do like Massachusetts and it’s residents and jobs, I like both states!

thanks, probably the nicest thing anyone from RI has said to me. I find it fairly unfriendly here (hence Rude Island). This is the 5th state I've lived in and it's a noticeable difference.

Dont get me wrong... RI is sooo good! But we need to shape up, too.

Cant beat our beaches, Newport (and Gansett), and food

Sheesh, sorry you’ve met some mean people. We’re not all like that. I won’t disagree with you, we are not the most nicest bunch, I think that we tend to mind our business more so. Could be wrong on that though. I’ve had people tell me they never know their neighbors compared to when they are in other states

There are other states?!?

On behalf of this post, thank you.

Also I’ve never heard anyone call it Rude Island. That’s funny lol

Hahaha it feels that way sometimes.

I grew up in Chicago. When I go back and watch the news I can't help but appreciate my new home.

Everywhere has it’s pros and cons but hey glad you’re glad to be here like some of us are.!

We have ATV gangs and nightclub stabbings. I'd consider that a relative victory?

Did I say this state was perfect and free of crime? No, am I saying it’s better with crime compared to other states, perhaps a bit yeah. Am I biased? Perhaps, I’ve been around to a few states but never lived in any. So what’s your point? To point out it’s not as great as it looks because I’m not saying that. I’m saying I appreciate this state and everything it has to offer even with its shortcomings, cons and all

To point out it ain't all that bad? It could be way worse?

You sound like I made fun of dels or something bruh

I feel like it doesn't always. If you compare Southeast Asia to Latin America, they are at similar levels of socioeconomic development yet Southeast Asia is far less violent.

Bhutan is a great example of a poor country that is not violent.

I lived in Seattle for 2 years, the news was frightening? The worst shit happened every day. I recalled how RI was very tame in comparison.

Didn’t you guys also have a portion of the city that was taken over/occupied by people for a while as well?

Civil unrest, yes. On multiple occasions, rebar was thrown onto a 10 lane highway from an overpass.

Chiming in from Oklahoma. Moving back to New England this summer.

We have tornadoes and earthquakes. I think Oklahoma exceeds California. No 7+ magnitude though. They are unnerving in a different way. I at least can get a short heads up on tornadoes. They know when the weather is ready for one.

I have zero notice on earthquakes. You can "feel" them right before they hit though. Like a vibration in your body if that makes sense.

100%! I grew up here and then moved around quite a bit. Living in Philly was an education in casual and terrifyingly random violence. Coming back to RI was the best decision I could have made!

It does not because I have no reference and hope I never do but I’m thinking it’s similar to a gut feeling?

Yep. A gut feeling. Almost sinking.

Man that’s scary stuff, I can only imagine. I’ve had that gut feeling before about social situations and such but never environmental. Glad you’re here to tell the tale though

I too have heard people call it "Rude Island" lol. Who would have thought that little Rhody had a rep.

No

Tornadoes too! One side sounds like a freight train the other sounds like a vacuum. Just depends on the direction.

Try moving from Dallas, I watch CBS DFW every morning and then turn on WPRI and CBS Boston….

Every morning this week on CBS DFW they’ve talked about shootings….. on CBS Boston they were talking about kids taking edibles at school.

Crazy how gun laws actually work

Anyone who's lived there for any length of time.

Womp, womp. Hope you are in a place or state of mind that you are glad to be in at least

I lived in RI for almost 40 years. I don't miss it. If you think it doesn't have its share of fucked up problems you've got your head in the sand.

I don’t. So i don’t think I have sand in my head. Never said it was perfect. Everywhere has its pros and cons.

But hey, hope where ever you are has less fucked up problems

I had a family member murdered in the streets and the police did absolutely nothing to find the culprit so I'd say that qualifies as a crazy event for me in RI. I assume you are talking about events on a larger scale than a an isolated murder but it sure did ruin my life and the lives of my family members. Just hope something like this doesn't happen to you because it happens in RI and the cops don't care.

Do you know if there's similar rates of income inequality as well? I'm curious if that plays into it.

I am talking about events on a much larger scale compared to isolated ones. Either way regardless of this post and it’s comments I’m really sorry you went through that man and that this state and it’s police failed you. I’ve never went though a traumatic family event like that so I do not know how it feels and I also hope it never happens to me either but I’m aware it could happen , doesn’t mean I am prepared. No one is. I hope you are healing and are in a better place from then though.

Did they never find the culprit? Is it an open case still? You don’t have to respond to these questions if they are too personal by the way, I am just honestly curious. Sorry if me asking upsets you. I do apologize in advance

Is people getting pushed onto train tracks a normal thing?

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That's interesting. Lifelong RI resident and visited Texas not all that long ago Flew in and out from San Antonio. Last night in Texas was spent in a hotel next to the airport due to a early departure. Around midnight some dumbass drove by on the highway unloading his mag from a vehicle. Scared the shit out of me and I jumped out of bed and hit the floor. Was quite happy to come home. Fwiw I live near the rod and gun club and own a couple firearms. It's different for sure.

No.

Simple, short and to the point. Gotcha. That sucks though man hope you do find somewhere that you do feel that way about

My father was beaten to death and left on the street to die. There was a brief investigation in that a detective asked some coworkers at my father's job if they noticed anything suspicious before his death but they determined it to be unsolvable within a couple days, closed the case, and never looked back. We've tried to raise awareness and pushed the police to investigate further but they have essentially laughed us off and it's been pretty impossible to get people to give a shit. There was never a motivation or suspect, just a man beaten to death and left on the street to die. It didn't appear to be a mugging as he had his wallet and watch. The police didn't make any effort beyond what I describe above so my siblings, my mother, and I are left with no answers and no justice. I understand some cases are unsolvable but the police didn't even try. I know you say RI isn't crazy but it feels crazy to me when something like this can happen and no one bats an eye about it.

I think it's more like, we're just a little more civilized up here so we wouldn't have as much of those either way. ME, NH, and VT, are all Constitutional Carry states. Definitely not as shooting-crazy as Texas. Or the gun control capitol of Chicago, for that matter....

I don’t know if you mind but I listen to a lot of crime podcasts and they do a lot of advocacy work and I’ve heard only a small few (maybe like 4 cases) involving a murder or cold case in Rhode Island but there is this one and it’s this podcast called crime junkie, I’m a pretty avid fan and they do cover cases sent in. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of them but I’m all in favor of getting justice for crimes like these and I’d totally would email them and message them about this. Any awareness is good awareness and hearing story after story I can only imagine show frustrating it is not to see justice

That last sentence really got to me, I’m sorry man. Truly am.

It’s not that we’re more civilized, we just have an exponentially smaller population.

What you heard may not have been a gun, could have been a two step backfire. They sound very similar. Welcome to Texas, where we can’t tell if someone’s truck is fucking up or if they’re unloading a clip!

But yeah, they’ve taken 10 steps back with all of these insanely loose gun laws. I’ve been wondering if their goal is to just create the state into some massive survival of the fittest challenge, seems that way.

Providence born & raised. I left for 12 years, and was homesick the entire time. I will never leave again

Way less crime because of way less people.

Gun laws aside, it’s not as segregated here. That contributes to a lot of it.

I spent 3 semesters researching housing policies in undergrad & everything that increases crime and places minorities at a disadvantage is exactly what Texas does.

For now, I know of several people moving here but yeah I definitely won’t deny that.

Texas is fucking wild. I swear, hearing how people get shot at and it’s not considered attempted murder is nuts to me. Wild ‘modern’ west.

Edit:sounds weird not saying people are moving here to commit crimes

When I open my electric bill each month I say to myself “Damn we are being fucked”.

It was my heat bill for me.

Sounds like a normal day in the good ole Lone Star State! Gun violence is very normalized. I remember talking about the shooting at my HS during my senior year when I first moved. I just casually dropped it in a conversation, and whoever I was talking to was like what???! Like they couldn’t imagine ever being in that situation.

We never said “if the school ever gets shot up” but “when the school gets shot up” during drills. Different world down there.

Former Texan here. Moved in 2019. Never going back.

RI could not support the population that would balance the crime out.

I come from mass, the people here are much nicer

It is not

So are you saying more people would lead to less crime or more balanced or?

Are you new here? This just gives me the honeymoon stage vibes of a new relationship.

For what it's worth, I'm a long term transplant who is a huge fan of the state, but I've lived in other small cities and other states and if I had ended up there I'm sure I would have had a happy and fulfilling life like my friends still in those places.

I am extremely involved in state and local meetings and the fact is that Rhode Island is just a messy as many other states. They definitely do better than states that have gone far right, but they're kind of iconic as a liberal state that just falls short of well run liberal states. The nepotism here is kind of insane and every appointment seems to be someone "knowing a guy" and giving them yet anothers high powered job in the state due to name recognition. Then getting a 150k salary. Some of these people have made wildly unpopular decisions like Gina and the pension debacle (named nationally as one of the worst restructurings in the county. Absolutely horrifying when you learn the details).

As far as negative press and weather, a lot of it depends on the year. 2015 was a mess where we were stuck in some kind of snow pile every other day and, as the ocean state, we aren't exactly in a position to cast judgement-- we are in a very vulnerable coastal area.

We do have super low crime rates. As someone who volunteers closely with people financially on the edge here, it's abysmal the direction that we are headed with COL adjustments and it makes me worry that decades from now we will see people in abject poverty, much higher homeless populations, and possibly higher rates of crime as a result. It's honestly a direction that the state has taken that keeps me up at night, as one of the best parts of the state has been seeing people thrive in FHA programs or build a great life in the trades. Now every town in the state has been ripe for rapid gentrification.

And I say that as someone who has built their entire life here by choice. Anywhere, USA is going through some tough times politically and economically and RI is not an exception.

When laid back locals speak, I listen. Those are people that have seen some wild ups and downs here and can tell you all about the hole of a downtown pre-1990s, high recession unemployment rates, and boom/bust cycles here with local governments. Those people have seen some shit lol.

Born and raised here for many years, I’m a huge fan of the state while again it’s not perfect or insanely better than other states or liberal run states and I agree it could be better, anywhere could be better. I appreciate rhode Island for what it is. Pros and cons.

I'm currently living in downtown Providence and moving to MA towards the end of summer. I'll always love RI but I don't see myself living there again. I'm excited for some change as the last year living downtown hasn't been the greatest experience.

That's horrible and my condolences for your loss. I've lost 2 friends to gun violence in Providence since 2021 and neither one of the cases have been solved. It's a lot crazier out here than people want to admit but it is what it is. Hopefully nobody here will have to experience that type of loss. It's bad enough to lose people you care about to mindless violence but not being able to find closure while at the same time knowing the people who did it are still out there is quite unnerving.

Mind blown that you would reply with this. I'm a car guy who drag races,street races and wrenches on all kinds of stuff. Done it for 30 years and counting. I own a turbo car with a 2 step and this is a just a downright weird coincidence that you reply with this as a possibility. I have enough know how to say with great confidence it wasn't a 2 step it was some asshole shooting from the highway.

I dated losers who drove big trucks with confederate flags attached to the back in high school, they taught me more about cars and trucks than I would like to admit. I expected you to not know what I was walking about, so yeah, odd coincidence.

I’m glad you know the difference… A lot of people from Cali have moved into my hometown & someone is always posting about hearing a drive by shooting in the local Facebook group. Roughly 2 hours later, some dude will comment and have to explain his entire car to 30 confused middle aged women. Every time.

Good to hear! I feel similarly. I just feel like something has changed and I see a lot more people living in despair on the brink of homelessness in my circles. So it is really impacting my view of things here lately, admittedly.

Something has changed or more so it has already , rent is higher, poverty is more so than when I grew up and we do have problems when it comes to living situations. It can be a struggle at times, There is no denying that. Still, I do appreciate that I am here.

No shame in having automotive knowledge. It will serve you well and I understand your concern. I'm a neighbor to Fall River Ma and the city has had at least one incident with cops and a shooting because of a 2 step.

What I’m saying is the amount of crime is relative to the size of the population in the state. Watching the news doesn’t help either. Feel good stories don’t keep people glued to the television, which in turn, doesn’t make for good advertising sales. The amount of violent crime is relative to wherever you live. It’s the fires, floods, abductions, murders, drug deaths, political b.s. that people tune in for. It’s also a way the media manipulates us and keeps us divided.

See, Zillow makes me love Rhode Island more because all the other places where I'd actually want to live are more expensive.

You're not imagining things, the crime rate here is remarkably low and frankly always has been. Waraq aside, I think I heard recently that Warwick is one of the safest cities of its size in the country.

It got a lot of news coverage last year. There was a bit of a trend. Obviously if you go ride the New York City subway you are statistically incredibly unlikely to get pushed onto the tracks, but it happened a few times and everyone got very paranoid about it.

Until I got to the president part, I thought you meant that's what happened when you moved TO Rhody, because that's exactly what I thought when I moved here from New York.

I honestly wouldn't trust the opinion of someone who says they lived somewhere for 40 years and doesn't miss it. I miss everywhere I've ever lived to some degree.

I grew up on Long Island and lived in New York City for 15 years, the people here aren't even in the same universe

The crime rate, which takes the number of people into account, is also low, not just the raw crime numbers.

As someone who moved here from Chicago: YES.

Nope. I lived in RI until I was in my early 20's, moved up to Boston and never looked back. I now live in a nice west coast city which, while expensive, offers far more opportunity, significantly higher wages, and great weather. People here are noticeably happier and it makes a huge difference in the day to day. When I visit RI, there are certainly thing that I still like about it (mostly southern RI) but what used to feel like home now feels depressing to me. The food is definitely great though, and I do miss NESN.

They're both extortionately priced. But I guess at least we're not on Texas power.

I grew up in RI but I live in Washington state now. It’s great here really. But I’m convinced there is no better state than RI.

Hello fellow former Chicagoan! Watching the news or even following r/Chicago has me feeling the same. Every state, city will have problems, but RI feels a lot more manageable and the corruption seems a lot less interwoven to it than our hometown

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No. I think it sucks to live in Rhode Island. It’s expensive. It’s too blue and it’s too socialist! I cannot wait to move out of here!

Taxes are still too high 1 million people and $1 billion state budget makes no sense unless there’s lots and lots of people - on the take in our government

MA to RI transplant, Downtown Providence makes Boylston Street seem like a casual stroll and I have no idea how people live there.

You can't put Waraq aside. They'll just jump out from somewhere again.

There’s around 1000 kidnappings in Phoenix AZ every year, that city is larger than the state of RI.

I live in RI, work in MA too, mostly the Boston area. Pay is much better.

I can totally relate. thanks for the reminder and positivity around it!

Yeah I think that “we all collectively get by on very little” vs “I had a nice home and my dickhead landlord priced me out of it because everyone else was doing the same to their tenants” is a big motivating factor in “I turned to crime”

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This is the guy with the “I never leave Rhode Island” bumper sticker

Same. I love RI so much. Never moving back to Chicago.

We have been just lucky enough to be just far enough away from Boston - to have a more affordable real estate market

It is still is relatively better

No

I am so sorry this happened to your family member and to you. Devastating.

new york has one of the lowest crime rates of any major us city

More like waiting for the hammer to drop - hopefully our turn for bullshit doesn’t come anytime soon!

I grew up in NYC in the 80s and 90s. It was different then. You can check the crime rates

Rhode Islanders 🤝 Other Rhode Islanders

With all the negativity I see from my fellow Ocean Staters on places like FB etc. it’s actually nice to see

Yeah, except we have our own loons trying to pull that shit in this state too. Remember to get involved in your kids school boards so that crazies like that woman in SK don’t get their way.

I like collecting downvotes from our MAGA contingent so I will say that I see crazy things like what is going on in the bible belt and yes, very thankful.

Even just across the line in CT when I watch the national weather I think "who knew central New England would become the country's garden spot?"

Is this insinuating Boylston St is bad? Because it’s pretty damn nice.

Gotta stay vigilant though.

To walk, sure.

“Oh I wonder what HALF A MILLION DOLLARS can get me”

:: opens Zillow ::

• “Great fixer upper!”
• “Sold as tear down, lot only”
• “650sqft”
• literally a one room log cabin in the woods

:: immediately closes Zillow & pours a stiff drink ::

I agree. I grew up on LI and didn’t see a lot of crime in my town even though I grew up in poverty. I’ve lived in the “safest” part of phoenix and there were home invasions daily (and I lived near all of the AZ cardinals players). Colorado was more of the same; safe, small town with lots of crime. I’m happy to be here that is for sure!

Always!

Oh yeah, Blue States rule

Please for the love of your money Retire down South. NC and SC are perfect for Northern Pensions.

Caught some hood rats trying to break into my car again yesterday, so, no, not really. Also, not sure why you think anything that’s happening in other states couldn’t happen here at any moment..

I never said that it couldn’t. I’m aware. That sucks though sorry.

Yeah, that would be my assumption too. I'm not sure if stats back it up in general. But it makes sense as poor and rich are comparative, looking at 1000 years ago or whatever and what's poor and rich is very different.

• Feels good to live in New England

I am so thankful my family ended up here.

Grew up in Providence, asides from the train track thing, the others were typical for us. We even had stabbing at our graduation.

I think it's the income inequality more than poverty.

If it were poverty and low education, you'd see more homicide in Sub-Saharan Africa than Latin America.