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The Providence metropolitan area is a region extending into eight counties in two states, and is the 38th 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 slightly over 60%. The area covers almost all of Rhode Island. Thirty-eight of the 39 municipalities in the state are included; only Westerly is not. The Providence Metropolitan Statistical Area also extends into southern Massachusetts with an average population density of 2300 per mi² (888 per km²).[3][4][5] Its Gross Metropolitan Product is the country's 42nd largest at $64.7 billion, just above the Gross State Product of the entire state of Hawaii.[6] Since 2006, the Providence metropolitan area has been officially included in the Greater Boston Combined Statistical Area (CSA), the sixth-largest CSA in the country, with over eight million residents.[1]

Providence Metropolitan Area
Metropolitan statistical area
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Coordinates: 41.824°N 71.413°W / 41.824; -71.413
Country	United States
State(s)	- Rhode Island  - Massachusetts
Largest city	Providence
Other cities	- New Bedford  - Fall River  - Warwick  - Pawtucket  - Cranston
Area
• Total	1,635.76 sq mi (4,236.6 km2)
Highest elevation	812 ft (247.5 m)
Lowest elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2005 est.)
• Total	1,612,989
• Rank	38th in the U.S.
• Density	1,006.21/sq mi (380.78/km2)

Boundaries

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

• Bristol County, Rhode Island
• Kent County, Rhode Island
• Newport County, Rhode Island
• Providence County, Rhode Island
• Washington County, Rhode Island
• Bristol County, Massachusetts

The New Bedford metro area is not included in the Providence NECTA, but is included in the Combined NECTA[7] and MSA definitions.

Principal cities

• Providence, Rhode Island
• Pawtucket, Rhode Island
• Fall River, Massachusetts
• New Bedford, Massachusetts
• Warwick, Rhode Island
• Cranston, Rhode Island
• Attleboro, Massachusetts

Transportation

Rail

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 and Wickford Junction in North Kingstown, Rhode Island was completed in 2012. 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.

Bus transit

Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), which has its hub in downtown Providence manages local bus transit for the state, serving 35 out of 39 Rhode Island communities. RIPTA operates 55 bus lines as well as Flex service and paratransit service.[8] Ferry services link Block Island, Prudence Island, and Hog Island to the Rhode Island mainland. Additionally, there is a seasonal ferry service between Providence and Newport from late May to mid-October. Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) provides local bus service in the Massachusetts locales of Fall River and New Bedford. The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) serves from Pawtucket to Middleboro, Bellingham and points eastward, and from Scituate to Bourne.

Air transport

The major airport is T. F. Green Airport in Warwick, though Logan International Airport in Boston is also used. The MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line passes through T.F. Green and connects the airport to Providence and Boston, offering additional airport flexibility in the Greater Boston Area.

Roads

Two interstates connect major population centers in the region: 95, which runs diagonally across Rhode Island and connecting with Boston and New York City, and 195, which runs east from Providence into Fall River and New Bedford. The auxiliary interstate 295 provides a bypass around Providence.

Additional highways serving the area include Route 146 (connecting Providence and Worcester), Route 138 (serving Newport), Route 24 (serving Fall River), Route 4 (serving the Wickford area), Route 99 (connecting Route 146 with Woonsocket) and Route 140 (connecting Route 24 with New Bedford).

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	623,832		—
1910	794,906		27.4%
1920	895,577		12.7%
1930	981,085		9.5%
1940	998,794		1.8%
1950	1,063,384		6.5%
1960	1,257,976		18.3%
1970	1,391,026		10.6%
1980	1,421,795		2.2%
1990	1,509,789		6.2%
2000	1,582,997		4.8%
2010	1,600,852		1.1%
2019 (est.)	1,624,578		1.5%
data source:[2][9][10]

Significant Lusophone populations exist across the region, particularly the area from East Providence to New Bedford. The two Bristol counties (RI and MA) are the only counties in the U.S. in which Portuguese-Americans are the largest ancestry group.[11]

References

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