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The absence of religion in the public sphere is something that I found very appealing when I moved to Rhode Island. I've spent most of my life in New York, aka Atheist City, USA. Trust me when I tell you that people discuss religion here far less than they do in New York, even though this is the most heavily Catholic state in the union. It's clearly a major taboo. Nobody will care that you're Jewish within the Cranston city limits -- I can't speak for more rural areas. Though I get the sense there aren't as many Jews in Cranston as there used to be, there's still a prominently located Jewish cemetery there, and more tellingly for living people, the Shaw's supermarket in Cranston had by far the biggest selection of Passover food I've seen in this state.
As for Hispanics, I can't know what it's like to be a visible minority, and these are trying times. That said, the state has a large and growing Hispanic population, the last two mayors of Providence have been Hispanic, and two years ago we elected the first Hispanic person to statewide office (Nellie Gorbea, the Secretary of State). I know a bunch of Hispanics here and have never heard any of them talk about being the victims of racially motivated bias -- not that they're required to report into me when something happens!
I can't guarantee you'll be OK, but I think I can guarantee you'll be as OK here as you would be anywhere else.
Doesn't new York have a famous catholic church that is open 24/7?
I would NOT move to western Cranston, if your primary concern is racism on your daughter's behalf.
Most of the people who live on that side town are non-Hispanic whites who were born and raised in either eastern Cranston or adjacent areas of Providence. The reason why they now live in western Cranston or nearby Scituate is to get away from all of the Asians, Hispanics and, to a lesser extent, blacks who have now moved into eastern Cranston.
This isn't a new phenomenon, either - as long as I can remember, "white flight," as demographers call it, has been occurring in eastern Cranston.
For further validation, I suggest you mingle in the western Cranston community and ask residents for their opinions of the eastern side of their city. I can guarantee that people aren't going to be very complimentary.
If your budget can afford western Cranston, then I suggest looking into communities that have higher percentages of transplants, who, in Rhode Island, tend to be more open-minded than the natives. Some options include the likes of Barrington, Bristol, Tiverton, East Greenwich, etc.
Although cities / towns like Cranston, Warwick, Scituate, etc. have upscale neighborhoods with decent public schools, there are more native Rhode Islanders in these areas, who have stronger tendencies towards racism and close-mindedness.
Once you move to Rhode Island, you will quickly learn that Democratic =/= liberal or progressive, just like Republican =/= racist or bigoted.
I think it's more on the lines of lamenting the decline of their former neighborhood, regardless of "who" it is that moved in there changing the fabric. If you are a decent person who minds their own business, I doubt if you will be targeted in Western Cranston or anywhere else in RI for having a minority child.
Stop & Shop on Branch Avenue in Providence has the best kosher/Jewish selection in the state, followed by East Side Marketplace.
That may be true, but East Side Marketplace's Passover selection was surprisingly not good. The Shaw's in Cranston was much better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sandsonik
I don't know, # of KKK chapters seems pretty relevant to me.
People always say: "Every place is equally racist! The South isn't more racist than the North! In fact, the South is less racist than the North!" And part of me wants to believe that. But then I think of a story I recently heard from a friend's wife. A native of suburban Chicago, she lived in northern Florida for a few years in her twenties. She told me that shortly after she moved into her apartment, she met a neighbor who asked her if she knew a Mr. Ayak. She told him no, and he said, "Never mind." Later she learned somewhere that "Ayak" is an acronym for "are you a Klansman" -- KKK members ask newcomers that question to identify them. The proper response is "No, but I know a Mr. Akia," which stands for "a Klansman I am."
Try to imagine that happening anywhere you've lived up north. I certainly can't.
You should also look in the Oak Hill section of Pawtucket, right over the line from Providence. Prices are comparable to western Cranston, it's in (decidedly the northern fringe of) the Jewish community, and it's a diverse, tolerant, and close community. Our local synagogue (which is Orthodox; the Reform synagogue is about 2 miles away in Providence) has several nationalities among its membership, and our last rabbi was half Mexican. Our state rep is Cape Verdean and state Senator is a lesbian.
That neighborhood is OK, but it's definitely distinct from the East Side neighborhoods of Providence. That's to mention that, overall, Pawtucket is low-income, rundown and has definitely seen better days - I wouldn't recommend over Cranston, regardless of the racism potential.
I haven't lived in the area for years, but I was always under the impression that the "nicest" area of Pawtucket was the area around the Pawtucket Country Club - I could be wrong.
I *have* lived in the area for years (20 of the last 32 to be precise). Parts of Pawtucket are run down, as are parts of Cranston. Oak Hill is not run down and is seeing better days now than when I first arrived in 1984 (not that it was bad then - although the East Side was!). As for Pawtucket itself, downtown is seeing a comeback which will only get better when we have a commuter rail station in a few years.
Sure, Countryside is nice, but it's very white and nowhere near a Jewish community.
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