How'd RI Cities Do: New England's Best Cities 2013

How'd RI Cities Do: New England's Best Cities 2013

The numbers are crunched, the rankings are in… how did Rhode Island's five largest cities do in GoLocal's 2nd annual ranking of New England's Best Cities?

#1 East Providence: Tops in RI

Moving up from its #18 ranking in 2012, East Providence was the highest-ranking Rhode Island city in the 2013 rankings at #13. The smallest city in the group, East Providence earned its highest marks for safety, garnering the lowest rate of violent and property crime among the 5 RI cities assessed. East Providence also claimed the highest number of arts-related businesses per capita in the state, ranking #4 overall in New England. With lovely parks along Narragansett Bay, East Providence also claimed the most parks and recreation spots per capita in the state, edging out Providence. EP is also RI's most wired city when it comes to WiFi hotspots, ranking #4 in New England.

#2 Cranston: Still in the Top 15

Cranston, the city that has claimed the #1 spot in GoLocal's Top Community in RI rankings for two years running, lost its top spot in the Best Cities ranking to East Providence this year, but followed it closely at #15 for 2013. Cranston's education-related rankings were the highest in the state, with the best public school ratings (#7 overall, tied with Warwick) and the highest percentage of educated citizens (#12 overall). Cranston can also boast of being the sunniest of RI's cities, and has the shortest commute time in the state.

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To see more about New England's Best Cities 2013, go here. 

#3 Warwick: Drop overall, but still in the Top 20

The state's second-largest city fell 5 spots from its 2012 ranking of #15, but can still claim several high placements in the region overall. Warwick has a Top 10 ranking in New England in air quality, and shares a great public school rating with Cranston, ranking #7 in New England overall. Warwick is also a safe city in the region, sharing the lowest violent crime rate with East Providence and Cranston in the state, and having the #7 best property crime rate overall in New England.

#4 Pawtucket: Most improved

There is good news for Pawtucket, which moved up from its #26 ranking in 2012, to #22, placing it above Providence in the overall standings. Pawtucket's bright spots for 2013: three Top 10 standings in the overall rankings: Walkability, Arts-Related Businesses, and Wifi Hotspots.

#5 Providence: Still In the Top 25

Crime rates and high unemployment subtracted from Providence's strengths: arts, culture, and walkability. Bolstered by lots of wifi hotspots, arts-related businesses, parks, and the best walkability score in the state (and the #4 overall among the New England cities), the capital city lost considerable ground in the overall rankings and came in at #24 because of high crime rates and (like all RI cities) high unemployment rates.

For how GoLocal got the rankings, go here.