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Providence neighborhoods with College Hill in red

College Hill is a neighborhood in the eastern central part of Providence, Rhode Island. It is roughly bounded by North Main Street to the west, Williams Street to the south, Governor Street and Arlington Street to the east and Olney Street to the north. The name refers to the two well-known educational institutions established in the neighborhood: Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design. College Hill is also home to Thayer Street, a shopping strip frequented by students in the Providence area.

The Providence skyline from College Hill

Settled in 1636, nearly all of Providence was originally on College Hill. By the time of the American Revolution, the foot of the hill was densely populated with wharves, warehouses, shops, public buildings, and residential houses. In 1764, Brown University was established and over the next century would begin gradually expanding. In the nineteenth century, precious metals and jewelery trading drove much business on North Main Street, and RISD was established in 1877. By the 1900s, Brown had begun expanding more aggressively, demolishing nearly 100 houses in the 1950s for a residential quadrangle area.

In the post-war years, Providence went into a decline. Many of the neighborhood's more historic centers were in disrepair and were slated for demolition as part of urban renewal projects. The Providence Preservation Society intervened and the area is now home to one of the country's largest restored collections of 17th and 18th century victorian colonials.

Today, College Hill is the most affluent neighborhood in Providence, with a median family income of nearly three times that of the city as a whole.

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Neighborhood Profiles at providenceri.com