Rhode Island

Rhode Island might be small, but is a great place to visit. I generally visit in the summer to enjoy the beach towns, but even Providence is a wonderful place! The people are always friendly and its great to know you are close to Boston, but don't have to visit!

Rhode Island is easily one of my favorite states! First of all, I havent missed the Newport Clam Chowder festival for the past 6 years! So if you are free the first weekend in June (or sometime around then), head to Newport and enjoy some yummy lactose and Shellfish! Mmmm, doesnt get better! Beyond that, there is a great harbor which has many fancy boats; amazing mansions built by some of the wealthiest people ever (just dont veer of the tour, as my sister found out, the guides have hawk eyes and will keep you from touching anything). There are plenty of good shopping options along Thames Street, and a few decent restaurants throughout the city of Newport. Beyond that, Providence is a great little city that should not be missed!

Rhode Island has a bit of everything - ocean, forest, farmland, and great cities. Great cuisine, great restaurants, great cultural activities, and a local flavor that's second to none.

To DiverFisherDude -- As someone who has lived all over the country, I can unequivocally say that RI is the worst place I have ever lived (and that includes Texas). The people here are astoundingly rude, the drivers are the worst in the nation, the taxes are high and we get very little in return, and nobody seems to have the political will to change anything but they all want to complain. Sure, it's pretty, but there are lots of pretty places in this country (and plenty of good, nay, better Italian food).

If you like high taxes If you like high unemployment rates If you like crumbling infrastructure If you like crooked politicians If you like - "not what you know - BUT who you know!" If you like the worst drivers in the world Then by all means!  Come join us in the Ocean State!!! YAY!!!! P.S.  Ocean Views for the RICH only

There are pretty bits (Wickford of North Kingstown, much of Providence, and South Kingstown) but most of the state has a sour feel. Perhaps it has something to do with being so small and crammed with people, but the flavor of society is tense (I smile at people on the street and they look down. Of course, not everyone is like this). The accent is like a thinner, less refined version of the Boston accent and grinds my nerves to dust. I am still growing up here ... I can't wait to leave!

An astonishingly lovely state, with rolling, pine-covered hills, postcard-perfect lakes and ornate mansions overlooking the ocean, historic cities (well, Providence and Newport, anyway-- it's doubtful a state the size of Rhode Island could fit any more). Newport is a beautiful New England seaport town that exudes a sense of history on every dock and side street (I was surprised to learn it was home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in America). A friend and I spent some time here on our way to Boston years ago, and we each had a lobster dinner for not a lot of money. In nearby Charleston, there used to be a restaurant called Nordic Lodge that for a relatively modest price served you all the steak, ribs, chicken, etc, you could eat (not sure if it's still there, but we'd sometimes drive 4 hours there and 4 hours back to gorge ourselves). Providence, a half hour drive away, also exudes history, one of the things H. P. Lovecraft, one of its native sons, loved about it. He often inco... Read more

Rhode Island is amazing. I'm born and raised, and have no plans to leave. Great people, great colleges (I attend RIC), great beaches, great capital city. The rest of the country can bugger off.

Great state. All you negativers need to live someplace else for a while to really appreciate RI. I left to chase the $. Now back for 10 years and loving it. Great beaches, Providence, rural, suburban, urban. Great food. great universities. great action. lots to do. Ya'll can't pry me outta here again! We've got it all...but Shhhh, its our little secret!

I love living in Rhode Island. I'm glad to be a rhode Islanda!!!

Very poor roads and road signs. High taxes, very corrupt politicians and unions, way too much traffic and the beaches are dirty. Way too many corrupt police too...watch out for them!

The best beaches north of Hawaii!

I love RI! Lived here for 22 years and proud to call my home state. So much to do without leaving the state, whether it be in Newport, Providence, Bristol or any of the other great towns.

i live in rhode island and have for 17 years, i absolutely love it here. the coast is wonderful, and so is the city.

I love Rhode Island.  I went to college there, and really got adjusted to the Rhoddy ways of living.  The people are interesting and are really a sight to look at.  Especially the "north Providence" Itallian guys, with their studd earings, Cadillac Sts's that they have a 30 year loan on, and the hair jell goddi look!  I'm from CT, and they just don't make guys like that there.  I love the accents, it's like trashy, but hey I gotta Caddilac!  He he love the East side of Providence, and Thayer and the Mall, but I must say it is rather confusing to get in and out of!

Rhode Island, pretty cool I guess.  Newport seemed nice to hang out at sporatically, and Providence sort of seemed like a mini Boston.  Would I live there? No.  Not sure why it's great enough to be in the top 10 states?

I will someday live in Rhode Island again. It is beautiful and I love the people. Well except for a couple cities like Cranston. Providence is a great city though and the coast is wonderful.

Those turds got rid of Senator Linc Chaffee. Big mistake.

Providence is a very unknown and very underated city in the northeast- it has much of offer, compared to other cities 10 times it size elswhere. Newport is fabulous, as are the Rhode Island ocean beachs and resorts. Great seafood and Italian food as well as other ethnic food. Great historic districts and homes. The state in many areas of the country is not even 'known' Rhode Island has much more to offer then many states.

Like the Black Sabbath record..."The Mob Rules". Hard to start a biz there...they'll break your legs if you infringe on their turf.

Rhode Island is a great place to live. Everything you will ever need is at your fingertips. Those who complain about the state are usually gruff outsiders and those who just couldn't make it there. I lived there for over 50 years and now live down south with the rednecks but I am down here because of the better, healtheir weather, not for the crude people who live here. I recommend Rhode Island to anyone who wants the urban life without the travel.

Lived there for thirty years. Look at a map of the US. Cape Cod is the arm of the nation and R.I. is the arm pit. Thats all they have is Newport. The rest of the state is a corrupt dump with bad roads, ugly neighborhoods, people with rude attitudes, high taxes and people who love the status quo. The place will never change and rhode islanders love it that way. Rich

Although Newport is quite nice, by virtue of the miniscule size there just isn't a lot to recommend here.

heck yes i would love to live in Rhode IS land its BEATUIFUL and ther aer many different job oppertunites

A neighboring New England state Providence is much fun, the beaches are wonderful, as is Newport. Great food, really earthy and unpretenious people.

In this Size Matters and Smaller is Better. No one has mentioned Wickford or East Greenwich or totally cool Narragansett, Waterfire in Providence, Federal Hill - much cheaper to live in than New Jersey, Conn and New York, really nice people, close to everything - beaches, Providence, Boston, New York, Great New England feeling with an artistic twist!

Providence is sure fun- with a nice historic district. Great downtown, with incredible places to eat or have a cocktail. The RI beaches are among the best in the northeast- with the warmest water in New England. Newport is not at all 'stuck up' offering diversity and interesting people.

Rhode Island deserves to be rated numer 9 on this list- Momey magazine voted Providence as the best place to live in the northeast 2 years back. Its a wonderful city that has been totally rebuilt. The downtown is pedestrian friendly, there is a great historic district that has been preserved and restored. Brown Univ. is an iconic place to visit in the city center. Great places to eat or have a martini. Culture abounds. The rest of the state has great places like Newport and Watch Hill along with clean sparkling beaches and ocean views that are cooling to the mind. Small in size- big in stature- has more going for it then states 30 times its size.

Rhode Island is simply understated- A visit to Providence, the beaches or Newport will change anyones attitude on this old and classy state.

Providence is cleaning up. The state has some beach front.

Are you serious? I mean its not horrible, but it certainly shouldn't be # 9 on the list. Providence is a city in progress that has come back from the brink. It was a total dump that was losing population like crazy until the late 90's, when it made a dramatic comeback and is now growing at a healthy rate. But other than that, which should give hope to all of those cities out there going thru tough times, it is just an incredibly average state. Not to mention that it is smaller than the average size of a county in most states.

I've always liked Rhode Island. This state has awesome beaches and ocean shore. Newport is a great weekend destination. There's nothing else like it with the castle like mansions on the ocean in Newport and it's downtown has got a very New England colonial look to it. Block Island is a cool place to visit with strong island and townie character, nice scenery with lighthouses, bluffs, and sandy beaches without the crowds of Marthas Vineyard. Providence is enjoying an urban renesaince that Worcestor, Hartford, and Springfield should be paying attention to. Providence also has great restaurants but as noted below it still has that creepy mafia thing hanging over it. I wouldn't mind living in the Ocean State, and an added bonus, it's close to Boston and NY.

Rhode Island is very small- but its a fun state for visitor, resident and newcomer alike. Providence is a wonderful city, with everything: great schools, art, culture, as well as incredible places to eat. Newport is fantastic, with history, mansions and art. The state is also blessed with great beach side resorts that offer golden sands and surf. No hype here- just history, culture and the sea at its best.

Rhode Island rocks. The beaches are awesome. The resturants are all great. I usually go every year. I like to go to Point Judith and go deep sea fishing. I also love going to Block Island. Rhode Island may be small, but it is a beautiful state. I live in NY, about 70 miles north of New York City. So a trip to RI is about 3 and a half hrs.

A New England state I have visited many times and have enjoyed. Providence is one of the best cities to live in -for the Northeast. Newport also is a great place to visit. Great Italian restuarants and seafood.

my whoe family lives there, i practcally grew up on a Farm in Rhode Island. Anybody who dosnt like Rhode Island is defowling me and my family!! GO RHODE ISLAND!

they got good soup... chowder i mean... crackers to... and beaches... yeah... beaches....

It's not the size that counts it's the motion of the ocean. Rhode Island is a coastal state, and since it's so small everyone is within at most 45 minutes of the beach. Everyone is within about a half hour of capital city Providence, which underwent a recapture program by the mayor about 8 years ago and has totally transformed to a safe, fun city. URI is a great beach party college and Newport has some great life and bar scene. Only downside of RI is the poor condition of most of the highways. Providence is also the only major city left that has significant mafia presence.

Rhode Island is small, but has much to offer. Providence is a wonderful medium sized metro region. It has a great rebuilt downtown, lots of historical houses, great places to eat, and some famous colleges (Brown, Providence College) Art and culture abound. The Rhode Island coast has clean beaches and small New England villages. A really fun place to visit or live.

From 1982-90, lived there off and on during my early days in the Navy. It's a small state, but a diverse and interesting state. Newport is a fun town. I spent the summer of 1983 there (the year the U.S.A. lost the America's Cup). For a single guy, it was a target-rich environment. There were incredible nightclubs all through Newport and all the way to Narragnasett and Point Judith. My favorite hangouts were Harry's 103 on Bellevue Ave. in Newport (closed down), the Coast Guard House in Narragansett, and Schillers. Though I didn't score a beautiful, rich, debutante, I had lots of fun trying. One crazy Rhodie Girl (from Middletown)liked doing crazy stuff in the darndest places; we had an adventure on the hood of her Camaro, at Seashore State Park in the dead of winter and another in the back seat parked outside a bar in a busy part of town (thank you, foggy windows). I found just about every restaurants in Newport quite good. Salas, Brick Alley Pub, and the Chart House were 3 of ... Read more

Providence is a great city- MONEY magazine called it the best place to live in the northeast. A good arts scene- museums and theatre with much history dating from its founding in 1636. Many great colleges, (Brown, Providence College, The Rhode Island School of Design, and Johnson and Wales Univ.) Great Italian food, as well as other cuisines. The river walk downtown is like Paris. The Federal Hill area- near Brown Univ. Has great eating places, art and theatres. The historic district has a wonderful collection of restored homes from the 17th and 18th centuries. Also Don't ever miss Newport...the Cliff walk is incredible to walk and see the mansions of the Gilded age. Drive to the Atlantic coast to Watch Hill and see the great views, old New England homes and resorts and views of the sweeping pristine beach. The states beaches are clean, with lots of good surf. Overall a very 'unknown state' with many gems, small, but with much to offer.

I could live in Newport on millionares row. lol if anyone even lives there anymore, or on any of their southern coastline. Providence and surrounding areas doesnt appeal to me a whole lot though

It's a tiny state (I hear you can walk across it in one day?) but they have some nice rocky beaches... or beach? haha.

It's really petty to rate on size. This state is beautiful, even though it's small. Newport has absolutely beautiful mansions and the state is surrounded by gorgeous beaches. Gotta love the cool ocean breezes =)

TOO SMALL! Conn and Mass should both split Rhode Island and take half each. Rhode Island stole land from Conn and Mass and formed a stupid little useless state.

In the brief time I've spent here, I have been impressed with all the variety Rhode Island has to offer in such a small space. The bay and ocean views are spectacular, the small towns and villages are every bit New England, and cities like Naragansett and Newport are filled with history and beautiful homes. All this, plus a good-sized (not too large) airport in Providence make RI a viable, underrated vacation experience.

Small. I rode my bike across it in 1 hour.