The Timeline of Providence, Rhode Island
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Providence was founded on June 01, 1636 as a colony that was "a haven for persecuted religious dissenters" after Roger Williams, a Baptist, and others, fled Massachusetts Bay colony. The town was a “lively experiment in religious liberty and church-state separation."
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March 29, 1676: the town of Providence was burned to the ground by a Native American group during King Philip's War
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In 1731, the towns of Scituate, Glocester, and Smithfield were incorporated, and thus the area was lost by Providence. Later, Cranston, Johnston, and North Providence were also extracted from Providence. Providence was reduced to approximately six square miles.
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The Revolutionary War caused Newport, Rhode Island to be occupied, flooding Providence with refugees.
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Four major industries established: base metals and machinery, cotton textiles, woolen textiles and jewelry and silverware.
In November of 1831, after two attempts, a city government charter was ratified.
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The Civil War causes in migration of French Canadians and British to take the skilled manufacturing jobs left empty by men going to fight.
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Between 1868 and 1899, the city of Providence annexed land eight times from the surrounding towns. With the streets in Providence being widened to accommodate horse-cars, Providence soon gained its first suburbs.
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In 1929, the Great Crash occurred, sinking the entire nation into a depression. Unemployment reached nearly 50%.
The Great Hurricane of 1938 and subsequent tidal wave caused massive devastation. 120-mile-an-hour winds reportedly fell power lines and thousands of trees and destroyed the infrastructure in the inner harbor. 311 people were reported dead from the event in Rhode Island. The damage caused an extremely expensive rebuilding phase, which was not helped by, and may have been a catalyst for, the flee of industry from Providence which began in the 1940s.
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Between 1940 and 1970, the local textile industry completely collapses. Manufacturing is replaced by healthcare and education as new industries.
Urban Revitalization occurs in the 1950s. Construction of new industrial centers and housing projects disturbs the original fabric of many historical neighborhoods.
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By 1970, the population shift showed a 28% decline in population from 1950, the fastest depopulation of any city in the United States.
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Providence attempts to re-brand itself as the creative capital in the 1990s.
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Between 1975 and 1982, the city of Providence spent $606 million on Community Development projects