Immigration Timeline by Major Countries
Current Immigration
In Providence, 1 in 5 persons is a minority.
25% of children in Rhode Island live in immigrant families with either the child is foreign-born or has at least one parent who is foreign-born.
The 2000 census showed that there were 43,947 foreign-born persons living in Providence city, making up 25.3% of the population. In North Providence there were 3,171 foreign-born persons making up 9.8% of the population, and in East Providence there were 7,769 foreign-born persons, making up 16% of the population.
There are also approximately 18,000 Blacks, and 9,000 Hispanics in the city of Providence.
The newest waves of immigrants are Southeast Asian refugees, particularly Hmong. Their numbers currently exceed 4,000. **
25% of children in Rhode Island live in immigrant families with either the child is foreign-born or has at least one parent who is foreign-born.
The 2000 census showed that there were 43,947 foreign-born persons living in Providence city, making up 25.3% of the population. In North Providence there were 3,171 foreign-born persons making up 9.8% of the population, and in East Providence there were 7,769 foreign-born persons, making up 16% of the population.
There are also approximately 18,000 Blacks, and 9,000 Hispanics in the city of Providence.
The newest waves of immigrants are Southeast Asian refugees, particularly Hmong. Their numbers currently exceed 4,000. **
In 2011, the new Governor of Rhode Island, a Mr. Lincoln Chafee, created the “Welcoming Rhode Island” program to bolster acceptance and integration throughout the state after a slew of anti-immigrant remarks were posted on social media, garnering negative attention for the state. The Governor understood that with the immigrant population being so high in Rhode Island, that it was a group that could become increasingly economically stable, and then profitable, if supported instead of marginalized.
Urban Fabric
The physical structure of Providence has been shaped by the ethnic overtones of many of its neighborhoods. Prior to the civil war, Providence was, by majority, ethnically and socio-economically mixed. This was due to building patterns of the time, being mostly mixed-use and entirely walkable. The segregation of Irish immigrants after the civil war arose mostly from an economic standpoint with most Irish arriving destitute and unskilled. It was not until the early 1900s that established neighborhoods in Providence began to segregate themselves into ethnic clusters in an intentional manner. This can be attributed to the increased differences between older immigrant populations and newer immigrant populations. The new immigrants typically did not speak English, and were increasingly not of Protestant, or even Catholic adherence. They were also typically poor, and lived in a much more dense manner than earlier immigrant populations. These dense neighborhoods, which were typically close to job centers, were overcrowded and suffered from dilapidated housing stock, making them increasingly vulnerable during urban renewal.
Urban Fabric
The physical structure of Providence has been shaped by the ethnic overtones of many of its neighborhoods. Prior to the civil war, Providence was, by majority, ethnically and socio-economically mixed. This was due to building patterns of the time, being mostly mixed-use and entirely walkable. The segregation of Irish immigrants after the civil war arose mostly from an economic standpoint with most Irish arriving destitute and unskilled. It was not until the early 1900s that established neighborhoods in Providence began to segregate themselves into ethnic clusters in an intentional manner. This can be attributed to the increased differences between older immigrant populations and newer immigrant populations. The new immigrants typically did not speak English, and were increasingly not of Protestant, or even Catholic adherence. They were also typically poor, and lived in a much more dense manner than earlier immigrant populations. These dense neighborhoods, which were typically close to job centers, were overcrowded and suffered from dilapidated housing stock, making them increasingly vulnerable during urban renewal.
Politics
The political structure of Providence has been shaped by immigration as well. Elections in certain wards, or districts, of the city tend to swing in favor of the dominant ethnic group of that area, with many areas gaining political notoriety for always electing African American, Irish American or Italian Americans.
The political structure of Providence has been shaped by immigration as well. Elections in certain wards, or districts, of the city tend to swing in favor of the dominant ethnic group of that area, with many areas gaining political notoriety for always electing African American, Irish American or Italian Americans.