Providence is a relatively large coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Rhode Island. With a population of 189,563 people and 42 associated neighborhoods, Providence is the largest community in Rhode Island. Providence has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities.

Also of interest is that Providence has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Providence telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 11.53% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Providence is made interesting by being both a reasonably big city and having a major college student population: students here will find that the city provides a lot of amenities, culture, and opportunities for them. Providence is more than just a college town, however, though the thousands of students certainly are a major part of the character of the city, as well as a contributor to the local economy.

Not only is Providence a city with many college students, but it also retains many recent graduates who are looking to start new careers, shaping the character of the city into a place that is geared toward, and considered attractive to, many single, educated people. Many singles consider Providence a good place to live without being in a really big city, with opportunities for friendships and fun with others like themselves.

Providence is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

Like elsewhere in America, most people in Providence use a private automobile to get to work. But notably, a substantial number of Providence‘s citizens do make use of public transit in their daily commute, primarily riding the bus. This helps more people get to work with less air pollution, and require fewer highways to get them there.

The education level of Providence citizens is very high relative to the national average among all cities (21.84%): 34.46% of adults in Providence have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Providence in 2018 was $34,521, which is low income relative to Rhode Island, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $138,084 for a family of four. However, Providence contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Providence is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Providence home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are the most prevalent group in Providence, accounting for 42.58% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of Providence residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Providence include Irish, Italian, English, German, and French.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Providence's cultural character, accounting for 31.62% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Providence is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and French.