Providence is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island , and one of the first cities established in the United States.^[
3] Located in Providence County , it is the estimated second or third largest city ^a[?] in the New England region. Despite the city proper only having an estimated population of 171,557 as of 2008, it anchors the 36th largest metropolitan population in the country, with an estimated MSA population of 1,600,856, exceeding that of Rhode Island by about 60% due to its reaching into southern Massachusetts .^[
4] ^[
5] ^[
6] Situated at the mouth of the Providence River , at the head of Narragansett Bay , the city's small footprint is crisscrossed by seemingly erratic streets and contains a rapidly changing demographic.

Providence was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams , a religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony . He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers to settle. After being one of the first cities in the country to industrialize, Providence became noted for its jewelry and silverware industry. Today, Providence city proper alone is home to eight hospitals and seven institutions of higher learning, which has shifted the city's economy into service industries, though it still retains significant manufacturing work.

The city was once nicknamed the "Beehive of Industry" though in 2009, Providence began rebranding itself as the "Creative Capital" to emphasize its educational resources and arts community.^[
7] Its previous moniker was "The Renaissance City", though its 2000 poverty rate was still among the ten highest for cities over 100,000.^[
8]^[9]