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71-795: Senator James may refer to: Members of the United States Senate [ edit ] Charles Tillinghast James (1805–1862), U.S. Senator from Rhode Island from 1851 to 1857 Ollie Murray James (1871–1918), U.S. Senator from Kentucky from 1913 to 1918 United States state senate members [ edit ] Addison James (1849–1910), Kentucky State Senate David James (American politician) (1843–1921), Wisconsin State Senate Donzella James (born 1948), Georgia State Senate Francis James (congressman) (1799–1886), Pennsylvania State Senate G. Luz A. James (died 2006), Senate of

142-613: A humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfa ) bordering a humid subtropical climate with hot summers, and cool to cold winters. The 2023 USDA places the city in hardiness zone 7a. The influence of the Atlantic Ocean keeps the state of Rhode Island warmer than many inland locales in New England. July is the warmest month with a daily mean of 73.5 °F (23.1 °C) and highs rising to 90 °F (32 °C) or higher an average of 10 days per summer, January

213-658: A 15-foot tall granite statue of Roger Williams gazing over the city. As one of the first cities in America, Providence contains many historic buildings , while the East Side neighborhood in particular includes the largest contiguous area of buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the U.S., with many pre-revolutionary houses. Providence's East Side is home to the First Baptist Church in America , which

284-525: A Democrat in 1850. While there he chaired the Senate Committee on Patents and the Patent Office and the Senate Committee on Public Buildings , and advocated for protective tariffs . He did not stand for reelection and left when his term ended in 1857, reportedly due to financial difficulties. James developed a family of early rifled projectiles and a rifling system for artillery that saw use by

355-469: A busy port, as it is situated at the mouth of the Providence River at the head of Narragansett Bay . Providence was one of the first cities in the country to industrialize and became noted for its textile manufacturing and subsequent machine tool, jewelry, and silverware industries. Today, the city of Providence is home to eight hospitals and eight institutions of higher learning which have shifted

426-618: A distributor of natural and organic foods; Fortune 1000 Nortek Incorporated; Gilbane , a construction and real estate company. Other companies with headquarters in the city include Citizens Bank , Virgin Pulse , Ørsted US Offshore Wind , and Providence Equity . Providence is the site of a sectional center facility (SCF), a regional hub for the U.S. Postal Service. Providence is also home to some of toy manufacturer Hasbro 's business operations, although their headquarters are in Pawtucket. The city

497-582: A fairly clear spatial separation appears between the areas of pre-1980s development and post-1980s development; West Exchange Street and Exchange Terrace serve as rough boundaries between the two. The newer area, sometimes called "Capitol Center", includes the Providence Place Mall (1999), Omni Providence Hotel (1993) and Residences Providence (2007), GTECH Corporation (2006), Waterplace Towers condominiums (2007), and Waterplace Park (1994). The area tends toward newer development, since much of it

568-528: A great reduction in business because of the centralization of trade in bigger ports such as Boston. This occurred due to the centralizing technology of canals such as the Middlesex Canal , the rapid growth of railroads, and bigger ships. These "decayed" smaller seaports such as Newburyport and Salem would be able to get coal and cotton supplies directly from the ships and export their steam mill products directly by ship again. In 1839–1846 Charles T. James owned

639-462: A mix of live music performances, art installations, craft markets, and food vendors showcasing global cuisines. Providence is home to a 1,200-acre (4.9 km ) park system. Notable among these are Waterplace Park and the Riverwalk, Roger Williams Park , Roger Williams National Memorial , and Prospect Terrace Park . Prospect Terrace Park features expansive views of the downtown area, as well as

710-478: A riverwalk; the construction of a Downtown ice rink; and the development of Providence Place Mall. In 1980, Providence's previously declining population began to grow once again. In the early 2000s, Providence developed an economic development plan that outlined a shift to a knowledge-based economy. These efforts involved the rebranding of the formerly industrial Jewelry District as a new "Knowledge District". Despite new investment, approximately 21.5-percent of

781-591: Is 80 °F (26.7 °C) on June 6, 1925. Temperature readings of 0 °F or −17.8 °C or lower are uncommon in Providence and generally occur once every several years. The year which had the most days with a temperature reading of zero degrees or lower was 2015 with eight days total—one day in January and seven days in February. Conversely, temperature readings of 100 °F or 37.8 °C or higher are even rarer, and

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852-468: Is based in trade, transportation, utilities, and educational and health services. As the capital of Rhode Island, the city's economy additionally consists of government services, with approximately 70,000 jobs. The unemployment rate in the city is 5.0% as of August 2022, compared to a national rate of 3.8%. Prominent companies headquartered in Providence include Fortune 500 Textron , an advanced technologies industrial conglomerate; United Natural Foods ,

923-524: Is compact—characteristic of eastern seaboard cities that developed prior to use of the automobile. The street layout of the city is irregular; more than one thousand streets run haphazardly, connecting and radiating from traditionally bustling places such as Market Square . Downtown Providence has numerous 19th-century mercantile buildings in the Federal and Victorian architectural styles, as well as several postmodern and modernist buildings. In particular,

994-638: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Charles Tillinghast James Charles T. James was born in West Greenwich, Rhode Island on September 15, 1805, the son of Silas James and Phebe Tillinghast James. Silas was a local judge, and the Tillinghast name was an old and respected one in New England. He married Lucinda Waite James and they had four children, Abby, Charles Tillinghast, Lucinda Elizabeth, and Walter. Abby married Colonel John Stanton Slocum of

1065-574: Is home to the Rhode Island Convention Center , which opened in December 1993. Along with a hotel, the convention center is connected to the Providence Place Mall , a major retail center, through a skywalk . Much of Providence culture is synonymous with the culture of Rhode Island as a whole. Like the state, the city has a non-rhotic accent that can be heard on local media. Providence also shares Rhode Island's affinity for coffee, with

1136-710: Is home to the famous roadside attraction Big Blue Bug , the world's largest termite and mascot of eponymous Big Blue Bug Solutions . Roger Williams Park contains a zoo , a botanical center , and the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium . Providence is home to the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League , who play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion . From 1926 to 1972, the AHL's Providence Reds (renamed

1207-736: Is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery , and a bust is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum collection, both in Washington, D.C. There is an iron rifled 14-pounder artillery piece, used by James in experiments at Napatree Point in Watch Hill, Rhode Island , in the collection of the Newport Artillery Company . Providence, RI Providence is the capital and most populous city of

1278-464: Is known in underground music circles. Providence is also home to the Providence Improv Guild , an improvisational theatre that has weekly performances and offers improv and sketch comedy classes, and AS220 , a long-standing non-profit arts center with exhibition, educational, and performance spaces, as well as live-work studios. A multi-day annual outdoor arts festival, PVDFest, features

1349-558: Is land and the remaining 2.1 square miles (5.4 km ) is water (roughly 10%). Providence is located at the head of Narragansett Bay , with the Providence River running into the bay through the center of the city, formed by the confluence of the Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket Rivers. The Waterplace Park amphitheater and riverwalks line the river's banks through Downtown . Providence is one of many cities claimed to be founded on seven hills like Rome. As with many cities worldwide,

1420-411: Is land reclaimed in the 1970s from a mass of railroad tracks referred to colloquially as the "Chinese Wall". This part of Downtown is characterized by open spaces, wide roads, and landscaping. The streetscape of much of historic downtown has retained a similar appearance since the early 20th century. Many of the state's tallest buildings are found here. At 426 feet (130 m), the city's largest structure

1491-533: Is much lower than the percentages of these groups in Rhode Island as a whole. The city also has a sizable Jewish community, estimated at 10,500 in 2012, or roughly 5% of the city's population. In 2020, people of Hispanic or Latino origin composed 43.5% of the city's population. They formed a majority of city public school students as of 2007. The majority of Hispanics in Providence are of Dominican descent. Numbering roughly 25,000 and constituting roughly half of

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1562-434: Is the art deco Industrial National Bank Building . The building contrasts with the city's second tallest structure— One Financial Plaza —which is designed in the modernist style. Other core buildings of the Providence skyline are the postmodern 50 Kennedy Plaza and late modern Textron Tower . Downtown is also the home of the historic Providence Biltmore hotel and Westminster Arcade —the oldest enclosed shopping mall in

1633-414: Is the coldest month with a daily mean of 29.2 °F (−1.6 °C) and low temperatures dropping to 10 °F (−12 °C) or lower an average of 11 days per winter. while. Extremes range from −17 °F or −27.2 °C on February 9, 1934 to 104 °F or 40 °C on August 2, 1975; the record cold daily maximum is 1 °F (−17.2 °C) on February 5, 1918, while the record warm daily minimum

1704-541: The 2nd Rhode Island Infantry ; he was killed in action at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861. Charles T. James had a largely self-taught knowledge of mathematics and mechanics, and received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Brown College in 1838. He was particularly interested in textile machinery. In the early 1830s he worked in small mills in the Quinebaug Valley of Connecticut, later supervising

1775-517: The American Civil War , as many had ties to Southern cotton and the slave trade. Despite ambivalence concerning the war, the number of military volunteers routinely exceeded quota, and the city's manufacturing proved invaluable to the Union. Providence thrived after the war, and waves of immigrants brought the population from 54,595 in 1865 to 175,597 by 1900. By the early 1900s, Providence was one of

1846-520: The North End (Italian), Fox Point (Portuguese), West End (mainly Central American and Asian), and Smith Hill (Irish). There are also many dedicated community organizations and arts associations located in the city. The city gained the reputation as one of the most active and growing gay and lesbian communities in the Northeast. The rate of reported gay and lesbian relationships is 75% higher than

1917-611: The Northeastern megacity has a large population of feral pigeons ( Columba livia ). Although expecting Providence's population genetics to be continuous with the larger megacity, Carlen & Munshi-South 2020 find Providence and Boston share one population and the rest of the region shares another. This is likely due to the intervening low urbanization zone in western Connecticut . Providence has 25 official neighborhoods, though these neighborhoods are often grouped together and referred to collectively: Geographically, Providence

1988-654: The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra , as well as groups such as The American Band , once associated with noted American composer David Wallis Reeves . Providence hosts several performing arts centers, such as the Veterans Memorial Auditorium , the Providence Performing Arts Center , and Festival Ballet Providence . The city's underground music is centered on artist-run spaces such as the now-defunct Fort Thunder and

2059-537: The U.S. state of Rhode Island . The county seat of Providence County , it is one of the oldest cities in New England , founded in 1636 by Roger Williams , a Reformed Baptist theologian and 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. The city developed as

2130-447: The poverty line . Of residents in poverty, the largest concentrations are found in the city's Olneyville, and Upper and Lower South Providence areas. Poverty has affected children at a disproportionately higher rate, with 40.1% of those under the age of 18 living below the poverty line. These residents are concentrated west of Downtown in the neighborhoods of Hartford, Federal Hill, and Olneyville. Over one third of Providence's economy

2201-458: The 10% average for colonial Rhode Island, but above the 5% average for the northern colonies. In March 1676, Providence Plantations was burned to the ground by the Narragansetts during King Philip's War . Later in the year, the Rhode Island legislature formally rebuked the other colonies for provoking the war. In 1770, Brown University moved to Providence from nearby Warren . At the time,

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2272-536: The 1940s, just prior to the nationwide period of rapid suburbanization . The Providence metropolitan area includes Providence, Fall River, Massachusetts , and Warwick , and is estimated to have a population of 1,622,520. In 2006, this area was officially added to the Boston Combined Statistical Area (CSA), the sixth-largest CSA in the country . In recent years, Providence has experienced a sizable growth in its under-18 population. The median age of

2343-432: The 1950s to the 1980s, Providence was a notorious bastion of organized crime. From 1975 until 1982, $ 606 million of local and national community development funds were invested throughout the city. In the 1990s, the city pushed for revitalization, completing a number of major development projects. Among these were the realignment of railroad tracks; the relocation of rivers, creation of Waterplace Park , and development of

2414-718: The Constitution. Following the war, Providence was the nation's ninth-largest city with 7,614 people. The economy shifted from maritime endeavors to manufacturing, in particular machinery, tools, silverware, jewelry, and textiles. By the start of the 20th century, Providence hosted some of the largest manufacturing plants in the country, including Brown & Sharpe , Nicholson File , and Gorham Manufacturing Company . The city's industries attracted many immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Sweden, England, Italy, Portugal, Cape Verde, and French Canada. These economic and demographic shifts caused social strife. Hard Scrabble and Snow Town were

2485-635: The Grinnell Corporation, the Gorham Manufacturing Company, Nicholson File, and the Fruit of the Loom textile company. The manufacturing of jewelry and costume jewelry emerged as a dominant local industry. In the 1960s, jewelry trade magazines referred to Providence as "the jewelry capital of the world." In 1922, it was affected by the 1922 New England Textile Strike , shutting down the mills in

2556-893: The Naumkeag Steam Cotton Mill in Salem, Massachusetts , the Essex steam mill, and the Conestoga Steam Mill in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1844-45. Later he was closely involved with the Graniteville Mill in South Carolina with William Gregg . At some time James achieved the rank of major general in the Rhode Island militia , probably in the 1840s. James was elected to the US senate as

2627-703: The South. James was successful in designing and promoting steam mills for small seaport towns; these generally had no experience with mills and needed his expertise in factory design and equipment selection. James researched the best equipment and manufacturers; the equipment he specified included pickers, breaker cards, drawing heads, Providence Machine fly frames, Mason finished cards, and spinning equipment looms. James preferred steam engines from Providence's India Point Works, owned 1843–1846 by Fairbanks, Bancroft and Company , which later became Corliss , Nightingale and Company. He promoted steam mills in seaports that had seen

2698-602: The U.S. The Rhode Island School of Design Museum contains the 20th-largest collection in the United States. The Providence Athenæum is the fourth oldest library in the United States, in addition to the Providence Public Library and the nine branches of the Providence Community Library. Edgar Allan Poe frequented the library, and met and courted Sarah Helen Whitman there. H. P. Lovecraft

2769-460: The U.S. The city's southern waterfront, away from the downtown core, is the location of oil tanks, ferry and sailing docks, power plants, and nightclubs. The Russian Submarine Museum was located here until 2008, when the submarine sank. The Fox Point Hurricane Barrier is also found here, built to protect Providence from storm surge like those endured by the city during the 1938 New England Hurricane and 1954 Hurricane Carol . Providence has

2840-752: The U.S. Virgin Islands Gerard Luz James (born 1953), Senate of the U.S. Virgin Islands John Hough James (1800–1881), Ohio State Senate John M. James (fl. 1860s), California State Senate Lorenzo James (1805–1888), Alabama State Senate Norman L. James (1840–1918), Wisconsin State Senate Rorer A. James (1859–1921), Virginia State Senate Sharpe James (born 1936), New Jersey State Senate W. Frank James (1873–1945), Michigan State Senate William S. James (1914–1993), Maryland State Senate Topics referred to by

2911-463: The Union Army in the American Civil War . The weapon most correctly called a James rifle is a 3.8 in (97 mm) weapon commonly called a 14-pounder James rifle , usually made of bronze; this was the only gun designed entirely by James that saw extensive service. Except for the material, it closely resembles the wrought iron 3-inch Ordnance rifle that saw more widespread use. His rifling system

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2982-513: The city has multiracial ancestry. American Indians and Pacific Islanders make up the remaining 0.9%. Providence has a considerable community of immigrants from various Portuguese-speaking countries, especially Portugal, Brazil, and Cape Verde . These residents are concentrated in the Washington Park and Fox Point neighborhoods. Portuguese is the city's third-largest European ethnicity, after Italian and Irish. Cape Verdeans compose 2% of

3053-539: The city over an attempted wage cut and hours increase. The city began to see a decline by the mid-1920s as manufacturing industries began to shut down. It was deeply affected by the Great Depression , which left more than a third of the city's labor force unemployed. The subsequent Recession of 1937–1938 was immediately followed by the New England Hurricane of 1938 , which flooded downtown. The hurricane

3124-480: The city population lives below the poverty line. Recent increases in real estate values have further exacerbated problems for those at marginal income levels, mirroring a statewide housing affordability crisis. From 2004 to 2005, Providence saw the highest rise in median housing price of any city in the United States. The Providence city limits enclose a small geographical region with a total area of 20.5 square miles (53 km ); 18.5 square miles (48 km ) of it

3195-411: The city was 28 years, while the largest age cohort is 20- to 24-year-olds as of 2000. Providence has a racially and ethnically diverse population. In 2020, white Americans formed 53.1% of the population, including a sizable white Hispanic community. Non-Hispanic whites were 33.8% of the total population, down from 89.5% in 1970. Providence has had a substantial Italian American population since

3266-488: The city's Hispanic population, Providence's Dominican community is the fifth largest in the United States. Other Hispanic groups present in sizable numbers include Puerto Ricans, Guatemalans, and Colombians. Hispanics are widespread in significant numbers in most of Providence, but most concentrated in the neighborhoods of Elmwood , the West End, and Upper and Lower South Providence . African Americans constitute 16.1% of

3337-493: The city's economy into service industries, though it still retains some manufacturing activity. At the 2020 census , Providence had a population of 190,934, making it the third-most-populous city in New England after Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts . The Providence metropolitan area , which extends into Massachusetts, is the second largest metropolitan area in New England by a large margin with over 1.6 million residents, nearly 30% larger than metro Hartford . Providence

3408-646: The city's population, with their greatest concentrations found in Mount Hope and the Upper and Lower South Providence neighborhoods. Providence has small Liberian and Haitian communities in the city. Liberians compose 0.4% of the population; the city is home to one of the largest Liberian immigrant populations in the country. Asian-Americans constitute 5.6% of Providence's population. The largest Asian groups are Cambodians (1.7%), Chinese (1.1%), Indian Americans (0.7%), Laotians (0.6%), and Koreans (0.6%). Another 6% of

3479-414: The city's population. The per capita income as of the 2000 census was $ 15,525, which is well below both the state average of $ 29,113 and the national average of $ 21,587. The median income for a household was $ 26,867, and the median income for a family in Providence was $ 32,058,. The city has one of the highest rates of poverty in the nation with 29.1% of the population and 23.9% of families living below

3550-462: The college was known as Rhode Island College and occupied a single building on College Hill . The college's choice to relocate to Providence as opposed to Newport symbolized a larger shift away from Newport's commercial and political dominance over the colony. In 1772, a group from Providence burned a British customs schooner south of Providence in the event known as the Gaspee Affair . This

3621-542: The colony. Williams and others established a settlement in Rumford, Rhode Island . The group later moved down the Seekonk River , around Fox Point and up the Providence River to the confluence of the Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket Rivers. The settlement was named after "God's merciful Providence." Providence lacked a royal charter, unlike Salem and Boston. The settlers thus organized themselves, allotting tracts on

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3692-616: The eastern side of the Providence River in 1638 allowing roughly six acres each. These home lots extended from Towne Street (now South Main Street) to Hope Street. Over the following two decades, Providence Plantations grew into a self-sufficient agricultural and fishing settlement, though its lands were difficult to farm and its borders were disputed with Connecticut and Massachusetts. In 1652, Providence prohibited indentured servitude for periods of longer than 10 years. This statute constituted

3763-475: The first anti-slavery law in the United States, though there is no evidence the prohibition was ever enforced. However, the Rhode Island General Assembly legalized African and Native American slavery throughout the colony in 1703, and Providence merchants' participation in the slave trade helped turn the city into a major port. By 1755, enslaved people made up 8% of Providence's population, below

3834-582: The head of Narragansett Bay makes it vulnerable to storm surges. Hurricane Carol in 1954 and the 1938 Hurricane were particularly damaging. See or edit raw graph data . As of the 2000 United States census , Providence's population consisted of 173,618 people, 162,389 households, and 35,859 families. The population density was 9,401.7 inhabitants per square mile (3,630.0/km ), characteristic of other small cities in New England such as New Haven, Connecticut ; Springfield, Massachusetts ; and Hartford, Connecticut . The city's population peaked in

3905-606: The most coffee and doughnut shops per capita of any city in the country. Providence is also reputed to have the highest number of restaurants per capita of major U.S. cities. During the summer months, the city regularly hosts WaterFire , an environmental art installation that consists of about 100 bonfires which blaze just above the surface of the three rivers that pass through the middle of Downtown Providence. There are multiple WaterFire events that are accompanied by various pieces of classical and world music . Providence has several ethnic neighborhoods, notably Federal Hill and

3976-606: The national average. Former mayor David Cicilline won his election running as an openly gay man. Former Mayor Buddy Cianci instituted the position of Mayor's Liaison to the Gay and Lesbian community in the 1990s. and Providence is home to the largest gay bathhouse in New England. The city is the home of the Tony Award -winning theater group Trinity Repertory Company , the Providence Black Repertory Company , and

4047-442: The next day. Following his death, few of his weapons were produced. His projectiles were gradually replaced with Hotchkiss projectiles due to stripping of the lead sabot . Over 150 14-pounder James rifles survive, many of them at Shiloh National Military Park , Tennessee, including over 50 6-pounder weapons bored out to 3.8 inches and rifled. Other heavy guns with James rifling survive as well. A portrait of Charles T. James

4118-466: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Senator James . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Senator_James&oldid=1224377701 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Title and name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

4189-683: The sites of race riots in 1824 and 1831. Providence residents ratified a city charter in 1831 as the population passed 17,000. The seat of city government was located in the Market House in Market Square from 1832 to 1878, which was the geographic and social center of the city. The city offices soon outgrew this building, and the City Council resolved to create a permanent municipal building in 1845. The city offices moved into Providence City Hall in 1878. Local politics split over slavery during

4260-829: The southern half of the Brewster-Coffin House (High St.) in Newburyport, Massachusetts . During this time he worked on several steam mill projects in the area. Steam mills promoted by Charles T. James in Newburyport included the Barlett Mill, the James Steam Mill (built in 1843 with 17,000 spindles) and the Globe (later Peabody) Steam Mill (built in 1846 with 12,200 spindles). He also promoted mills in Portsmouth, New Hampshire 1845-6,

4331-482: The start of the 20th century, with 14% of the population claiming Italian ancestry. Italian influence manifests itself in Providence's ' Little Italy ' in Federal Hill. Irish immigrants have also had considerable influence on the city's history, with 8% of residents claiming Irish heritage. The percentages of people claiming Irish and Italian ancestry, though high, has gone down considerably from historical highs, and

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4402-529: The startup of mills in the Providence area. His reputation had grown such that by 1834 Samuel Slater brought him to Providence to overhaul the Steam Cotton Manufacturing Company mill, built in 1828 as the first large American steam-powered mill . This work made James realize the potential of steam mills, and he became a leading engineer and advocate of them, particularly in coastal towns and

4473-403: The war. After the war, the rapid reduction of Fort Pulaski was used to justify stopping work on masonry forts and led to a brief period of new construction of earthwork forts. On October 16, 1862, during the demonstration of a projectile at Sag Harbor , Long Island , New York, a worker attempted to remove a cap from a shell . It exploded, killing the man and mortally wounding James, who died

4544-404: The wealthiest cities in the United States. Immigrant labor powered one of the nation's largest industrial manufacturing centers. Providence was a major manufacturer of industrial products, from steam engines to precision tools to silverware, screws, and textiles. Giant companies were based in or near Providence, such as Brown & Sharpe, the Corliss Steam Engine Company, Babcock & Wilcox ,

4615-475: The year with the most days in this category was 1944 with three days, all of which were in August. Monthly precipitation in Providence ranges from a high of 4.43 inches (112.5 mm) in March to a low of 3.17 inches (80.5 mm) in July. In general, precipitation levels are slightly less in the summer months than the winter months, when nor'easters can cause significant snowfall on occasion. Hurricanes have impacted Providence, and Providence's location at

4686-406: Was also a regular patron. The Bank Newport City Center is located near Kennedy Plaza in the Downtown district, connected by pedestrian tunnel to Waterplace Park, a cobblestone and concrete park below street traffic that abuts Providence's three rivers. Another downtown landmark is the Providence Biltmore , a historic hotel which stands adjacent to Kennedy Plaza. The southern part of the city

4757-399: Was founded by Williams in 1638, as well as the Old State House which served as the state's capitol from 1762 to 1904. Nearby is Roger Williams National Memorial. The dome of the State House is the fourth-largest self-supporting marble dome in the world and the second-largest marble dome after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The Westminster Arcade is the oldest enclosed shopping center in

4828-468: Was particularly destructive to the struggling textile industry, with many mills never reopening following the storm. Providence's population declined from a peak of 253,504 in 1940 to only 179,213 in 1970, as the white middle class moved to the suburbs. From the 1940s to 1970s, white middle class residents vacated Providence faster than any other American city other than Detroit . The remainder of these residents were disproportionately poor and elderly. From

4899-411: Was settled in June 1636 by Puritan theologian Roger Williams and grew into one of the original Thirteen Colonies . As a minister in the Massachusetts Bay Colony , Williams had advocated the separation of church and state and condemned colonists' confiscation of land from the Indians. For these and other "diverse, new, and dangerous opinions," he was convicted of sedition and heresy and banished from

4970-423: Was the first act of armed resistance to British rule in America, predating the more famous Boston Tea Party by more than a year. Rhode Island was the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown on May 4, 1776. It was also the last of the Thirteen States to ratify the United States Constitution on May 29, 1790, once assurances were made that a Bill of Rights would become part of

5041-426: Was used to convert pre-war smoothbore M1841 6-pounder field guns , 32-pounder, 42-pounder, and other weapons to rifles firing his projectiles; in some Civil War-era documents these are also called "James rifles". Large-caliber guns with his rifling system and projectiles, along with Parrott rifles , were used in the breaching of Fort Pulaski in April 1862; this was probably James' most significant contribution to

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