Hartford (Providence, Rhode Island)

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Hartford remained a rural, agricultural region throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Although the Hartford area was primarily used for farming, the proximity of the Woonasquatucket River fostered some industry. The industrialization of Hartford began in the early part of the nineteenth century with the establishment of Mill Merino in 1812. Built in an area which was then part of the Town of Johnston, Mill Merino was the second textile mill to be situated in the general area of Olneyville. Its main product was a soft, cashmere-like material called "merino cloth," which was named after merino sheep.

Hartford's first residential village developed in order to meet the needs of the mill workers and their families. Merino Village, as it was named, consisted of stone houses, a general store, and a water supply, all of which the company had established. Village life was intricately connected to the daily operation of the mill. While the mill no longer exists today, Merino Street, named of course after the mill, is a constant reminder of the mill which initiated the development of the neighborhood.

Residents of Irish ancestry remained the largest ethnic group through the first half of the 20th century. A significant migration of Polish people to Providence occurred during the first quarter of the 20th century and then again after World War II. These Polish immigrants settled primarily in Olneyville but also in the Hartford. By 1946, there was also a substantial group of Italian-Americans who had settled in the area as well.

By the mid-twentieth century, large scale developments led to major changes in the neighborhood. The construction of the Route 6 Connector, which was begun in the early 1950s to lessen the traffic in Olneyville Square, meant the destruction of a great portion of working-class housing. In 1953, two large low-income housing projects were also constructed: the Hartford Park Public Housing Project and the Manton Heights Housing Projects. By the 1970s, each housing project became increasingly plagued by age, vandalism, and neglect. In the 1980s, 243 of the original 748 units in the Hartford Park housing project were demolished, while the remaining 508 units were renovated.

Hartford Avenue is the major thoroughfare in the neighborhood and runs from Olneyville Square on an east-west axis through the middle of the neighborhood.

According to the Providence Plan, a local nonprofit aimed at improving city life, today 48.4% of residents are Hispanic, 33.6% of residents are white, 10.6% are African-American, 5% are Asian, and nearly 2% are Native American. 64% of children under the age of six speak a language other than English as their primary language.[2]

The median family income is $28,065, below the city-wide average of $32,058. 40% of families live below the poverty line while 18% of residents receive some form of public assistance. 12% of children under the age of six have suffered from high lead exposure, below the city-wide average of 19%.

www.providenceri.com/ONS/neighborhoods/hartford