Valley (Providence, Rhode Island) | neighborhood

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The neighborhood was built on a large slope rising from the Woonasquatucket River. This slope provides many area residents with a remarkable view across the city towards the skyline of downtown. Valley Street, the neighborhood's major thoroughfare, roughly divides the neighborhood into northern and southern sections.

The banks of the Woonasquatucket River, which winds west to east through the southern section of the neighborhood, attracted industry to the neighborhood around the mid-19th century. Prior to that time, developers confined their industrial activity to those parts of the river corridor west of Valley. The improvement of rail service along the river in the 1840s allowed for the expansion of industry into Valley.

During this period, the construction of three large factories in the neighborhood, Valley Worsted Mills, Providence Dyeing, Bleaching, and Calendering, and the Woonasquatucket Print Works, marked the beginning of Valley's industrial growth. Growth continued throughout the next two decades, as such industrial giants as The Nicholson File Company and Burnside Rifle Works (the predecessor to Rhode Island Locomotive Works) located their factories in Valley.

Residential development in Valley followed closely behind industrial growth. While a few factories established their own company housing, real estate speculators engineered the majority of residential development. Furthermore, the extension of streetcar service throughout the neighborhood allowed for residential construction farther away from Valley Street and the industrial corridor along the river.

Industry peaked in Providence and the Valley neighborhood during the 1920s and began to fade soon after the conclusion of World War II. With the advancements in industrial technology and transportation, factories were no longer dependent on the power and transportation provided by the river corridor.

Today, unable to rely on industry any longer, Valley currently depends on its commercial and institutional resources. The Veterans Administration Memorial Hospital, situated in the northeastern corner of the neighborhood, is Valley's largest institution. Many of the buildings once occupied by industrial giants are now filled with small manufacturing shops and by artists in residential loft spaces. These new commercial and residential occupants begun to stabilize the area.

Current land use is a mix of residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional developments. In fact, less than half of the neighborhood is used for residential purposes. The majority of residential units are two and three-family, lower and middle-income homes concentrated in the northern section of Valley.

The neighborhood is 32.5% Non-Hispanic White, 5.2% Asian or Pacific Islander, 14.6% African-American, and 42.4% Hispanic. The median household income is $25,077, and the median family income is $25,339. 26.4% of families live below the poverty line.

www.providenceri.com/ONS/neighborhoods/valley