Providence Neighborhood Profiles

Valley

Valley is a small neighborhood located west of downtown Providence. The neighborhood's borders are Olneyville and Federal Hill to the south, Mount Pleasant to the west, Elmhurst to the north, and Smith Hill to the east. Valley Street, the neighborhood's major thoroughfare, roughly divides the neighborhood into northern and southern sections. 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.

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 Veterans Administration Memorial Hospital, situated in the northeastern corner of the neighborhood, is Valley's largest institution.

Industrial and commercial development along the Woonasquatucket River is the most critical and fascinating aspect of Valley's neighborhood history. Historically, the Woonasquatucket River valley and the Moshassuck River valley were the two dominant sites of industrial activity in Providence. 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, the industrial section of Valley sits largely unused after factory closings and relocation. Unable to rely on industry any longer, Valley currently depends on its commercial and institutional resources. Some activity is happening near Harris Avenue. 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 may begin to stabilize the area.

According to the 1990 census, 3,722 persons resided in Valley, a slight drop from the 3,766 residents who called Valley home in 1980. Nearly one in seven (15%) residents in Valley is Hispanic, about 5 percent are black, and 4.1 percent are Asian. Almost six out of ten persons of age 25 or older living in Valley in 1990 had completed high school.

Median family income in Valley in 1989 was $29,597, about 4 percent higher than the citywide figure. One in four persons in Valley had an income below the poverty level according to the 1990 census. In addition, about one out of six families was living below poverty, and half of all children in Valley were poor. The proportion of elderly persons living below poverty more than doubled over the past decade, rising from 11.2 percent in 1980 to 25.7 percent in 1990.

Home ownership dropped in Valley over the past decade, declining from 30 percent in 1980 to 26 percent in 1990. The housing stock in Valley consists predominantly of three and four unit structures. Only one in ten housing units in Valley is a single family structure. The housing in the neighborhood is interesting in that it resembles the housing in Mount Pleasant near Chalkstone Avenue while triple-deckers line the streets near Atwells Avenue and Olneyville.

The housing stock in Valley is also very old. More than eight out of ten housing units were constructed more than 40 years ago. The median value of owner-occupied housing units in Valley is $78,900, about 29 percent lower than the citywide median value. Median rents in Valley are about the same as the citywide figure. About one in three Valley residents moved into his or her present housing unit more than 20 years ago according to the 1990 census, which is nearly twice the rate reported for the city as a whole.