Geography & City Life

Question 1 (3 pts.)
North Providence was founded in 1765 when farmers in the northern part of Providence petitioned the General Assembly to become a separate town.

Named for August Johnston, the Rhode Island attorney general at the time of its founding, Johnston was incorporated as a town separate from Providence in 1759.

Founded in 1754, the Town of Cranston was carved out of part of Providence along the Pawtuxet River. However, after ceding territory back to Providence and other towns, the City of Cranston was established in 1910.

Question 2 (5 pts.)
Bradford and Pequot cross Atwells near the base of Federal Hill, while Harris, Valley and Cutler cross it further down towards Olneyville.

Question 3 (1 pt.)
B. Hard Scrabble was a predominantly black neighborhood that was partially destroyed by an 1824 race riot sparked when a black man refused to clear the sidewalk to allow a white man to pass. A white mob indiscriminately attacked homes, destroying about 20 houses occupied by black families.

Snow Town was another mostly black neighborhood that rose in roughly the same place as Hard Scrabble. Another riot occurred in 1831 after the killing of a sailor, and once again a white mob attacked the homes of black families without regard for their involvement in the incident.

Though it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where these neighborhoods stood, both sites have been memorialized. A small patch of grass where Canal Street meets North Main hosts the Hard Scrabble memorial, though that location is disputed; one historian places the site of the riot on what is now the State House lawn. The Snow Town riot is commemorated at the Roger Williams National Memorial.

Question 4 (1 pt.)
Though it had been suspected for a while, the 2010 census confirmed that Worcester, MA has eclipsed Providence as the second largest city in New England.

Question 5 (5 pts.)
In order from shortest to tallest:
311 ft.: Textron Tower (originally the Old Stone Tower)
329 ft.: Westin Hotel (surpassed the Biltmore [220’] as the tallest hotel in Providence)
380 ft: Residences at the Westin
410 ft: One Financial Plaza (originally the Hospital Trust Tower)
428 ft.: Bank of America Building aka “The Superman Building” (the tallest building in both the city and state for 85 years; originally the Industrial Trust Tower, then the Fleet Bank Tower – and soon to be something else when Bank of America leaves; upon completion it stood as the third tallest building in New England)