It looks like I'm moving to Rhode Island

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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So, last spring, my fiancee took a job in Rhode Island. Since then, he’s been commuting from Western MA. It hasn’t been fun for him, mainly because he just had back surgery a year ago and the drive is a bit painful and long. The condo market is doing really well right now so I finally managed to convince him that it’s time to sell our condo and move.

Our realtor suggested that we find someone to babysit our bunnies until we move. This is partly because pets aren’t actually allowed in this complex. Also, she said that many people would be turned off by them. I can understand her logic so I’m taking them up to New Hampshire next week. My fiancee’s cousin is going to watch them for us. Once the buns are gone, we’ll start showing the place. I hope we can find a seller soon. I want to get this over with by the end of Feb. if possible.

We’re going to use any profit to pay off a loan and the credit cards. We don’t have that much debt but it’ll be easier to start over if we have no debt at all. We plan on renting for a year or two until we can actually afford to buy in RI. It’s very expensive there.

I’d like to move to Lincoln - that’s where my fiancee works now. I’m a bit nervous. I’ve lived in many places in MA but I’ve never moved out of the state. There’s so much to remember. We’ll have to reregister our cars, get new licenses, get new insurance - I’m sure I’m forgetting something here. What is the tax rate in RI? Who is the Gov? I’m going to have to learn a whole new state. I’ve lived in Western and Central MA so long that I pretty much know where I am and how to get from point A to point B. I’ve only been to RI 3 times in my life. I don’t know how to find anything. I don’t know the highway numbers or which direction they go. Is there a mall? Where is it? Am I going to have to learn to understand a whole new accent? Am I going to be able to find a new job? How about an apartment? Holy Crap! I just realized how nervous I am about this.

I know there are RI Dopers out there. What’s is like there? I find it odd that I’m nervous and my fiancee isn’t. He’s moved once in his entire life. I have moved over 20 times - in only 25 years. I should be used to this now. What’s it like to move out of state? How do we do our taxes? Will we have to file in both states? I hope moving out of state wont screw up my financial aid. I don’t go to a state school and I don’t think I have any state aid so I should be fine. I will still have to commute to Longmeadow every Saturday though. That will suck.

So, I’m moving to RI and I’m not at all nervous. Can you tell? :rolleyes:

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Hey, I moved to RI from western MA a couple of years ago, so I can help out with this. It’s not too bad.

Yes, you will have to reregister your cars. If they are less than 10 years old, they will need to have a VIN check done at a local police station. I think you are supposed to get it done before you go to the DMV. Expect to spend a day waiting at the DMV. My car insurance doubled, so don’t expect that to be cheaper, despite the folks from western MA who say MA has the highest insurance rates in the country. FYI, RI drivers are terrible. You’ll have to get used to them, but try not to become one.

The major road is I-95. Providence is on there. I-195 meets up right in the middle of Providence. There’s also I-295, Rte 146, Rte 2, and lots of others.

RI’s culture prevents people from driving very far for anything. It’s considered a long trip to drive 20 minutes to get anywhere. That means there are malls, shopping complexes, and general commercial zones close to wherever you are.

State sales tax is 7%, 8% for restaurant food. I’m not sure about income tax, I just pay what the accountant says to. You’ll have to pay income tax in whatever state your pay comes from. If you work in both RI and MA, you’ll have to pay taxes in both.

Longmeadow isn’t far. Take Rte. 146 to the MassPike, and make your own way from there. And wile you’re there, please stop at La Fiorintina and bring me back a cannoli.

3

Where did you move from?

7%?! Holy Crap!

I guess I’m going to be visiting my family in Worcester, Chicopee and Yarmouth a lot. I love to drive. I already drive over 20 minutes just to get to work. I’ve been known to drive from Springfield to Shrewsbury just to buy a book.

I’ll have to get my car checked out. It’s an '00. My fiancee is getting off easy. His is a '91. As for insurance, my goal is to find a job within walking or biking distance from home. If I can manage that, my fiancee will get my car and I’ll just be listed as an occasional driver. He’s a step 9 and I’m a 10 so it’ll be slightly cheaper for him. I’d like to get rid of his car altogether because it’s not doing too well. I really only need it for school on Saturday anyway. That’ll also take care of my long driving fix.

What’s La Fiorintina? Do they have real cannoli? With cheese? If they do, I’ll get you one just for telling me about them.

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La Fiorentina is a genuine Italian bakery. There’s one in Springfield (883 Main Street), one in East Longmeadow (60 Shaker Road), and one in Noho (by the parking garage). I’m not Italian, but all the local mob bosses hang out at the Springfield one, and it’s across the way from an Italo-Americal club, so I figure it’s the real deal. The will usually fill them up fresh for you, as well. Mmmmm. Best I’ve ever had, and my SO and I have been doing a study.

I grew up in Springfield, then Ludlow, then Boston while in college, and back to South Hadley while doing grad school at Umass before settling into RI.

Yeah, the sales tax is high, but remember that the border is so close that it’s usually just as easy to go into MA as it is to stay in Rhode Island.

I just dug out a map of Lincoln, and I see it’s right near Central Falls, which at one point had more bars per square mile than any other town in the country. Good to know, eh? I mention CF because the rent there is likely cheap, but from what local cops have told me, the area has a really high rate of crack usage. Something about local fishermen living there and not having anything to do when they aren’t in season. Depending on you and your fiancee, this could be a great opportunity to get cheap rent, or a warning. Consider yourself informed, either way.

Providence has a craig’s list that could help you find an apartment. Remember that everything is close together here, so living in the next town won’t necessarily make for a long commute. It’s I-195 that does that.

Soon, we’ll be two people closer to Dopefest: Rhode Island. Woot!

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Hi congodwarf and Mithril And welcome to Rhode Island. I moved here from Cambridge (Mass.) over five years ago, and it ain’t so bad. To this day, I’d still rather live in Cambridge, but for the fact that housing is insanely expensive there. I bought a wonderful three-family Victorian on Providence’s East Side for next to nothing in '99, before the Bostonian hordes caught onto the fact that real estate was so cheap here. Now it’s worth about four times what I paid for it – not that that matters a lot to me, because I’m not going anywhere and I’m not hocking my equity, but it does show you how the market’s shot up here. Still, cd, you may be surprised at the bargains you can still find. It’s not at all uncommon to find a decent single-family for well under $200k. You might want to browse on this site just to get a sense of what’s available. It’s still much, much cheaper than the Boston area, which is still a quick forty miles away.

Property taxes in Providence are high, even by comparison with Boston, or by comparison with adjacent towns. But if you were to buy in Lincoln or, say, Pawtucket, your taxes would probably be more in line with what they are in Western Mass.; in any case lower than in Providence.

I’d suggest, if you’re going to rent for awhile, doing so in Providence unless you really prefer a non-urban lifestyle. Getting to know Rhode Island using Providence as your base would probably amuse you – it’s a nice city to discover. I’d further suggest the East Side. Rents have gone up in recent years, especially on the East Side, where Brown and RISD are, but you can still get a nice two-bedroom flat in a two- or three-family house for $875 to $1000. A good time to look for an apartment here is now, or between now and spring. The rental market heats up in July and August, when students are looking for places; but anyone who has a vacant apartment at this time of year is likely to be negotiable regarding the price. This would probably be less true in Lincoln, though, where students aren’t so much of a driving force.

What Mithril said about Rhode Island drivers and auto insurance is true – I’ve considered registering my car at a friend’s house in Boston just to save on insurance; the only reason I haven’t done it is because I own the house and that could cause complications.

Nothing to be nervous about, really. It’s a nice enough little state, a little backwards in some ways (no bottle bill, for example, and the state sales taxes send a lot of people shopping in Massachusetts, which is five minutes from anywhere in Rhode Island) and it’s legendarily corrupt. But overall, it’s got good features, both natural and cultural, and you’ll probably like it here.

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Oh, and you guys – cannolis? Two words: Federal Hill!

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[Linda Richman]“Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island. Discuss.”[/LR]

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Have you really explored Federal Hill looking for cannolis? I’ve tried a few places, and they have been subpar. Sciallo Bros. was pretty close to poison, and some of the others were more artistic than what we were looking for. If you have a recommendation, I will gladly try it out. Anything for science, ya know!

I love the East Side. It’s such a nice college/pedestrian neighborhood. And there’s a Johnny Rockets! What could be better?

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Wishing you luck and joy in your new life. :slight_smile:

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Say hi to Sage Francis for me

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Mithril - thanks for the link. That’s a good one to keep in the favorites.

Bang - I personally have nothing against urban living. I was raised in Worcester after all. My fiancee - on the other hand, was raised in Chicopee. He lived in Fitchburg while in college and that’s the closest to urban living as he’ll ever get. He detests Worcester and I think he actually likes Providence even less. Luckily, I also like small town living. Also, our buying range is about $100,000 right now. We might be able to afford a house in Alaska.

There’s still the possibiltiy that we’ll move to southern Worcester County instead of RI. I’d prefer RI. I figure that if we’re going to move that far, we may as well cut the commute down as much as possible.

Khadaji - Thanks!

vinniepaz - Who is Sage Francie?

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Mithril, I’m not nuts about Sciallo’s either – the best thing about it is that it’s like walking into Fellini’s Amarcord! But I’ve had absolutely great cannolis from Roma, and some not-so-hot ones, too. I guess it all depends on how fresh the ‘tubes’ are, and whether they’ve been sitting in the refrigerated case long.

congodwarf, Lincoln itself seems to be a pretty nice town (from what little I know of it) if you’re not going to do the urban thing. Mithril’s right about Central Falls – there are some nice areas on the outskirts, but mostly it’s a pretty shady (if low-rent) area. And I think there may still be a few condos in North Providence (which is a separate town from Providence) not much above the hundred thou range. Still, your plan of renting for awhile while getting to know the area might be your best bet. Also, if you’re already considering Worcester county, you might add to the consideration that in addition to much higher car insurance rates, Rhode Island also has a high excise tax on cars less than ten years old – my '99 Mazda still costs me over five hundred a year just for that tax alone. (Plus it’s about two thou a year for insurance!) The tax is supposedly being “phased out”, but I haven’t seen any benefits from that yet. So between the two of you, staying in Massachusetts may save you quite a bit on car expenses alone. And depending where you settle you could still be just minutes away from Lincoln, or Providence for that matter!

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Another non-native Rhode Islander here. It’s very true that Rhode Islanders stick to their general geographic locations and, therefore, I can’t tell you anything about Lincoln. I live in Barrington, which is in the East Bay area, and work in Providence. So, I know Barrington, East Providence (Riverside, not Rumford) and Providence and yes, I’ve lived here 7 years and that’s pretty much all I know. I am the mother of a native though.

Oh, I do know something about Lincoln. It’s the home of the state’s only Drive-In movie - the Rustic.

Don’t move to Central Falls! That much I know. It’s the crappiest town out of all the 39 cities and towns in the state. If you are interested in safety, get this month’s Rhode Island Monthly. They rate each city and town in that regard.

Our Registry (aka DMV) has a bad reputation but they moved it to the old Apex in Pawtucket and it’s much improved. Oh, and that’s how Rhode Islanders give directions: “it’s where the old (whatever) used to be.”

If you like Dunkin’ Donuts, this is where it’s at. There’s one on every corner, even in the more rural areas. I swear, one day I’ll wake up to find one in my kitchen.

We moved here from the greater NYC area and it was the most wonderful thing we ever did. We LOVE it, LOVE it, LOVE it! Even though we don’t like coffee milk and Del’s is too sweet for our taste, we LOVE it. Oh, yeah, coffee milk is a big thing here. My son has it as an option in kindergarten.

We shop in Seekonk, MA for pretty much everything. There’s nothing closer in RI so it’s not like we go out of our way to avoid the sales tax. We do have a Shaw’s in Barrington though so we do grocery shop there. At any rate, the sales tax in NY was higher and they had it on clothes too. That may not be the case anymore, I’m not sure.

Rhode Island natives aren’t excessively friendly, but that’s okay with me because I’m not either. You may feel diffferently.

Rhode Island is wicked cool!

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Rhode Island is definitely wicked cool. I’m from Stonington Connecticut, literally a stones throw across the Pawcatuck River to RI. Plus we used to live in Watch Hill. And yes, Natives tend to be a little on the gruff side, especially if you are there just to eat their lobster or catch the Point Judith Ferry to Block Island.

As for Canoli - Westerly, RI has a place called Fortuna’s and they are the best in my opinion. Main Street near the hospital.

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Wow, so much info on cannoli :smiley:

I’ve heard that the natives aren’t the friendliest of people. But, if the’re friendlier than native Cape Codders, I should be fine. I’m a bit worried about the high insurance and excise tax. I’ve spent the last 6 years trying to lower my fees. I really don’t want to go back up again. No matter where we move, it’ll be cool to shop at Shaw’s again. My first job was as a Shaw’s cashier.

I really appreciate all the info. This will definitely help us to make a final decision.

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Welcome to the biggest little Mob in the Union.

Don’t forget the TDI–Temp Disability Insurance–they get 1% of your money.

State taxes are based on a fraction of Federal taxes.

The drivers are the worst–the state is too small for them to learn how to drive correctly. If you figure on the worst, and plan correctly, you won’t be disapointed.

On the plus side, there ARE Tim Hortons in the area.

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It sounds like we’re all being negative about RI, and I don’t want to chase you away. The natives here can be unfriendly, as noted, but in the two years I’ve been here, I’ve only known two natives. There’s tons of people from MA, and we get immigrants from all kinds of other states. Look at this thread: not too many natives on here, right?

What kind of work will you be trying to get? Assuming that Mr. Dwarf is moving for work that is at least somewhat lucrative and you are planning on working full time, I don’t think that finances will be any more of a problem than they are in any other state. You should be able to find a job in the area easier than you can in western MA, which seems to recover much more slowly from economic recession.

The mob thing isn’t as bad as it used to be, from what I hear. There’s been a crackdown in the State Legislature with reps and senators that had conflicts of interest. Even non-union construction companies can do work fo rthe public sector, so the mafia/union stranglehold is weakening. It’s absolutley no worse than in Springfield. At least the mayor of Providence doesn’t golf with the leader of the mafia here.

If you’re into food, RI is actually known for having good restaurants. There’s a bunch of small theaters, lots of shopping, etc. There’s the PawSox, a local baseball team that you can see for a few dollars. And you can live close to the city without feeling like you are right on top of it, like you do in Boston.
Plus, we apparently have good cannolis! (I see a cannoli based road trip in my future!)

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The mob thing??? That doesn’t sound encouraging.

Well, I’ll probably be looking for a customer service job since it’s what I’ve been doing for 4 years now. My fiancee is a TV engineer so he’s already got a good job. Also, thanks to his job, I can get free tickets to the PawSox :smiley:

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I would give you some advice: stay away! The taxes are insane, services non-existant. Sales tax is 7.5% , so most RI residents shop in MA. the Mob runs providence, even though Buddy Cianci is in jail…the corruption continues. how this state supports such a vast beaurocracy of hacks is beyond me…and there is no job growth in the state. So add it up: high taxes, lousy services, and an uncertain economic future…stay away! Oh, and you rep in congress will be the famous patrick kennedy…a man with an IQ hovering around 70-75.

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Which means, of course, that you can collect TDI if you need to. I have needed to twice.