RateItAll: The Opinion Network

I love RI! Lived here for 22 years and proud to call my home state. So much to do without leaving the state, whether it be in Newport, Providence, Bristol or any of the other great towns.

i live in rhode island and have for 17 years, i absolutely love it here. the coast is wonderful, and so is the city.

I love Rhode Island. I went to college there, and really got adjusted to the Rhoddy ways of living. The people are interesting and are really a sight to look at. Especially the "north Providence" Itallian guys, with their studd earings, Cadillac Sts's that they have a 30 year loan on, and the hair jell goddi look! I'm from CT, and they just don't make guys like that there. I love the accents, it's like trashy, but hey I gotta Caddilac! He he love the East side of Providence, and Thayer and the Mall, but I must say it is rather confusing to get in and out of!

Rhode Island, pretty cool I guess. Newport seemed nice to hang out at sporatically, and Providence sort of seemed like a mini Boston. Would I live there? No. Not sure why it's great enough to be in the top 10 states?

I will someday live in Rhode Island again. It is beautiful and I love the people. Well except for a couple cities like Cranston. Providence is a great city though and the coast is wonderful.

Those turds got rid of Senator Linc Chaffee. Big mistake.

Providence is a very unknown and very underated city in the northeast- it has much of offer, compared to other cities 10 times it size elswhere. Newport is fabulous, as are the Rhode Island ocean beachs and resorts. Great seafood and Italian food as well as other ethnic food. Great historic districts and homes.

The state in many areas of the country is not even 'known' Rhode Island has much more to offer then many states.

Like the Black Sabbath record..."The Mob Rules". Hard to start a biz there...they'll break your legs if you infringe on their turf.

Rhode Island is a great place to live. Everything you will ever need is at your fingertips. Those who complain about the state are usually gruff outsiders and those who just couldn't make it there. I lived there for over 50 years and now live down south with the rednecks but I am down here because of the better, healtheir weather, not for the crude people who live here. I recommend Rhode Island to anyone who wants the urban life without the travel.

Lived there for thirty years. Look at a map of the US. Cape Cod is the arm of the nation and R.I. is the arm pit. Thats all they have is Newport. The rest of the state is a corrupt dump with bad roads, ugly neighborhoods, people with rude attitudes, high taxes and people who love the status quo. The place will never change and rhode islanders love it that way. Rich

Although Newport is quite nice, by virtue of the miniscule size there just isn't a lot to recommend here.

heck yes i would love to live in Rhode IS land its BEATUIFUL and ther aer many different job oppertunites

A neighboring New England state Providence is much fun, the beaches are wonderful, as is Newport. Great food, really earthy and unpretenious people.

In this Size Matters and Smaller is Better. No one has mentioned Wickford or East Greenwich or totally cool Narragansett, Waterfire in Providence, Federal Hill - much cheaper to live in than New Jersey, Conn and New York, really nice people, close to everything - beaches, Providence, Boston, New York, Great New England feeling with an artistic twist!

Providence is sure fun- with a nice historic district. Great downtown, with incredible places to eat or have a cocktail. The RI beaches are among the best in the northeast- with the warmest water in New England. Newport is not at all 'stuck up' offering diversity and interesting people.

Rhode Island deserves to be rated numer 9 on this list- Momey magazine voted Providence as the best place to live in the northeast 2 years back. Its a wonderful city that has been totally rebuilt. The downtown is pedestrian friendly, there is a great historic district that has been preserved and restored. Brown Univ. is an iconic place to visit in the city center. Great places to eat or have a martini. Culture abounds. The rest of the state has great places like Newport and Watch Hill along with clean sparkling beaches and ocean views that are cooling to the mind. Small in size- big in stature- has more going for it then states 30 times its size.

Providence is cleaning up. The state has some beach front.

Rhode Island is simply understated- A visit to Providence, the beaches or Newport will change anyones attitude on this old and classy state.

Are you serious? I mean its not horrible, but it certainly shouldn't be # 9 on the list. Providence is a city in progress that has come back from the brink. It was a total dump that was losing population like crazy until the late 90's, when it made a dramatic comeback and is now growing at a healthy rate. But other than that, which should give hope to all of those cities out there going thru tough times, it is just an incredibly average state. Not to mention that it is smaller than the average size of a county in most states.

I've always liked Rhode Island. This state has awesome beaches and ocean shore. Newport is a great weekend destination. There's nothing else like it with the castle like mansions on the ocean in Newport and it's downtown has got a very New England colonial look to it. Block Island is a cool place to visit with strong island and townie character, nice scenery with lighthouses, bluffs, and sandy beaches without the crowds of Marthas Vineyard. Providence is enjoying an urban renesaince that Worcestor, Hartford, and Springfield should be paying attention to. Providence also has great restaurants but as noted below it still has that creepy mafia thing hanging over it. I wouldn't mind living in the Ocean State, and an added bonus, it's close to Boston and NY.