Woonasquatucket

The Woonasquatucket river is about 15.8 miles long and runs through parts of Rhode Island, including Providence and Smithfield.  The river runs through the southern part of the Olneyville neighborhood.  Woonasquatucket translates to “At the head of the tidewater” or “Where the salt water ends”.  In 2013, there was a treatment program to more aggressively manage and remove invasive plants on a portion of the river. This treatment has been successful and now continues along the full downtown part of the river.  The Woonasquatucket river was named an American Heritage river in 1998.

Olneyville is a neighborhood in Providence near the Woonasquatucket river with a very diverse population, consisting of 61% Hispanic, 16% White, 13% Black or African American, 4% Asian, and 6% other.  With these ethnicity demographics, it isn’t too surprising that 63% of children in the public school system speak a second language other than English as their primary language.  Many people in the Olneyville neighborhood struggle to get by, with 41% of families living in poverty. The median family income is very low, being just above $19,000 per year.  The Olneyville neighborhood has many unique restaurants due to its highly diverse population.  Olneyville New York System is one of the most known restaurants, due to their famous hot dogs.  A few other unique restaurants in Olneyville are El Rancho Grande, La Lupita, Panederia Maya, and La Hacienda.

There are various attractions along the Woonasquatucket river, including a 7 mile bike path/trail that runs all the way along the river, starting in downtown Providence.  The trail features about 4 miles of off road that include paths to many parks and other attractions.  Some of the paths and attractions include Donigian Park, Riverside Park, Adventure Park, Button Hole Golf Course and a skate park known as Manton Gateway that opened earlier this year.  All of these attractions and many more are located directly on the bike path.