Providence

Providence sits at the head of Narragansett Bay, where the Providence River meets the great estuary that nearly splits Rhode Island in two. Founded in 1636 by Roger Williams as a refuge for religious dissenters, it is among the oldest cities in the country. The deep, sheltered bay made it a major colonial seaport, trading and later manufacturing center, and it became the sole state capital in 1900.

The bay and its tidal rivers shaped the city, which climbs the hills around the harbor at the bay's northern tip. Once a powerhouse of textile and jewelry manufacturing, Providence anchors a metro of more than a million and is home to Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Salt water is never far in the smallest state's capital.

• Rhode Island
  The Ocean State, smallest in the nation located in