The Providence metropolitan area is a region extending into eight counties in two states, and is the 37th largest metropolitan area in the United States. Anchored by the city of Providence, Rhode Island, it has an estimated population of 1,622,520, exceeding that of Rhode Island by slightly over 60%. The area covers almost all of Rhode Island. 38 of the 39 municipalities in the state are included. Only Westerly is not. The Providence Metropolitan Statistical Area also extends into southern Massachusetts with an average population density of 2300 per mi² (888 per km²). Its Gross Metropolitan Product is the country's 42nd largest at $64.7 billion, just above the Gross State Product of the entire state of Hawaii.
In 2006, this area was officially added to the Boston Combined Statistical Area (CSA), the fifth-largest CSA in the country.
In 2004, Smart Growth America named the New York City metro area the "Least Sprawling" metropolitan area in the country, though Wendell Cox, correcting for the fact that this is only true when New Jersey's and Connecticut's contributions are ignored, asserts that this title should belong to the Providence metropolitan area. Cox makes clear, however, that he is criticizing the definitional criteria of "sprawl" developed by Smart Growth America, sarcastically pointing out the incongruity of Providence winning the crown when, for example, only 0.4% of transportation uses mass transit.
Read more about Providence Metropolitan Area: Boundaries, Transportation, Demographics
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