Silver Lake

History & identity

The story of Silver Lake

Silver Lake sits on Providence’s western edge, with Hartford to the north, Route 10 to the east, Route 6 separating it from Olneyville, and Johnston and Cranston to the west. Settlement began after the road to Plainfield, Connecticut, was completed in 1710, and farms soon followed. The area was part of Johnston for much of the 1700s and 1800s, and Providence reacquired it in 1898.

The neighborhood is named for a small lake, about ten acres, that was bordered by Murray, Sybil, Mercy, and Plainfield Streets. Around 1900 the lake was filled in, and the site was later built over. Most of Silver Lake’s homes went up in the early 1900s, before the Great Depression.

From the late 1800s through much of the 20th century, Italian immigrants shaped the neighborhood, alongside Irish, Polish, English, and other European families. St. Bartholomew Church was dedicated on Moorefield Street in 1907 by founders who largely came from Vairano Patenora in Campania, Italy. A larger church opened on Laurel Hill Avenue in 1969, and the original bell tower still stands at Scalabrini Piazza.

Neutaconkanut Hill, at the neighborhood’s western side, once marked Providence’s northwest boundary under the agreement between Roger Williams and the Narragansett sachems. The name is a Narragansett term often translated as “home of squirrels.” Henry David Thoreau climbed the hill on an 1854 visit, and many of its paths were built by the WPA in the 1930s.

Getting oriented

Streets, blocks, and sub-areas

Housing

Homes and architecture

Silver Lake is a multifamily neighborhood. About one fifth of housing units are single-family homes, most other buildings hold two to four units, and only a small share of units are in larger buildings. Much of the housing dates to the early 1900s, so many homes have original details along with older systems.

• Two- to four-family homes: the most common home type and a classic way to live in one unit and rent the others
• Single-family homes: more common on the streets up the hill toward the park
• Early 1900s construction: wood-frame houses with porches, often updated in stages
• Owner-occupancy: roughly a third of units have historically been owner-occupied, so rental demand is a steady part of the market

Market deep dive

The market and the house-hack math

Silver Lake is one of the more accessible price points in Providence. In September 2026 the median sale price was around $430,000, about 28 homes sold, and homes typically went under contract in about 23 days. Well-priced multifamilies tend to move quickly.

Property taxes, worked out

Providence taxes an owner-occupied 2 to 5 family home at about half the rate of the same building owned purely as an investment.

Add rent from the other units and an owner-occupant can offset a large part of the monthly payment. FHA and other owner-occupant loan programs can make a 2 to 4 unit purchase possible with a lower down payment.

Commute & transit

Getting around

• On foot: Plainfield Street shops and Neutaconkanut Park are walkable from most of the neighborhood
• By bus: RIPTA Route 19 (Plainfield/Westminster) runs along Plainfield Street toward downtown
• By train: Providence Station, with Amtrak and MBTA commuter rail to Boston, is about 10 to 15 minutes by car
• By car: Routes 6 and 10 are at the neighborhood’s edge, with quick connections to I-95 and the western suburbs
• By air: Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport is about 20 minutes south

Outdoors

Parks and the hill

• Neutaconkanut Park: about 73 acres with baseball fields, basketball courts, a public pool, a recreation center, and wooded trails
• Neutaconkanut Hill: the highest point in Providence at 296 feet, with more than 3 miles of wooded trails and views back toward downtown; the nonprofit Neutaconkanut Hill Conservancy works with the city to care for it
• Scalabrini Piazza: a small memorial park around the bell tower of the original St. Bartholomew Church
• Memorial parks: Ponte Corvo Memorial, Cerbo Square, and Silver Lake Memorial Park sit near Pocasset Avenue
• Woonasquatucket River Greenway: the riverside path is a short trip north through Hartford and Olneyville

Lifestyle

Daily life in Silver Lake

Silver Lake is a working neighborhood with a big backyard. Errands happen on Plainfield Street, weekends can mean ball games or a hike up the hill, and downtown is a short drive east.

• August: the three-day Feast of Saint Bartholomew, with a procession, games, rides, and food
• Year-round: trail walks, cleanups, and nature programs on Neutaconkanut Hill
• Summer: the public pool and ball fields at Neutaconkanut Park

For schools, Providence Public Schools uses a citywide enrollment process; families can review options and school data through the Providence Public School District and the Rhode Island Department of Education.

Honest take

Pros and tradeoffs

Buyer checklist

What to check before you buy in Silver Lake

• Rental numbers: review leases, rents, and unit condition before you count on rental income
• Older homes: budget for inspections that look closely at lead paint, wiring, heating, and foundations
• Lead certificates: ask for lead certificates on rental units in pre-1978 homes
• Parking: confirm whether the home has a driveway, especially for a multifamily with several tenants
• Timing: get pre-approved first, since well-priced homes can go under contract in a few weeks
• Programs: first-time buyers may qualify for RIHousing loans and down payment assistance, and FHA loans can help on 2 to 4 unit homes