GoLocalProv Names Cranston "Best Community"

Congrats, Cranston. 

GoLocalProv has named Cranston the state's best community for the second year in a row.

Cranston is a city "that manages the remarkable balancing act of big-city attributes with the reasonable quality-of-life aspects of smaller-town existence," the GoLocalProv Best Communities Team said.  "It's not a blockbuster, but a steady performer that shows that it's the combination of positions, not one standout, that wins the day."

Cranston stands out in every category except crime, where it ranks No. 32. But for arts and culture and affordability, it's towards the top of the list. 

Though Cranston didn't finish at the top in any category (it ranked third in arts and culture, behind Providence and Newport) the uniqueness of the city is unrivaled by any other community. 

Where else can you buy fresh vegetables straight from the farm, engage in high-end shopping, visit one of more than 300 salons, catch a theatrical production or enjoy a public park — all in a radius of just two- to five-miles? Only in Cranston, where the east features Narragansett Bay, historic architecture and quaint villages, the center features a commercial retail and manufacturing epicenter and the west is a bucolic blend of farms, subdivisions and undeveloped, wooded tracts.

This is all old news to Cranstonians, who have known about all the city has to offer for years. But to outsiders, Cranston might be considered just a blip before Providence, or where  is, and that's about it. Some might be surprised that Cranston is the top community, according to GoLocalProv. That's because they haven't lived here, or spent enough time here to realize you can get everything the rest of the state has to offer—and more.

While people in South County are stuck in Routes 1 and 4 traffic jams all summer, Cranstonians hop on to Routes 95, 295, 10 and 37 with ease. While residents of the more-rural communities in the northwest might run out of things to do, there's never a shortage of activities in Cranston. The city has the state's busiest library system, more than 20 schools, two high schools with championship sports teams, four little leagues, dozens of parks and recreational fields and a police and fire force that can respond to both small-town issues and high-profile incidents with skill.

Check out GoLocalProv's page for Cranston here.

Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung said on his Facebook page that he is "so proud that our city repeats as the No. 1 best community in the state!"