page_title: Providence, Rhode Island
section_title: Government
hierarchical_section_title: Providence, Rhode Island / Government
caption_attribution_description: View of the Rhode Island State House from the South side.
context_page_description: Providence is the capital and most populous city of the state of Rhode Island and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. It was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers. The city is situated at the mouth of the Providence River at the head of Narragansett Bay.
  Providence was one of the first cities in the country to industrialize and became noted for its textile manufacturing and subsequent machine tool, jewelry, and silverware industries. Today, the city of Providence is home to eight hospitals and seven institutions of higher learning which have shifted the city's economy into service industries, though it still retains some manufacturing activity.
  The city is the third-most-populous city in New England after Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts.
context_section_description: As the state capital, Providence houses the Rhode Island General Assembly, as well as the offices of the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor in the Rhode Island State House. The city itself has a Mayor-council government. The Providence City Council consists of 15 councilors, one for each of the city's wards, who enact ordinances and pass an annual budget. Providence also has probate and superior courts. The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island is located downtown across from Providence City Hall adjacent to Kennedy Plaza.
  In November 2002, David N. Cicilline was elected mayor of Providence, becoming the first openly gay mayor of a United States state capital.
  The city's first Latino mayor was Angel Taveras, who assumed office on January 3, 2011. Current mayor Jorge Elorza succeeded him on January 5, 2015.
  The headquarters of the city's fire and police departments is a 130,000 square foot, steel frame Public Safety Complex on Washington Street near Interstate I-95. The building was dedicated in 2002 by former Mayor Vincent Cianci Jr.
caption: Rhode Island State House in the neoclassical style
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