Silver Lake

Silver Lake occupies the far western edge of Providence, hemmed in by Route 6 to the north, Route 10 to the east, and the Johnston and Cranston town lines to the west. The neighborhood takes its name from a small lake — about ten acres in size, between Murray, Sybil, Mercy, and Plainfield Streets — that was filled in around the start of the 20th century, after which Plainfield Street developed into the area's commercial spine.

Settlement of the area dates to the completion of the Plainfield Road to Connecticut in 1710; the land was annexed by Johnston in 1759 and reacquired by Providence in 1898, with most of the housing stock going up in the early 20th century before the Great Depression. Italian immigrants — many from Vairano Patenora — anchored the neighborhood around St. Bartholomew Church, dedicated in 1907, and the parish's August Feast of Saint Bartholomew remains an annual tradition.

The neighborhood's defining open space is Neutaconkanut Park, a 73-acre city park with a public pool, recreation center, ball fields, and forested trails climbing to the 296-foot summit of Neutaconkanut Hill — the highest point in Providence, and a spot Henry David Thoreau is documented as having climbed during an 1854 visit. Day-to-day, residents get around on a Walk Score of 71 and three RIPTA bus routes — the 19, 28, and 21 — that connect Silver Lake to downtown Providence and Cranston.