Just north and east of Providence, the Capitol of Rhode Island, is the City of Pawtucket. The industrial revolution in North America began here when Samuel Slater used water power to drive a 72 spindle operation, using Eli Whitney’s patented invention, the cotton gin in 1793. In just a generation, the Blackstone River became home to yarn and cloth manufacturers, who animated their machinery with water power.

Today, the City is being reborn. The old mills are being converted and repurposed. Ethnic Portuguese, Italian and Brazilian families give the neighborhoods incredible ethnic diversity, and new investments are being made in the center of town.