Fox Point is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Providence. Located on the East Side of Providence and surrounded on three sides by water, Fox Point was the City's old seaport community. Fox Point is a tightly clustered residential neighborhood of older and historic homes that abuts Brown University, RISD and the College Hill neighborhood. South Main Street and Wickenden Street, both historic mixed-use thoroughfares, are the centers of Fox Point retail life and social activity. Here you will find a variety of excellent restaurants, cafes and an eclectic collection of independently owned shop.
The Fox Point waterfront, known as India Point, derived its name from the "Indiamen" trading ships traveling between Providence and the West Indies. By 1800, 58 wharves spanned the waterfront from Fox Point to Smith Street, where the State Capital Building stands today.
Fox Point's physical structure has undergone significant change since the beginning of the twentieth century. The waterfront area is no longer in use as a harbor and now exists as a recreational area called India Point Park. Recent changes to South Main Street, as a result of urban renewal and historic preservation efforts, make India Point a distinct entity from the core of the Fox Point neighborhood.
The Fox Point housing stock is very old. Many of the beautifully restored homes are 150-200 years old. Housing values in Fox Point are higher than the citywide average.
