PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — One Rhode Island city is one of the top 20 ethnically diverse cities in the United States.
Providence ranks 10th for midsize cities and 19th overall, according to a study by WalletHub.
The study compared more than 500 of the largest U.S. cities across three key metrics: ethnoracial diversity, linguistic diversity and birthplace diversity.
Providence placed 18th in linguistic diversity, 56th in ethnoracial diversity, and 95th in birthplace diversity.
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Experts say there are many benefits of living in a diverse city like Providence.
“An ethnically diverse city enables one to learn about cultures and traditions different from one’s own and to teach one’s children about appreciating and respecting cultures and people who are different from them,” said Jonathan Okamura, a professor at the University of Hawaii.
“Even fleeting interactions with others not from our own racial or ethnic group provide circumstances that can affirm our shared membership in a common society,” he continued.
