ProJo: Neighborhood of the Week: Woodville a little-known enclave of North Providence

Although it takes its name from a small 19th-century factory built on the West River, Woodville remained largely rural and agricultural until after World War II, when a flurry of construction created the tracts of single-family houses, condominium complexes and shopping strips there now.

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Chain stores, fast-food restaurants and surface parking don't suggest the traditional New England village, but in modern American suburbs they're often the closest thing to a town square or main street.

Such is the case in the Woodville section of North Providence, where residential subdivisions branch off from the high-traffic commercial thoroughfares of Douglas and Mineral Spring avenues.

Although it takes its name from a small 19th-century factory built on the West River, Woodville remained largely rural and agricultural until after World War II, when a flurry of construction created the tracts of single-family houses, condominium complexes and shopping strips there now.

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