East Providence, city, Providence County, eastern Rhode Island, a port at the head of Narragansett Bay and on the Running, Seekonk, and Providence rivers; incorporated as a city 1958. It is a suburb of Providence; major manufactures include jewelry, silverware, machinery, chemicals, paper, and metal and plastic products. Settled by the religious leader Roger Williams in 1636, the site subsequently became part of the township of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, and then part of Seekonk, Massachusetts. In 1862 the site was annexed by Rhode Island and incorporated as the township of East Providence. Population 50,980 (1980); 50,380 (1990); 48,688 (2000).
