providence is the capital and the most populous city of rhode island. it was one of the first cities established in the united states. it is located in providence county. it is the third largest city in the new england region. in the 2010 census, the city proper population was 178,042. the area is the 37th largest metropolitan population in the country, with an estimated msa population of 1,600,856. this is more people than the population of rhode island due to the area reaching into southern massachusetts. providence is at the mouth of the providence river, at the head of narragansett bay. the city's small footprint is crisscrossed by streets at odd angles and has a rapidly changing distribution of residents.