Greater Providence is the economic focal point of Rhode Island. More than 8.5 million - 65% of New England's population - live within 75 miles of the city. The proportion of industry is even greater. Two-thirds or more of New England's plastics, hi-tech and electrical industries are located within that 75 mile radius.
 

  Route 128, America's technology highway, is roughly midway between Boston and Providence. New York City is a mere three hour drive away from the city.
 

  Rhode Island, with its concentrated population of approximately 1,000,000 people, has more income per square mile than any New England state. Within 300 miles of Providence (the range of the overnight trucking market) live 50,000,000 people with a combined annual income in excess of $850 billion.
 

  As of the 2000 United States Census, the total population for the city of Providence was 173,618, an increase of 8.0% over the 1990 population. Given the city's total land area of 18.461 square miles, population density is approximately 9,405 people per square mile.
 

  Over the last ten years, the Providence economy has been transformed from a predominately manufacturing oriented base into a major financial and service economy, with most of its growth having been developed from banks, insurance companies, and professional firms. As a result, local employment in the city has grown from a local to regional, national and even international market. This is the main reason why the city continues to be viewed as the economic focal point of the state, as it is No. 1 in population; total employment; and employment in manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, finance, insurance and real estate, government, education, health, law, accounting and advertising.
 

  Providence has a combination of attributes, which have caused it to be consistently rated as one of America's most liveable cities. In fact, in 1989, Newsweek Magazine rated Providence as one of the top 10 cities to live within the United States. It appears that 1984 was the turning point, as it was in that year that Providence saw a new phenomenon, that is interest in downtown development. A major reason for this appreciation was the advantages of Providence's location, which are considered an asset for commercial/retail, as well as residential development.
 

  Feeding directly into the city are Interstate Routes 95 and 195, as well as a well-maintained, multi-million dollar highway system. Interstate Route 95, the major north/south route on the East Coast, provides easy access via the Civic Center Interchange to Route 6, which links the greater Providence area with Hartford, Connecticut, and Route 295, which circles the city connecting Northern and Southern Rhode Island and providing a link to Southeastern Massachusetts.
 

  The downtown Providence area has seen significant events take place within the past few years in the form of new construction, as well as existing building rehabilitation. In addition to these projects, the Capital Center project area, which approximates nearly 72 acres of land area adjacent to the State House and downtown Providence, has been under development. Most notable construction has been exemplified by the new Providence Train Station; the American Express Building; One Citizens Plaza; Centerplace, a 225-unit apartment complex; Waterplace, an outdoor amphitheater; the 1,200,000 square foot Providence Place Mall; and the newly constructed Marriott Hotel.
 

  The main focus of the Capital Center project had been the construction of the Rhode Island Convention Center, which features a 100,000 square foot exhibition hall; a 20,000 square foot ballroom that seats 1,600 people for dinner; and an additional 23 meeting rooms. Adjacent to it is the 2,400 car parking garage and the 363 room Westin Hotel, which is directly connected to it. Coupled with the 14,500 seat Providence Civic Center, which is also adjacent to the Convention Center, provides amenities which should place the Rhode Island Convention Center in a position to compete for 70% of the meeting and convention business in the United States.
 

  As noted by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, within 300 miles of Providence live 50 million people with a combined annual income in excess of $1 trillion. The advantages of locating a business in the Providence metropolitan area are well-defined: the highest number of skilled workers per square mile of any state; a superior telecommunications infrastructure; a thriving cluster of workers adept in the creative and graphic arts; Ivy League-affiliated health care facilities that top the nation in cost effectiveness; and prime development sites, many just minutes from the central business district. Further, Providence is located in the middle of the highest concentration of colleges and universities in the United States.
 

  With offerings such as a vast and well-preserved historic architecture, a formidable reputation as a restaurant city, the Fleet Skating Center, a regional indoor mall, museum, art galleries, and waterways, some visitors to Providence claim that "the city has the beauty of Paris, the elegance of London, the romance of Rome, the charm of Venice, and the thrill of New York."