Woonsocket is located in
Providence County, north of
Providence near North Smithfield. It is located at the border of Rhode Island and Massachusetts on Hwy 18. According to the 2000 Census, the city has a population of 43,877. It is surrounded by the growing suburban communities of Lincoln, Cumberland and North Smithfield. Woonsocket is part of the
Providence-Fall River-Warwick metro area.
A local attraction is the Museum of Work and Culture, an interactive museum operated by the Rhode Island Historical Society that exhibits the story of the French Canadians who left the farms of Quebec for the factories of the New England area.
Today manufacturing still dominates Woonsocket's economy, but to a lesser degree. Woonsocket's many residents work within the city as well as in nearby Massachusetts.