Located just to the northeast of Providence, Pawtucket is considered the birthplace of U.S. industry: It was there that the first machines for spinning cotton began operation in 1793. The Slater Mill Historic Site, the first water-powered textile mill in the nation (and the first mill in the country to make cotton yarn), has been restored—the waterwheel still turns. Pawtucket is also the home of the Pawtucket Red Sox, the minor-league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
Pawtucket is situated at the southern end of Rhode Island's portion of the Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor, which celebrates the region's role in shaping the Industrial Revolution in America. Pawtucket is 4 mi/6 km north of Providence
