North Kingstown, Rhode Island

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North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Town
The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace in North Kingstown
The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace in North Kingstown
Nickname(s): "NK" North Kingstown
Location of North Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island
Location of North Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island
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Country United States
State Rhode Island
County Washington
Government
 • Town Council Kerry P. McKay
Carol H. Hueston
Jason A. Alberquerque
Kevin V. Maloney
Ellen S. Waxman
Area
 • Total 58.3 sq mi (151.1 km2)
 • Land 43.6 sq mi (112.9 km2)
 • Water 14.7 sq mi (38.2 km2)
Elevation 82 ft (25 m)
Population (United States estimated 2013)
 • Total 35,320
 • Density 607.5/sq mi (234.6/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 02852 (North Kingstown), 02874 (Saunderstown), 02877 (Slocum)
Area code(s) 401
FIPS code 44-51580[1]
GNIS feature ID 1220088[2]
Website www.northkingstown.org

North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and is part of the Providence metropolitan area. As of the United States Estimated Population 2013, the population was 35,320 making it the 13th largest municipality in the state. North Kingstown is home to the birthplace of the famous American portraitist Gilbert Stuart who was born in the village of Saunderstown. Within the town is Quonset Point, location of the former Quonset Point Naval Air Station, known for the invention of the Quonset hut, as well as the neighborhood of Davisville, location of the former Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center.

History

The town of Kings Towne was founded in 1674, by the colonial government, and included the present day towns of North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Exeter, and Narragansett. In 1722, Kings Towne was split into two parts, North Kingstown and South Kingstown, with North Kingstown, having the earliest settlements, retaining the 1674 establishment date. In 1742 the town of Exeter was taken from the western part of North Kingstown.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 58.3 square miles (151 km2). 43.6 square miles (113 km2) of it is land and 14.8 square miles (38 km2) of it (25.28%) is water.

Demographics

Self portrait of Gilbert Stuart, Painted in 1778. Stuart was born in North Kingstown.

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 26,326 people, 10,154 households, and 7,310 families residing in the town. The population density was 603.9 people per square mile (233.2/km²). There were 10,743 housing units at an average density of 246.4 per square mile (95.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.71% White, 0.97% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population.

There were 10,154 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 46.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town the age distribution of the population shows 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $60,027, and the median income for a family was $69,559. Males had a median income of $20,668 versus $18,399 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,139. About 18.8% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Wickford Junction is a terminus station on the Providence/Stoughton Commuter Rail Line, providing weekday service to Providence Station and Boston's South Station.

RIPTA also services in the town inbound to Providence and outbound to Narragansett or Newport

Notable people

Points of interest

  • Casey Farm (1725) - An original colonial plantation that is today one of the oldest operational farms in New England.
  • Davis Memorial Wildlife Refuge - 96 acres of forest and wetlands preserved by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.
  • Devil's Foot Rock - A footprint-like natural impression or possibly petrosomatoglyph. Legends going back to the colonial era tell of a squaw being chased by the devil. Some say that she fled from Boston. Her pursuer is said to have left his footprints at Devil's Foot Rock, then at Chimney Hill in South Kingstown, and finally at Block Island.
  • Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum (1751) - The house in which American portraitist Gilbert Stuart was born in 1755. The museum features works from throughout Stuart's career and operational grist and snuff mills.
  • Historic Wickford Village - A historic seaside village which contains one of the largest collections of preserved 18th-century houses in the Northeastern United States. Wickford also has a large and scenic harbor.
  • Quonset Air Museum - A large museum located near the Quonset Naval Air Station which focuses on military aviation history.
  • Smith's Castle (1678) - A colonial plantation located on the shore of Narragansett Bay.
  • Quonset Point, a former military base which was once the home of the Naval Construction Battalions known as the Seabees.

Other National Historic Places in North Kingstown

Old Narragansett Church, built in 1707, is the oldest Episcopal Church building in New England
Casey Farm
Baptist Church in Wickford

Adjacent towns

 East Greenwich, Warwick
Exeter Jamestown via Narragansett Bay
  North Kingstown  
South Kingstown, Narragansett

References

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  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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