Washington County, Rhode Island

County in Rhode Island, United States

"Narragansett Country" redirects here. For the Narragansett tribals lands, see Narragansett Indian Reservation.

County in Rhode Island, United States

Washington County

County

Former Washington County Courthouse in West Kingston

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Coordinates: 41°23′N 71°37′W﻿ / ﻿41.39°N 71.62°W﻿ / 41.39; -71.62
Country|  United States
State|  Rhode Island
Region| New England
Metro area| Providence
Formed| June 3, 1729; 296 years ago (1729-06-03)
Named after| George Washington
County town| South Kingstown
Largest town| South Kingstown
Incorporated municipalities| 9 towns
Area

• Total

| 563 sq mi (1,460 km2)
• Land| 329 sq mi (850 km2)
• Water| 234 sq mi (610 km2)  41%
Highest elevation

[1]

| 567 ft (173 m)
Lowest elevation

[2]

| 0 ft (0 m)
Population

(April 1, 2020)

• Total

| 129,839
• Density| 230/sq mi (90/km2)
GDP

[3]

• Total| $8.636 billion (2022)
Time zone| UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code format|

028xx

Area code| 401
FIPS code| 44-009
GNIS feature ID| 1219782
Congressional district| 2nd

Washington County, known locally as South County, is a county located in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,839.[4] Rhode Island counties have no governmental functions other than as court administrative boundaries, which are part of the state government.[5]

## History

[edit]

The area today known as Washington County was part of the ancestral lands of the Narragansett Indian Tribe.[6] During the second half of the 17th Century, about a dozen English colonists from Newport and Massachusetts colonies moved to the area to establish farms; the larger of these were known as "Narragansett Planters."[6]

By the mid-18th century, there were 25 to 30 large plantations in the county, and their owners became very wealthy.[6] The labor for these farms came from enslaved people; it is estimated that about 15% and 25% of Washington County’s population was enslaved.[6]

Washington County was created as Kings County in 1729 within the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It was renamed Washington County on October 29, 1781, in honor of George Washington. At the earliest stage of colonial settlement, the area was called "The Narragansett Country",[citation needed] named after the Naragansett tribe and its tributary tribe the Niantics, both of whom lived in the area.

Early land purchases in the Narragansett Country were effected by settlers after the establishment of Indian trading posts at Fort Neck in Charlestown, and at Smith's Castle in Wickford. A series of conflicts involving the Manisseans on Block Island gave that island to the Massachusetts Bay Colony for a number of years, before being transferred to the Rhode Island Colony under Newport County, and then finally to Washington County in 1959.

The borders of the Narragansett country were disputed for nearly 100 years among the colonies of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The Narragansetts had pledged their fealty to King Charles, and the area was known as "The King's Province" and was placed under the authority of Rhode Island "until the King's pleasure was further known". In 1664, a royal commission under Charles II stepped in to adjudicate these conflicting claims. The commission extinguished the claims of Massachusetts, and Rhode Island was granted jurisdiction until the commission finished processing Connecticut's appeals, which were not ended until 1726. Settlements of King's Province were named to reflect the English Restoration, in honor of King Charles II. Towns reflecting this history include the two Kingstowns and Charlestown, as well as the villages of Kingston and West Kingston.

Washington County is also known in Rhode Island as "South County",[7][8] though some definitions of South County include outside towns, such as East Greenwich in neighboring Kent County, and exclude towns within Washington County, such as New Shoreham.[9]

## Geography

[edit]

Historic Downtown Westerly, Rhode Island

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 563 square miles (1,460 km2), of which 329 square miles (850 km2) is land and 234 square miles (610 km2) (41%) is water.[10] It is the largest county in Rhode Island by total area. The county's topography ranges from flat along the shoreline to gently rolling hills farther inland. The highest point is a large area approximately 560 feet (170 m) above sea level in the Exeter neighborhood of Black Plain;[11] the lowest point is sea level along the coast. The northern boundary west of Davisville is approximately 41.60°N. The western boundary north of Westerly is approximately 71.79°W.

### National protected areas

[edit]

* Block Island National Wildlife Refuge
* John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge
* Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge
* Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge

### Major highways

[edit]

* I-95
* US 1
* Route 1A
* Route 2
* Route 3
* Route 4
* Route 78
* Route 91
* Route 102
* Route 108
* Route 110
* Route 112
* Route 138
* Route 165
* Route 216
* Route 402
* Route 403

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1790| 18,323| | —
1800| 16,135| | −11.9%
1810| 14,962| | −7.3%
1820| 15,687| | 4.8%
1830| 15,411| | −1.8%
1840| 14,324| | −7.1%
1850| 16,430| | 14.7%
1860| 18,715| | 13.9%
1870| 20,097| | 7.4%
1880| 22,495| | 11.9%
1890| 23,649| | 5.1%
1900| 24,154| | 2.1%
1910| 24,942| | 3.3%
1920| 24,932| | 0.0%
1930| 29,334| | 17.7%
1940| 32,493| | 10.8%
1950| 48,542| | 49.4%
1960| 59,054| | 21.7%
1970| 83,586| | 41.5%
1980| 93,317| | 11.6%
1990| 110,006| | 17.9%
2000| 123,546| | 12.3%
2010| 126,979| | 2.8%
2020| 129,839| | 2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14]
1990-2000[15] 2010-2019[16]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 126,979 people, 49,177 households, and 32,297 families residing in the county.[17] The population density was 385.7 inhabitants per square mile (148.9/km2). There were 62,206 housing units at an average density of 188.9 per square mile (72.9/km2).[18] The racial makeup of the county was 93.8% white, 1.6% Asian, 1.2% black or African American, 0.9% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population.[17]

The largest ancestry groups were:[19]

* 27.8% Irish
* 21.4% Italian
* 19.9% English
* 11.4% French
* 10.8% German
* 4.9% Portuguese
* 4.8% Polish
* 4.3% French Canadian
* 3.5% Scottish
* 2.9% Swedish
* 2.7% American
* 2.5% Scotch-Irish
* 1.4% Russian

Of the 49,177 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.3% were non-families, and 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 42.3 years.[17]

The median income for a household in the county was $70,285 and the median income for a family was $87,999. Males had a median income of $59,598 versus $44,851 for females. The per capita income for the county was $34,737. About 3.4% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.[20]

## Communities

[edit]

Map of Washington County, Rhode Island showing towns, census-designated places, and Narragansett tribal lands

### Towns

[edit]

* Charlestown
* Exeter
* Hopkinton
* Narragansett
* New Shoreham
* North Kingstown
* Richmond
* South Kingstown (traditional county seat)
* Westerly

### Census-designated places

[edit]

* Ashaway
* Bradford
* Carolina
* Charlestown
* Hope Valley
* Hopkinton
* Kingston
* Misquamicut
* Narragansett Pier
* Quonochontaug
* Wakefield-Peacedale
* Watch Hill
* Weekapaug
* Westerly
* Wyoming

### Other villages

[edit]

* Alton
* Arcadia
* Ashaway
* Barberville
* Bethel
* Burdickville
* Canonchet
* Centerville
* Davisville
* Galilee
* Hamilton
* Hopkinton City
* Jerusalem
* Kenyon
* Lafayette
* Locustville
* Matunuck
* Moscow
* Peace Dale
* Point Judith
* Rockville
* Saunderstown
* Shannock
* Shelter Harbor
* Slocum
* Usquepaug
* Wakefield
* West Kingston
* White Rock
* Wickford
* Wood River Junction
* Woodville

### Ghost Towns

[edit]

Napatree point

## Politics

[edit]

Similar to other counties in Rhode Island, Washington County votes Democratic in presidential elections, having last voted Republican in 1984.

United States presidential election results for Washington County, Rhode Island[21][22] Year  | Republican / Whig | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 31,247  | 41.10%  | 42,589  | 56.01% | 2,200  | 2.89%
2020 | 29,818  | 39.20%  | 44,549  | 58.57% | 1,693  | 2.23%
2016 | 27,230  | 41.03%  | 33,741  | 50.84% | 5,398  | 8.13%
2012 | 25,366  | 40.34%  | 35,888  | 57.07% | 1,625  | 2.58%
2008 | 25,624  | 38.73%  | 39,082  | 59.07% | 1,454  | 2.20%
2004 | 26,533  | 42.36%  | 34,679  | 55.37% | 1,422  | 2.27%
2000 | 21,253  | 37.80%  | 29,560  | 52.58% | 5,411  | 9.62%
1996 | 16,302  | 32.71%  | 25,958  | 52.09% | 7,572  | 15.20%
1992 | 16,211  | 30.62%  | 23,009  | 43.46% | 13,724  | 25.92%
1988 | 21,650  | 48.04%  | 23,210  | 51.51% | 202  | 0.45%
1984 | 24,365  | 57.59% | 17,793  | 42.06%  | 147  | 0.35%
1980 | 16,932  | 41.47% | 16,429  | 40.24%  | 7,466  | 18.29%
1976 | 17,856  | 49.57%  | 17,980  | 49.91% | 186  | 0.52%
1972 | 19,280  | 58.46% | 13,637  | 41.35%  | 62  | 0.19%
1968 | 11,639  | 43.40%  | 13,851  | 51.65% | 1,328  | 4.95%
1964 | 7,342  | 29.63%  | 17,434  | 70.37% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 12,651  | 52.21% | 11,580  | 47.79%  | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 14,278  | 65.71% | 7,450  | 34.29%  | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 13,389  | 61.29% | 8,448  | 38.67%  | 9  | 0.04%
1948 | 9,522  | 55.88% | 7,379  | 43.30%  | 140  | 0.82%
1944 | 8,233  | 56.12% | 6,419  | 43.76%  | 18  | 0.12%
1940 | 9,233  | 60.54% | 6,001  | 39.35%  | 17  | 0.11%
1936 | 8,764  | 58.21% | 5,956  | 39.56%  | 336  | 2.23%
1932 | 7,307  | 58.42% | 5,047  | 40.35%  | 153  | 1.22%
1928 | 7,793  | 68.84% | 3,500  | 30.92%  | 27  | 0.24%
1924 | 8,038  | 75.21% | 2,366  | 22.14%  | 283  | 2.65%
1920 | 6,420  | 74.93% | 2,012  | 23.48%  | 136  | 1.59%
1916 | 2,837  | 55.17% | 2,224  | 43.25%  | 81  | 1.58%
1912 | 2,129  | 44.91% | 1,691  | 35.67%  | 921  | 19.43%
1908 | 3,043  | 66.46% | 1,278  | 27.91%  | 258  | 5.63%
1904 | 3,189  | 70.63% | 1,197  | 26.51%  | 129  | 2.86%
1900 | 2,421  | 66.35% | 960  | 26.31%  | 268  | 7.34%
1896 | 3,040  | 72.05% | 654  | 15.50%  | 525  | 12.44%
1892 | 2,183  | 52.83% | 1,501  | 36.33%  | 448  | 10.84%
1888 | 2,346  | 57.54% | 1,492  | 36.60%  | 239  | 5.86%
1884 | 2,014  | 60.08% | 1,155  | 34.46%  | 183  | 5.46%
1880 | 2,017  | 62.02% | 1,229  | 37.79%  | 6  | 0.18%
1852 | 1,022  | 46.71%  | 1,086  | 49.63% | 80  | 3.66%
1844 | 967  | 57.59% | 712  | 42.41%  | 0  | 0.00%

## See also

[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Rhode Island

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Washington County High Point, Rhode Island". peakbagger.com.
2. ^ Sea level at the Atlantic Ocean.
3. ^ "Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Washington County, RI". fred.stlouisfed.org.
4. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Washington County, Rhode Island". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
5. ^ "National Associations of Counties listing for Washington County, Rhode Island". naco.org. Archived from the original on May 7, 2003. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
6. ^ a b c d "What did southern Rhode Island's Colonial economy look like?". Slavery in Southern Rhode Island. South County History Center. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
7. ^ "South County isn't an official Rhode Island county. So why does everyone call it that?". The Providence Journal. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
8. ^ "About South County".
9. ^ "Towns". South County RI. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
10. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
11. ^ 41°35′09″N 71°39′16″W﻿ / ﻿41.58583°N 71.65444°W﻿ / 41.58583; -71.65444
12. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
13. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
14. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
15. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
16. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
17. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
18. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
19. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
20. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
21. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
22. ^ "The Popular Vote of the United States, in the Presidential Election of 1844". New York Daily Herald. No. 5270\. November 7, 1848. p. 1. Retrieved August 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

## External links

[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for South County.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Washington County, Rhode Island.

Places adjacent to Washington County, Rhode Island

| Windham County, Connecticut | Kent County | Bristol County

|
|

|  |
New London County, Connecticut |

Washington County, Rhode Island

| Newport County
|  |
Suffolk County, New York | Atlantic Ocean | Atlantic Ocean & Dukes County, Massachusetts

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Washington County, Rhode Island, United States

County seat: South Kingstown

Towns|

* Charlestown
* Exeter
* Hopkinton
* Narragansett
* New Shoreham
* North Kingstown
* Richmond
* South Kingstown
* Westerly

Map of Rhode Island highlighting Washington County

CDPs|

* Ashaway
* Bradford
* Carolina
* Charlestown
* Hope Valley
* Hopkinton
* Kingston
* Misquamicut
* Narragansett Pier
* Quonochontaug
* Wakefield-Peacedale
* Watch Hill
* Weekapaug
* Westerly
* Wyoming

Other
villages|

* Alton
* Arcadia
* Barberville
* Burdickville
* Canonchet
* Centerville-Moscow
* Davisville
* Galilee
* Jerusalem
* Kenyon
* Locustville
* Matunuck
* Peace Dale
* Point Judith
* Rockville
* Saunderstown
* Slocum
* Usquepaug
* Wakefield
* West Kingston
* Wickford
* Wood River Junction
* Woodville

Indian reservation|

* Narragansett reservation

* Rhode Island portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Rhode Island

Providence (capital)

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Regions|

| Counties|

* Bristol
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|

Geographic|

* Blackstone Valley
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Historic|

* Rhode Island
* Providence Plantations

Cities|

* Central Falls
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* Newport
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Towns|

* Barrington
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* Burrillville
* Charlestown
* Coventry
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* Exeter
* Foster
* Glocester
* Hopkinton
* Jamestown
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* Middletown
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* New Shoreham (Block Island)
* North Kingstown
* North Providence
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* Westerly

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