Charlestown, Rhode Island | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 41°23′7″N71°40′5″W / 41.38528°N 71.66806°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Rhode Island |
County | Washington |
Government | |
• Town Council [1] | Deborah A. Carney Cody W. Clarkin Susan J. Cooper Grace F. Klinger Bonnita B. Van Slyke |
• Town Moderator [2] | Charles W. Beck |
Area | |
• Total | 59.3 sq mi (153.6 km2) |
• Land | 36.8 sq mi (95.4 km2) |
• Water | 22.5 sq mi (58.1 km2) |
Elevation | 59 ft (18 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,997 |
• Density | 217/sq mi (83.8/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 02813 |
Area code | 401 |
FIPS code | 44-44009 [3] |
GNIS feature ID | 1220080 [4] |
Website | charlestownri |
Charlestown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 7,997 at the 2020 census.
Charlestown is named after King Charles II, and was incorporated in 1738. The area was formerly part of the town of Westerly. It was in turn divided and the part north of the Pawcatuck River became the town of Richmond in 1747.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 59.3 square miles (154 km2), of which, 36.8 square miles (95 km2) of it is land and 22.5 square miles (58 km2) of it (37.86%) is water.
The town is bordered by Westerly on the west; Richmond on the north; and Hopkinton on the northwest; and South Kingstown on the east. The village of Charlestown is in the southeast part of the town, Quonochontaug is in the southwest, and Carolina is on the northern border of the town.
In 2011, Charlestown became the first municipality in the United States to pass a ban on any size or type of electricity-generating wind turbines. The sweeping prohibition applies to large commercial as well as smaller residential turbines. [5] This temporary measure was in order to draft a new ordinance providing for small turbines but prohibiting commercial turbines. Residential Wind Energy Facilities. [Amended 3-14-2011 by Ord. No. 338; 9-12-2011 by Ord. No. 341; 11-14-2011 by Ord. No. 344] Purpose. The purpose of this section is to provide for the construction and operation of wind energy facilities as accessory uses and structures for residential and agricultural uses, and to provide standards that address public health, safety and welfare in the placement, design, construction, monitoring, modification and removal of wind energy facilities and minimize negative impacts on scenic, natural and historic resources of the town.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 2,022 | — | |
1800 | 1,454 | −28.1% | |
1810 | 1,174 | −19.3% | |
1820 | 1,160 | −1.2% | |
1830 | 1,284 | 10.7% | |
1840 | 923 | −28.1% | |
1850 | 994 | 7.7% | |
1860 | 981 | −1.3% | |
1870 | 1,119 | 14.1% | |
1880 | 1,117 | −0.2% | |
1890 | 915 | −18.1% | |
1900 | 975 | 6.6% | |
1910 | 1,037 | 6.4% | |
1920 | 759 | −26.8% | |
1930 | 1,118 | 47.3% | |
1940 | 1,199 | 7.2% | |
1950 | 1,598 | 33.3% | |
1960 | 1,966 | 23.0% | |
1970 | 2,863 | 45.6% | |
1980 | 4,800 | 67.7% | |
1990 | 6,478 | 35.0% | |
2000 | 7,859 | 21.3% | |
2010 | 7,827 | −0.4% | |
2020 | 7,997 | 2.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [6] [7] |
As of the census [3] of 2000, there were 7,859 people, 3,178 households, and 2,278 families residing in the town. The population density was 213.3 inhabitants per square mile (82.4/km2). There were 4,797 housing units at an average density of 130.2 per square mile (50.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.26% White, 0.38% African American, 1.26% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population.
There were 3,178 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,491, and the median income for a family was $56,866. Males had a median income of $40,616 versus $29,474 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,642. About 3.0% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
Students in Charlestown are part of the Chariho Regional School District.
The town government is directed by a 5-member town council that is headed by a council president. [8] For the purpose of school administration, Charlestown is a member town of the Chariho Regional School District along with the neighboring towns of Richmond and Hopkinton.
Charlestown is the headquarters for the Narragansett Indian Tribe and the location of their reservation. [9]
Charlestown is served by the Charlestown Police Department. The Chief of Police is Col. Michael J. Paliotta. [10] CPD is staffed by 20 sworn police officers and five full-time civilian employees. The CPD full-time staff is supplemented with seven part-time sworn special police officers, fourteen non-sworn traffic constables and several additional part-time administrative personnel. CPD is accredited by the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission (RIPAC), receiving its initial accreditation in 2017.
Between the early 1900s and the mid-1970s, Charlestown had no organized full-time police department and relied solely on a part-time Chief of Police and a few appointed constables. The Town's first Chief of Police was Chief Robert P. Day circa 1912. Since Chief Day, ten others have held the position.[ citation needed ]
Ninigret Park, the former site of Naval Auxiliary Air Station Charlestown, is in Charlestown. It is now an extremely popular place for recreational sports games including a small beachfront, a bike track, sporting fields, and tennis courts. Along with these features, the park also contains the Frosty Drew Nature Center & Observatory. [11] Ninigret Park is also used for the majority of large events occurring within the town of Charlestown including the Charlestown Seafood Festival, the Big Apple Circus and the Rhythm And Roots music festival.
Charlestown contains several beaches that are frequently described as "the best kept secret in Rhode Island." Miles of secluded, unspoiled, sandy beaches offer visitors a chance to enjoy many outdoor activities or just some relaxation under the sun. [12] Some of these beaches include town operated areas such as "Blue Shutters Town Beach" and "Charlestown Town Beach" and other are state managed areas including "East Beach State Beach" and "Charlestown Breachway State Beach."
Burlingame State Park and Campground is entirely contained inside the town of Charlestown. The campground is 3,100 acres of rocky woodland that surrounds Watchaug Pond in Charlestown. Activities at the park include 755 campsites, fishing, swimming, picnicking, boating and hiking. The area north of Buckeye Brook Road, abutting the Pawcatuck River, is primarily a hunting area. [13]
The Charlestown, RI Chamber of Commerce holds an annual seafood and lobster festival in the first week of August. Local businesses and vendors set up booths for various seafood based events. [14] The Seafood Festival has been named one of the Top 100 Events in America by the American Tour Bus Association in 1988, 1996 and 2008. [15]
Warren is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 11,147 at the 2020 census.
Jamestown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island in the United States. The population was 5,559 at the 2020 census. Jamestown is situated almost entirely on Conanicut Island, the second largest island in Narragansett Bay. It also includes the uninhabited Dutch Island and Gould Island.
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls and Lincoln to the north, and North Providence to the west. The city also borders the Massachusetts municipalities of Seekonk and Attleboro.
Hopkinton is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island. The population was 8,398 at the 2020 census.
Narragansett is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 14,532 at the 2020 census. However, during the summer months the town's population more than doubles to near 34,000. The town of Narragansett occupies a narrow strip of land running along the eastern bank of the Pettaquamscutt River to the shore of Narragansett Bay. It was separated from South Kingstown in 1888 and incorporated as a town in 1901.
North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and is part of the Providence metropolitan area. The population was 27,732 in the 2020 census. North Kingstown is home to the birthplace of American portraitist Gilbert Stuart, who was born in the village of Saunderstown. Within the town is Quonset Point, location of the former Naval Air Station Quonset Point, known for the invention of the Quonset hut, as well as the historic village of Wickford.
Richmond is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island. The population was 8,020 at the 2020 census. It contains the villages of Alton, Arcadia, Barberville, Carolina, Hillsdale, Kenyon, Shannock, Tug Hollow, Usquepaug, Wood River Junction, Woodville, and Wyoming. Students in Richmond are part of the Chariho Regional School District.
South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind New Shoreham, and the third largest town in Rhode Island by geographic land area, behind Exeter and Coventry.
Westerly is a town on the southwestern coastline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a population of 23,359 as of the 2020 census.
The Narragansett people are an Algonquian American Indian tribe from Rhode Island. Today, Narragansett people are enrolled in the federally recognized Narragansett Indian Tribe. They gained federal recognition in 1983.
Route 1A, largely signed as Scenic 1A, is a 33.3-mile (53.6 km) long numbered state highway located in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The route, which parallels U.S. Route 1 for its entire length, has four distinct sections connected by US 1, two of which require median u-turn ramps to cross US 1. It travels through five towns in Washington County: Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown, Narragansett, and North Kingstown.
U.S. Route 1 (US 1) is a major north–south U.S. Route through the U.S. state of Rhode Island, specifically within the Providence metropolitan area. Staying close to the Atlantic Ocean and Narragansett Bay, it is a longer route than Interstate 95 (I-95), and many portions are a four-lane divided highway.
Fort Ninigret is a historic fort and trading post site at Fort Neck Road in Charlestown, Rhode Island, built and occupied by European settlers in the seventeenth century. At its 1883 dedication, Commissioner George Carmichael, Jr. referred to it as "the oldest military post on the Atlantic coast."
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. Rhode Island counties have no governmental functions other than as court administrative boundaries, which are part of the state government.
Galilee is a fishing village on Point Judith within the town of Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA, and is notable for being home to the largest fishing fleet in Rhode Island and for being the site of the Block Island Ferry. The village is directly across the harbor from Jerusalem, Rhode Island. Galilee, Rhode Island is named after the Biblical Galilee, which was the original home region of Jesus Christ, who grew up in Nazareth, a village in the Galilee region of Israel on the Sea of Galilee. Four of Jesus' disciples, Andrew, Peter, James and John, were fishermen from Galilee.
Misquamicut is a census-designated place and fire district in southern Washington County, Rhode Island. It is part of the town of Westerly. The population was listed as 390 in 2010.
Charlestown Breachway State Beach is a seaside public recreation area on Block Island Sound in the town of Charlestown, Rhode Island. It is located on the east side of the manmade channel that connects Ninigret Pond with the Atlantic Ocean.
East Beach or East State Beach is a seaside public recreation area on Quonochontaug Neck, the narrow barrier island that separates Block Island Sound and Ninigret Pond, in the town of Charlestown, Rhode Island, United States. The state beach encompasses three miles (4.8 km) of oceanfront and abuts Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge.
Wind power in Rhode Island is in the early stages of development. There are several small scale wind turbine projects in the state. As of December 2013 there were 11 turbines at 10 sites in the state. In 2014, Rhode Island had 9 MW of installed wind power capacity, which quickly rose to 75 MW in 2019.
Charlestown is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, comprising the main village in the town of Charlestown and additional land extending to the east into the town of South Kingstown. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census.