Washington County, Rhode Island

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

Washington County
County
Former Washington County Courthouse in West Kingston
Show Washington County Show Rhode Island Show the United States
Coordinates: 41°23′N71°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;295 years ago (1729-06-03)
Named for	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

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

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

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

Major highways

• 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

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

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

Towns

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

Census-designated places

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

Other villages

• 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

Politics

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

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

References

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. "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″N71°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. "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.