The Pawcatuck River flows on the western border of Westerly, and was once renowned for its own species of Westerly salmon, three of which are displayed on the town's official seal. The Pawcatuck River flows from 15mi (24km) inland, emptying into Little Narragansett Bay. It also serves as the boundary between Westerly and Pawcatuck, Connecticut. Three large salt ponds lie along the coast of Westerly which serve as shallow, reef-like pools whose outer walls form the long, white beaches for which the town is renowned, such as the Misquamicut State Beach. From west to east, these ponds are Maschaug Pond, Winnapaug Pond, and Quonochontaug Pond.
Westerly becomes a notable tourist destination during the summer months when the population nearly doubles.[4] Its well-known beaches include Weekapaug Beach, Westerly Town Beach, Misquamicut State Beach, East Beach, and Watch Hill Beach. The Town of Westerly was known historically for local important granite mining and stone-cutting industry, which ran until the quarries stopped operating in the 1950s.[5]
1877 panoramic map of Westerly with list of sights
Westerly, R.I. prior to English colonization was known as Misquamicut, home to the Narragansett people prior to 1637, before the English had build an outpost, and forced the Narragansett people out of the region by 1661, allowing for the permanent settlement on the coast line.[6]
The English village was the home of Elder John Crandall (c.1618–1676), one of Westerly's founding fathers. Crandall settled in Westerly in 1661, and the early history of Westerly contains many references to him and his sons. In 1669, Westerly was named for the settlement's location respective to Rhode Island's geography, being the westernmost town in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.[citation needed] On May 18, 1669, the newly founded Town of Westerly in the southwest portion of the colony would host its first official town meeting with four elected officers to manage the town, alongside a town clerk.[7]
In 1738, the Town of Charlestown was partitioned off from Westerly, and 19 years later Hopkinton was also partitioned off from Westerly, leaving Westerly in its modern borders. Bradford, a village built in 1732, following the partition of Hopkinton remained shared between both Hopkinton and Westerly with the Bradford Village Historic District.
Physician, American Revolution general, and Rhode Island Supreme Court justice Dr. Joshua Babcock was born in Westerly. Rhode Island Governor and Chief Justice Samuel Ward also lived here for many years. During the American Revolution, Westerly did not play any major battles compared to the nearby Battle of Newport, which happened in Rhode Island. Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Ward Jr was a resident of Westerly, Rhode Island, commanding the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, the only black regiment in the Continental Army, and its important role in the Revolutionary War’sBattle of Rhode Island. [8]
In 1834, the Crumb Quarry, began operations, the first quarry in Westerly, to produce Westerly White and Blue granite.[9]
The Westerly area was known for its historically important (1870-1950s)[5]granite mining[10] and stone-cutting industry,[11][12] which quarried a unique stone known as Westerly granite.[13] This pinkish granite is ideal for statuary and has been used in numerous government buildings of several states on the eastern seaboard.[14] Its quarries produced blue granite, in addition to pinks and reds. The Smith Granite Company employed many granite cutting craftsmen and was one of the town's major employers until the quarries stopped operating in the 1950s. Hundreds of examples of their work can be seen on the battlefields of Gettysburg and in city squares, municipal buildings, cemeteries throughout the United States, and even the Georgia State Capitol.
The four trolley lines of the Groton and Stonington Street Railway, Norwich and Westerly Railway, Pawtucket Valley Street Railway, and the Ashaway and Westerly Railway converged in Westerly and shared track between the railroad station and Dixon House Square downtown. The lines were built in the 1890s and 1900s and ran until the 1920s.
Recent history (1900s−present)
In 1912, the Westerly Town Hall and Courthouse was built, designed by William Walker & Son in the Academic Revival style, replacing the old town hall. Following the new town halls creation, the district of Pleasant View would be renamed to the Misquamicut in 1928, the original native name of the Westerly region, nearly 260 years after the Town of Westerly was founded.
Westerly in 1938 would be struck by the 1938 New England Hurricane, causing severe damage, with the village of Napatree Point being completely destroyed, with buildings being sent into Little Narragansett Bay, and Sandy Point being disconnected from the rest of Napatree to where it remains today.[15] Misquamicut, Galilee, Jerusalem, Green Hill, and Quonochontaug being heavily destroyed, and a storm surge of 12 to 15ft tall along the coast of Rhode Island.[16][17] Many factories, mines, houses, and more structures collapsed during the hurricane, and the New Haven and Hartford Railroad was damaged, shutting down transport to Westerly, RI. Following this, Westerly would be struck again 6 years later in 1944, and again in 1954 by major hurricanes.
In 1966, the Guild Guitar Company, founded in 1952 by Alfred Dronge in New York City, moved production to Westerly, and continued to make their well-respected archtop, acoustic, and solid body guitars there. The Westerly Town Charter, which approved the right to maintain and preserve self-government to the Town of Westerly was approved by the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations on November 5, 1968, and become effective July 1, 1969.[18]
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy left beaches along the Westerly shoreline devastated and nearly unrecognizable, including Misquamicut. Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee stated that Misquamicut was "our New Jersey," referring to the amount of damage that was received in the State of New Jersey.[19] The damages caused by Hurricane Sandy caused $11.3 million dollars in damages,[20] with almost 100,000 power outages reported in Rhode Island.
In December of 2019, a shooting happened at the Babcock Village, in which three women ended up shot. The police identified the shooter, and two surviving victims. The shooting was done by 66-year old Joseph Giachello, who was found dead in his room after taking the life of 47-year old Julie Cardinal, the manager of the complex.[21] During this shooting, all the schools in Westerly managed by Westerly Public Schools were put into lockdown, although Westerly Public Schools stated: “there is no verifiable threat to any of the buildings.”[22]
On March 28, 2020, the Governor of Rhode Island had issued a lockdown of the entire State of Rhode Island. The Town of Westerly in response cancelled any town council meetings with only few exceptions, and urged residents to use online and mail services.[23] All schools would initially be ordered to remain closed until April 3, 2020, to set up distance learning for all the students.
In August of 2021, Tropical Storm Henri made landfall in Westerly, causing significant damage and power outages. Following Henri’s impacts, in November 2021, three tornadoes were confirmed in Rhode Island, the first being an EF-1 tornado which went from Stonington, Connecticut to Westerly.[24]
In January 4, 2022, the Westerly Public Schools system had reopened with mask policies still in place in place and extended quarantine times for those who got sick, but many still had remained home due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[25]
Aftermath of the Covid Pandemic
Following the covid pandemic, in September of 2024, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management announced that samples of the West Nile virus had been collected within Westerly and East Providence, found in five of the 114 samples statewide. During the samples, no samples of Eastern equine encephalitis had been detected, with only one case in the entire state.[26]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 74.8 square miles (194km2), of which 30.1 square miles (78km2) is land and 44.7 square miles (116km2) (59.78%) is water. The Bureau includes Westerly in the RI-MA Providence metropolitan area (defined at the county level) but in the CT-RI Norwich-New London NECTA (defined at the municipal level).
Geology
Westerly sits atop a glacial moraine, a series of small hills of debris left behind by receding glaciers in the last Ice Age. A pristine sample of the moraine encompasses a 140-acre (0.57km2) preserve owned in perpetuity by the Westerly Land Trust. Within the trust land are the rare kettle formations that extend out under the sea to Block Island.
Climate
Westerly has a humid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa), defined as having a mean monthly temperature between 0 and 18°C (32 and 64°F) in the coldest month and at least 22°C (72°F) in the warmest month. Annually, Westerly has a long warm/hot season from April to mid-November, and a cool/cold season from late November through March. Westerly averages 2300 hours of sunshine annually (higher than the USA average), and receives about 1,087mm (42.8in) of precipitation annually.
Climate data for Westerly, Rhode Island (Westerly State Airport) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1999–present
Westerly consists of a number of small villages. Downtown Westerly on the Pawcatuck River is the municipal seat of the area, with the old town post office, library, YMCA, railroad station, former police headquarters (the current headquarters is located on Airport Road), granite buildings, and Wilcox Park.
Other villages include Avondale, with antique colonial-style and Queen Anne-style homes; Bradford, with its own post office and postal code; Dunn's Corners; Mastuxet; Misquamicut, a beachfront community with small amounts of nightlife and several hotels; Potter Hill, where the Town Forest is located; Shelter Harbor; Watch Hill, with beaches and summer cottages; Weekapaug; White Rock; and Winnapaug, with public golf courses.
The town holds a number of annual events, such as the Pawcatuck River Duck Race in April, Virtu Art Festival in May, Shakespeare in the Park and the Summer Pops (hosted by the Chorus of Westerly) in June, and Riverglow in July. In recent years, the Westerly-Pawcatuck Chamber of Commerce's events have attracted many visitors, including big screen movies on the beach through July and August, Westerly's Columbus Day parade in October, and several beachfront events. Also, the Westerly-Pawcatuck Veterans Board of Control hold two of the oldest parades in the United States. The Memorial Day Parade started in 1867, held in May on Memorial Day, and the Veterans Day Parade started in 1917, held in November on the Saturday of Veterans Day week.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 22,966 people, 9,402 households, and 6,130 families residing in the town. The population density was 763.3 inhabitants per square mile (294.7/km2). There were 11,292 housing units at an average density of 375.3 unitsper square mile (144.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.17% White, 0.71% Black or African American, 0.57% Native American, 1.99% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.18% of the population.
There were 9,402 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. Of all households, 29.0% were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $44,613, and the median income for a family was $53,165. Males had a median income of $37,887 versus $26,800 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,092. About 4.3% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
The most frequent ancestries among the town's population are Italian (34.2%), Irish (17.9%) and English (14.2%). Many Italians moved to Westerly from Italy around the start of the 20th century, a majority from Sicily and Calabria, with Italian dialects still being spoken at the homes of many older residents in the town.
Economy
Located within the Town of Westerly are two regional banks headquartered in the town, including Washington Trust Bancorp Inc., a publicly traded regional bank with operations in Rhode Island and Connecticut, and the Westerly Community Credit Union.[31]
The main school system of Westerly is Westerly Public Schools, including the Westerly High School, the Westerly Middle School, Westerly High School Career and Tech (WHS-CTE), and the local elementary schools, State Street Elementary School, Springbrook Elementary School, and Dunn’s Corners Elementary School.[32]
According to USnews, the Westerly High School ranked #2,806 across the entire United States, and 12th within the State of Rhode Island.[33] Westerly High School hosts a RIDE-certified pathways in its career and technical school branch, the WHS-CTE, offering technical education in different fields.[34] Westerly High School, along with other Rhode Island High Schools such as Chariho Regional High School, participates in SkillsUSA.
Media
Local media sources in Westerly include the daily newspaper company, The Westerly Sun, a daily newspaper with its weekly subdivision The Express, and two local radio stations, being WBLQ (AM) and WVEI-FM. The Westerly Sun is the biggest source of media local to the Town of Westerly, spreading across other towns in Washington County, Rhode Island and into the State of Connecticut.
Government
Hierarchy chart of the Town of Westerly according to 2014 Financial Report.
Westerly has a mayor–council government system, which the mayor is called the council president.[36] The current mayor is William J. Aiello since 2022.[37] The Town of Westerly has other positions, including the school committee, and administration, with town manager being Shawn Lacey.[38] Terms of the local council, senator and representative in the Rhode Island General Assembly last two-years, and school committee officials having four-year terms.[37]
Town Charter and Town Council
Town Council Meeting Room inside of the Westerly Town Hall, with the town seal present on the conference table.
Since 1969, the Town of Westerly has held a charter approved by Rhode Island, structuring the towns government, and allowing autonomy. The town has to abide by state law, but by the town charter can enforce its own laws and policies. Article V, Chapter 1 of the charter defines the amount of people who are on the town council. The charter sets the hierarchy of the town government, and allowing town agencies to function similarly to the way department agencies to the United States of to the State of Rhode Island function.[18]
The charter defines the powers of positions, and to what those in power can and cannot do. The Westerly School Committee and Westerly Town Council play a role in town finances and structure, both holding legal power.
Public safety
Westerly has a set budget of $102 million for the Westerly Police Department in the 2024–2025 fiscal budget.[40] Westerly, RI has a general crime rate of 10 per 1000 residents, with most crime happening in Downtown Westerly, and along the coast.[41] Westerly has a total crime rate that is 59% lower than the national average per 100,000 residents.[42]
Westerly is marked as one of the safest towns within the entirety of the United States, with 68 violent incidents per 100,000 residents. In total, there are 0.62 daily crimes (0.04 violent daily crimes and 0.57 daily property crimes) in the town of Westerly.[42]
Charlestown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 7,997 at the 2020 census.
Hopkinton is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island. The population was 8,398 at the 2020 census.
Richmond is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. 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.
The Narragansett Council of Scouting America serves all of the state of Rhode Island and some of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Its several camps include Camp Yawgoog, Champlin Scout Reservation, and Camp Norse.
The Pawcatuck River is a river in the US states of Rhode Island and Connecticut flowing approximately 34 miles (55 km). There are eight dams along the river's length. USS Pawcatuck was named after the river.
The Southeastern Connecticut region comprises, as the name suggests, the southeastern corner of the state of Connecticut. It is sometimes referred to as New London County or by the tourist slogan Mystic and More.
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.
Watch Hill is an affluent coastal neighborhood and census-designated place in the town of Westerly, Rhode Island. The population was 154 at the 2010 census. It sits at the most-southwestern point in Rhode Island. It came to prominence in the late 19th and early 20th century as an exclusive summer resort, with wealthy families building sprawling Victorian-style "cottages" along the peninsula. Watch Hill is characterized by The New York Times as a community "with a strong sense of privacy and of discreetly used wealth," in contrast with "the overpowering castles of the very rich" in nearby Newport.
The New York, Providence and Boston Railroad, normally called the Stonington Line, was a major part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad between New London, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island. It is now part of Amtrak's high-speed Northeast Corridor.
Little Narragansett Bay is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean and an estuary of the Pawcatuck River on the Rhode Island–Connecticut state line. It is sheltered by the curving peninsula of Napatree Point.
Misquamicut State Beach is a seaside public recreation area in the town of Westerly, Rhode Island. It occupies a portion of Misquamicut Beach, a 3-mile-long (4.8 km) barrier island that extends westward from Weekapaug to Watch Hill and separates Winnapaug Pond from the Atlantic Ocean. The state beach covers 51 acres (21 ha) and features a large beach pavilion with multiple public facilities.
Sun Publishing Company is a daily and weekly newspaper publisher in southwest Rhode Island and southeast Connecticut, United States. It is a Westerly, Rhode Island–based subsidiary of RISN Operations.
The Wood River is a river in the U.S. states of Connecticut and Rhode Island. It flows approximately 25 miles (40 km) and is a major tributary of the Pawcatuck River. There are eight dams along the river's length.
The Ashaway River is a river in the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Connecticut. It flows approximately 4 km (2 mi). There are three dams along the river's length.
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.
Napatree Point in Rhode Island, often referred to simply as Napatree, is a long sandy spit created by a geologic process called longshore drift. Up until the Hurricane of 1938, Napatree was sickle-shaped and included a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long northern extension called Sandy Point. Napatree now extends 1.5 miles (2.4 km) westward from the business district of Watch Hill, a village in Westerly, Rhode Island forming a protected harbor. It is the southernmost and westernmost point of mainland Rhode Island.
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.
Tobias Saunders was a Deputy to the Rhode Island General Assembly, a Conservator of the Peace and a founding settler of Westerly, Rhode Island.
Misquamicut is a census-designated place and fire district in southern Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. It is part of the town of Westerly. The population was listed as 390 in the 2010 census.
The Norwich and Westerly Railway was an interurban trolley system that operated in Southeastern Connecticut during the early part of the 20th century. It operated a 21-mile line through rural territory in Norwich, Preston, Ledyard, North Stonington, and Pawcatuck, Connecticut to Westerly, Rhode Island between 1906 and 1922. For most of its length, the route paralleled what is now Connecticut Route 2.
↑ "Station: Westerly State AP, RI". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
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