Washington County, Rhode Island

Washington County, Rhode Island Map
Location in the state of Rhode Island
Rhode Island's location in the U.S.Statistics Founded 1729 Seat Wakefield Area
- Total
- Land
- Water
563 sq mi(1,458 km²)
333 sq mi (862 km²)
230 sq mi (596 km²), 40.87% Population
- (2000)
- Density
123,546
370/sq mi (143/km²)

Washington County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Washington County borders Kent County to the north, New London County in Connecticut to the west, Suffolk County in New York to the southwest and Newport County, Rhode Island to the east. As of 2000, the population was 123,546.

Originally named King's County and changed to its present name in 1781, the county is usually known within the state as South County.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Cities, towns, and villages*
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 563 square miles (1,458 km²), of which, 333 square miles (862 km²) of it is land and 230 square miles (596 km²) of it (40.87%) is water.

Refuse scattered around Washington County's highest point

The county's topography ranges from flat along the shoreline to gently rolling hills further inland. The highest point is a large area approximately 560 feet (171 m) in the Exeter neighborhood of Black Plain[1]; the lowest point is sea level along the coast.

Demographics

The region of southern Rhode Island that encompasses Washington County today was the subject of conflicting land claims by the late 1650s. The English colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut and Rhode Island as well as two different land companies claimed jurisdiction and title. In 1664 a royal commission under Charles II stepped in to adjudicate these conflicting land claims over the so-called Narragansett Country. The commission extinguished the claims of Massachusetts, and Rhode Island was granted jusrisdiction until the commission finished processing Connecticut's appeals, which weren't ended until 1726. Settlements of King's Province were named to reflect the English Restoration (like Charleston County, South Carolina), because King Charles II of England also finalized Rhode Island's charter.

As of the census [2] of 2000, there were 123,546 people, 46,907 households, and 32,037 families residing in the county. The population density was 371 people per square mile (143/km²). There were 56,816 housing units at an average density of 171 per square mile (66/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.82% White, 0.92% Black or African American, 0.93% Native American, 1.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.2% were of Italian, 18.5% Irish, 14.7% English, 6.7% French and 5.8% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 92.8% spoke English, 1.8% Spanish and 1.6% Italian as their first language.

There were 46,907 households out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.40% under the age of 18, 11.20% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,103, and the median income for a family was $64,112. Males had a median income of $43,956 versus $30,659 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,530. About 4.20% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.40% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities, towns, and villages*

Map of Washington County, Rhode Island showing cities, towns, and CDPs

Charlestown
Exeter
Hopkinton
- Ashaway (a village of Hopkinton)
- Hope Valley (a village of Hopkinton)
Narragansett
- Narragansett Pier (a village of Narragansett)
New Shoreham (coextensive with Block Island)
North Kingstown
- Wickford (a village of North Kingstown)
- Saunderstown (a village of North Kingstown)
Richmond
South Kingstown
- Kingston (a village of South Kingstown)
- Peacedale (a village of South Kingstown)
- Wakefield (a village of South Kingstown)
Westerly
- Bradford (a village of Westerly)