Johnston, Rhode Island
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Johnston is a
town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Providence County Providence County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence County contains the city of Providence, the state cap ...
,
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
, United States. The population was 29,568 at the 2020 census. Johnston is the site of the Clemence Irons House (1691), a stone-ender museum, and the only landfill in Rhode Island. Incorporated on March 6, 1759, Johnston was named for the colonial attorney general, Augustus Johnston.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the town has a total area of . of it is land and (2.91%) is water.


Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods in Johnston:
Winsor Hill Winsor may refer to: Places * Winsor, Hampshire, England * Winsor, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada * Winsor Township (disambiguation), United States People * Winsor (surname) * Winsor Harmon (born 1963), American actor best known for his ro ...
, Thornton (includes part of Cranston), Graniteville,
Hughesdale Hughesdale may refer to: * Hughesdale, Victoria, Australia; a suburb of Melbourne * Hughesdale railway station, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia * Hughesdale, Rhode Island, USA; a neighborhood of Johnston See also * * Hughes (disambiguation) * H ...
, Morgan Mills, Manton, Simmonsville, Pocasset, West End, Belknap, and Frog City.


History

The area was first settled by
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
settlers in the seventeenth century as a farming community. In 1759 the town officially separated from Providence and was incorporated on March 6, 1759. Johnston was named for the current colonial attorney general, Augustus Johnston, who was later burned in effigy during the Stamp Act protests in 1765 and then fled Rhode Island as a Tory during the American Revolution in 1779. The first house of worship in Johnston opened when the Baptist Meeting House in Belknap was constructed in 1771. During the American Revolution Rhode Island's only gunpowder mill was constructed in Graniteville, and the town hosted American General John Sullivan for a dinner in 1779 upon his departure from Rhode Island to fight in New York. In 1790 the
Belknap School Belknap School (also known as the District No. 8 School House) is a historic former school house at 509 Greenville Avenue in the Belknap village of Johnston, Rhode Island. The first school on the site was built in 1790 and was the first school ...
, the first public school in the town, was founded. In 1791 the Providence and Norwich Turnpike (today's Plainfield Pike) was chartered.


Demographics

At the 2000
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
, there were 28,195 people, 11,197 households and 7,725 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 11,574 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.66%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
especially Italian Americans (46.7%), 0.65%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.13% Native American, 1.08%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.05%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.55% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.88% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.89% of the population. There were 11,197 households, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.02. Age distribution was 20.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males. The
median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways o ...
was $43,514, and the median family income was $54,837. Males had a median income of $40,210 versus $29,314 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the town was $21,440. About 6.8% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over. In 2000, 46.7% of Johnston residents identified themselves as being of
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
heritage. This was the highest percentage of Italian Americans of any municipality in the country.


Government

The town is governed by a mayor (currently Joe Polisena) and a five-member town council. Johnston is policed by the Johnston Police Department.


Education

The Johnston Public School System has four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Johnston Senior High School is a 2005 Rhode Island Department of Education Regents' Commended School. In 2008, the Johnston School Committee decided to close both Graniteville and Calef Elementary schools. Students affected by the closures were transferred to Brown Avenue Elementary School and Winsor Hill Elementary School. This decision was not without controversy, as school officials, parents and teachers complained of inadequate staffing, increased neighborhood traffic and lack of attention for special-needs students.


Media

Johnston has one local weekly newspaper, the ''Johnston Sun Rise.'' The paper is complimentary, and can be found in many Johnston businesses.
WJAR WJAR (channel 10) is a television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station has studios on Kenney Drive in Cranston, Rhode Island (shared with Telemundo owned-and-ope ...
NBC News Channel 10 broadcasts in Rhode Island and
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. The news station is set in Cranston, Rhode Island.
WLNE-TV WLNE-TV (channel 6) is a television station licensed to New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Providence, Rhode Island area. The station is owned by Standard Media, and maintains studios in the Orms ...
ABC 6 Rhode Island News Channel broadcasts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
WPRI-TV WPRI-TV (channel 12) is a television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to dual Fox/ CW affiliate WNAC-TV (channel 64) ...
12 Fox 64 Providence Eyewitness News Channel broadcasts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. New England Cable News channel ("NECN") is a cable news station based in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
which covers all of New England's news.


Economy

Insurance company
FM Global FM Global is an American mutual insurance company based in Johnston, Rhode Island, United States, with offices worldwide, that specializes in loss prevention services primarily to large corporations throughout the world in the ''Highly Protecte ...
is based in Johnston. In 2018, Providence-based Citizens Bank opened a $285 million corporate campus in the town. The project encompasses 425,000 square feet and employs around 3,000 people. Announced in March of 2020,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
-based grocer
Market Basket (New England) DeMoulas Super Markets, Inc., under the trade name Market Basket, is a chain of 90 supermarkets in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island in the United States, with headquarters in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. From 1990 through lat ...
will open its first Rhode Island store in the town of Johnston. As of July 19, 2020, a grand opening date has not yet been set. The opening will create 350 local jobs.


Notable people

*
Noel Acciari Noel Acciari (born December 1, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey center for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Amateur As a youth, Acciari played in the 2004 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tou ...
, hockey player with the Florida Panthers organization *
Amanda Clayton Amanda Clayton (born October 24, 1981) is an American actress, best known for her role as Alex Montgomery in the Oprah Winfrey Network prime time soap opera, ''If Loving You Is Wrong''. Life and career Clayton was born in Johnston, Rhode Island. ...
, actress, graduate of Johnston Senior High School *
Paul DelVecchio Paul Michael DelVecchio Jr. (born July 5, 1980), known as Pauly D and DJ Pauly D, is an American television personality and DJ. He is best known for being a cast member of MTV's reality show '' Jersey Shore''. In 2011, he made a three-album d ...
(a.k.a. Pauly D); DJ, reality TV personality ('' Jersey Shore''); graduate of Johnston Senior High School * Mat Franco, magician *
Samuel Ward King Samuel Ward King (May 23, 1786 – January 20, 1851) was the 15th Governor of Rhode Island from 1839 to 1843. King was born in Johnston, Providence County, Rhode Island, to William Borden King and Welthian Walton. He attended Brown Universit ...
, 15th
Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...
; enacted laws that led to the
Dorr Rebellion The Dorr Rebellion (1841–1842) (also referred to as Dorr's Rebellion, Dorr's War or Dorr War) was an attempt by disenfranchised residents to force broader democracy in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, where a small rural elite was in control of ...
; born in Johnston *
Lou Lamoriello Louis P. Lamoriello (born October 21, 1942) is an American professional ice hockey executive who is the president of hockey operations and general manager for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is also the former ge ...
, former general manager of the New Jersey Devils and the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
. Now with the New York Islanders of the
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
; born in Johnston * Gregory Marchand, gynecologic surgeon * Mario Mendez, member of the
Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected ...
* Joe Polisena,
Rhode Island state senator The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of ...
; mayor of Johnston *
Joey Spina Joey Spina (born August 12, 1977) is an American former professional boxer. Joey Spina is a former IBF Inter-Continental Super Middleweight champion and WBC United States (USNBC) Super Middleweight champion. Spina won the WBC United States (US ...
, professional boxer *
Joe Mazzulla Joseph Mazzulla (born June 30, 1988) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for West Virginia University. High school ...
, head coach for the Boston Celtics * Jeffrey Graham, engineer at NASA, graduate of Johnston Senior High School


Sister cities

*
Panni, Apulia Panni (Irpino: ) is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. Geography The town of Panni is located on the top of Monte Sario (Mount Sirius), at 801 m a.s.l. in the Daunian Mountains. The municip ...
, Italy


References


External links


Town of Johnston, Rhode Island Official website

''Johnston Sunrise'' newspaper Official website
{{authority control Italian-American culture in Rhode Island Little Italys in the United States Providence metropolitan area Towns in Providence County, Rhode Island Towns in Rhode Island