Newport is an American seaside city on
Aquidneck Island in
Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in
Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of
Providence, south of
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state.
Located along the eastern shore of Mount ...
, south of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
, and northeast of New York City. It is known as a
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...
summer resort and is famous for its historic
mansions and its rich
sailing history.
It was the location of the first U.S. Open tournaments in both
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...
and
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
, as well as every challenge to the
America's Cup between 1930 and 1983. It is also the home of
Salve Regina University and
Naval Station Newport, which houses the United States
Naval War College, the
Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and an important Navy training center. It was a major 18th-century port city and boasts many buildings from the
Colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 a ...
era.
The city is the county seat of
Newport County, which has no governmental functions other than court administrative and sheriff corrections boundaries. It was known for being the location of the "
Summer White Houses" during the administrations of presidents
Dwight D. Eisenhower and
John F. Kennedy. The population was 25,163 at the
2020 census.
History
Colonial period
Newport was founded in 1639 on
Aquidneck Island, another name given to
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 i ...
. Its eight founders and first officers were
Nicholas Easton,
William Coddington,
John Clarke,
John Coggeshall,
William Brenton,
Jeremy Clark
Jeremy Terrell Clark (born September 6, 1983) is a former American football defensive end. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at the Alabama.
Clark has also been a member of ...
,
Thomas Hazard
Thomas Hazard (1610 - after 1677) was one of the nine founding settlers of Newport on Aquidneck Island (Rhode Island) in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He settled in Boston and Portsmouth before settling Newport, but l ...
, and
Henry Bull. Many of these people were part of the settlement at
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
, along with
Anne Hutchinson and her followers. They separated within a year of that settling Portsmouth, so Coddington and the others began the settlement of Newport on the southern side of the island.
Newport eventually grew to be the largest of the four original settlements that later became the
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, including
Providence Plantations and
Shawomett. Many of the first colonists in Newport became
Baptists, and the second Baptist congregation in Rhode Island was formed in 1640 under the leadership of John Clarke.
In 1658, a group of Jews was welcomed to settle in Newport. Fleeing the
Inquisition in Spain and Portugal, they were not allowed to settle elsewhere. This group eventually came to be known as Congregation Jeshuat Israel, and is the second-oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. They also meet in the oldest synagogue in the U.S.,
Touro Synagogue.
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations received its royal charter in 1663.
Benedict Arnold was elected as the first governor. Upon its completion in 1741, The
Old Colony House, at the head of
Washington Square in Newport, served as the seat of Rhode Island's government until the current
Rhode Island State House
The Rhode Island State House, the capitol of the state of Rhode Island, is located at 900 Smith Street just below the crest of Smith Hill, on the border of downtown in Providence. It is a neoclassical building designed by McKim, Mead & White wh ...
in Providence was completed in 1904. At that time,
Providence, Rhode Island became the state's sole capital city.
Prior to that, Newport was the most important port in colonial Rhode Island, and a public school was established in 1640. The commercial activity that raised Newport to its fame as a rich port began with the immigration of a second wave of
Portuguese Jews, who settled there around the middle of the 18th century. The new settlers had been practicing Judaism secretly for 300 years in Portugal, and they were attracted to Rhode Island because of its freedom of worship. Besides their religion, they brought with them commercial experience, connections, capital, and a spirit of enterprise.
Most prominent among them were Jacob Rodrigues Rivera, who arrived in 1745 (died 1789). Rivera introduced the manufacture of
sperm oil
Sperm oil is a waxy liquid obtained from sperm whales. It is a clear, yellowish liquid with a very faint odor. Sperm oil has a different composition from common whale oil, obtained from rendered blubber. Although it is traditionally called an " ...
, derived from sperm whales. This became one of Newport's leading industries and made the town a wealthy, prominent whaling community. Newport developed 17 manufacturers of oil and candles, and enjoyed a practical monopoly of this trade until the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...
.
Aaron Lopez is also credited with making Newport an important center of trade. He encouraged 40 Portuguese Jewish families to settle there, and within 14 years, Newport had 150 vessels engaged in trade. Lopez was involved in the
slave trade, as were other shipping magnates, and the manufacture of
spermaceti
Spermaceti is a waxy substance found in the head cavities of the sperm whale (and, in smaller quantities, in the oils of other whales). Spermaceti is created in the spermaceti organ inside the whale's head. This organ may contain as much as of ...
candles, ships, barrels, rum, chocolate, textiles, clothes, shoes, hats, and bottles. Although Lopez became the wealthiest man in Newport, he was denied citizenship on religious grounds, even though British law protected the rights of Jews to become citizens in England.
Lopez appealed to the Rhode Island colonial legislature for redress and was refused with this ruling:
Lopez persisted by applying for citizenship in
, where it was granted.
From the mid-17th century, the religious tolerance in Newport attracted numbers of
Quakers
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...
, known also as the ''Society of Friends''. The
Great Friends Meeting House in Newport (1699) is the oldest existing structure of worship in Rhode Island.
In 1727,
James Franklin (brother of
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a m ...
) printed the ''Rhode-Island Almanack'' in Newport. In 1732, he published the first newspaper, the ''Rhode Island Gazette''. In 1758, his son James founded the weekly newspaper ''Mercury''. The famous 18th-century
Goddard and Townsend
The Goddard and Townsend families of Newport lend their name to an extensive body of New England furniture associated with Newport, Rhode Island in the second half of the 18th century.
Family of artisans
The Townsend and Goddard families were ...
furniture was also made in Newport.
Throughout the 18th-century, Newport suffered from an imbalance of trade with the largest colonial ports. As a result, Newport merchants were forced to develop alternatives to conventional exports. In the 1720s, Colonial leaders arrested many pirates, acting under pressure from the British government. Many were hanged in Newport and buried on
Goat Island Goat Island (or Goat Islands) may refer to:
Arts
* Goat Island (performance group), a Chicago-based company
* ''Goat Island'' (play), ''Delitto all'isola delle capre'', by Ugo Betti
Places
Australia
* Goat Island (Port Jackson) in Sydney Harbou ...
.
File:Spring and Mary streets, Newport, RI edit.jpg, Colonial buildings in the Newport Historic District
File:Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry by William Green Turner, 1885 - Eisenhower Park - Newport, Rhode Island - DSC03984.jpg, Oliver Perry Monument
Oliver Perry Monument is a bronze statue, by William Greene Turner, dedicated to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. It is located in Eisenhower Park in Newport, RI, between Washington Square and Touro street. The statue faces west towards Newport ...
in Eisenhower Park
File:Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island.jpg, Touro Synagogue, the oldest existing synagogue in the United States
Slave trade
Newport was a major center of the
slave trade in colonial and early America, active in the
"triangle trade" in which slave-produced sugar and molasses from the Caribbean were carried to Rhode Island and distilled into
rum that was then carried to West Africa and exchanged for captives. In 1764, Rhode Island had about 30 rum distilleries, 22 in Newport alone. Most of these enslaved people were buried at the
Common Burial Ground on Farewell Street.
60% of slave-trading voyages launched from North America were issued from Rhode Island, in some years more than 90%, and many from Newport. Almost half were trafficked illegally, breaking a 1787 law prohibiting residents of the state from trading in slaves. Slave traders were also breaking federal statutes of 1794 and 1800 barring Americans from carrying slaves to ports outside the United States, as well as the
1807 Congressional act abolishing the transatlantic slave trade.
A few Rhode Island families made substantial fortunes in the trade.
William and Samuel Vernon were Newport merchants who later played an important role in financing the creation of the United States Navy; they sponsored 30 African slaving ventures. However, it was the DeWolfs of
Bristol, Rhode Island, and most notably
James De Wolf
James DeWolf (March 18, 1764December 21, 1837) was a slave trader, a privateer during the War of 1812, and a state and national politician. He served as a state legislator for a total of nearly 25 years, and in the 1820s as a United States senat ...
, who was the largest slave-trading family in all of North America, mounting more than 80 transatlantic voyages, most of them illegal. The Rhode Island slave trade was broadly based. Seven hundred Rhode Islanders owned or captained slave ships, most of who were substantial merchants, though many were ordinary shopkeepers and tradesmen who purchased shares in slaving voyages.
Although it was one of America's most active slave ports, Newport was inhabited by a small group of abolitionists and free blacks. Reverend
Samuel Hopkins, minister at Newport's
First Congregational Church, has been called "America's first abolitionist".
Among subscribers to Hopkins' writings were 17 free black citizens, most of whom lived in Newport.
This community of freemen, including
Newport Gardner
Newport Gardner (born Occramer Marycoo, 1746–1826) was an African American singing school master and composer. He was an early proponent of the Back-to-Africa movement.
Musical career
Gardner was transported to the colonies as a slave at the age ...
, founded the
Free African Union Society
The Free African Union Society, founded in 1780 in Newport, Rhode Island, was America’s first African benevolent society. Founders and early members included Prince Amy, Lincoln Elliot, Bristol Yamma, Zingo Stevens and Newport Gardner.
Backgro ...
in 1780: the first African
mutual aid society in America.
American Revolutionary era
Newport was the scene of much activity during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...
.
William Ellery, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of ...
, was a Newport native. Ellery went on to serve on the Naval Committee.
In the winter of 1775 and 1776, the
Rhode Island Legislature placed militia general
William West in charge of rooting out
loyalists in Newport, which resulted in several individuals being exiled to the northern part of the state, including
Joseph Wanton
Joseph Wanton Sr. (15 August 1705 – 19 July 1780) was a merchant and governor in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from 1769 to 1775. Not wanting to go to war with Britain, he has been branded as a Loyalist, but he remaine ...
and Thomas Vernon.
On 8 December 1776, the British occupied the city without opposition.
Sir Peter Parker led 50-gun British ships, while Lieutenant-General
Henry Clinton led 7000 troops. According to
Alfred Thayer Mahan, "The immediate effect was to close a haven of
privateers, which flanked the route of all vessels bound from Europe to New York."
In the summer of 1778, the Americans began the campaign known as the
Battle of Rhode Island. This was the first joint operation between the Americans and the French after the signing of the
Treaty of Alliance. The Americans based in
Tiverton planned a formal
siege of the town. However, the French refused to take part, instead preferring a frontal assault. This weakened the American position, and the British were able to expel the Americans from the island.
In 1779, the British abandoned the location.
Rodney Rodney may refer to:
People
* Rodney (name)
* Rodney (wrestler), American professional wrestler
Places
;Australia
* Electoral district of Rodney, a former electoral district in Victoria
* Rodney County, Queensland
;Canada
* Rodney, Ontario, a ...
lamented, "The evacuating Rhode Island was the most fatal measure that could possibly have been adopted. It gave up the best and noblest harbor in America, capable of containing the whoile Navy of Britain, and where they could in all seasons lie in perfect security; and from whence squadrons, in forty-eight hours, could blockade the three capital cities of America; namely, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia."
[
On July 10, 1780, a French expedition arrived in Narragansett Bay off Newport with an army of 450 officers and 5,300 men, sent by King Louis XVI and commanded by Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau. For the rest of the war, Newport served as the base of the French forces in the United States. In July 1781, Rochambeau was finally able to leave Newport for Providence to begin the decisive march to Yorktown, Virginia, along with General George Washington. The first Roman Catholic mass in Rhode Island was said in Newport during this time. The Rochambeau Monument in King Park on Wellington Avenue, along Newport Harbor, commemorates Rochambeau's contributions to the Revolutionary War and to Newport's history.
Newport's population fell from over 9,000 (according to the census of 1774) to fewer than 4,000 by the time that the war ended (1783). Over 200 abandoned buildings were torn down in the 1780s. As well, the war destroyed Newport's economic wealth, because years of military occupation closed the city to any form of trade. The Newport merchants moved to other areas; some to Providence, others to ]Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
and New York.
It was in Newport that the Rhode Island General Assembly voted to ratify the Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princip ...
in 1790 and become the 13th state, acting under pressure from the merchant community of Providence.
The city was the last residence of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and the birthplace of Commodore Matthew C. Perry and the Unitarian
Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to:
Christian and Christian-derived theologies
A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism:
* Unitarianism (1565–present ...
theologian William Ellery Channing.
Summer mansions
Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, wealthy southern planters seeking to escape the heat began to build summer cottages on Bellevue Avenue, such as Kingscote (1839). Around the middle of the century, wealthy northerners, such as the Wetmore family, began construction on larger mansions, such as Chateau-sur-Mer (1852) nearby. Most of these early families made a substantial part of their fortunes in the Old China Trade
The Old China Trade () refers to the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghia in 1844. The Old C ...
.
By the turn of the 20th century, many of the nation's wealthiest families were summering in Newport, including the Vanderbilts, Astors
The Astor family achieved prominence in business, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With ancestral roots in the Italian Alps region of Italy by way of Germany,
the Astors settled ...
, and the Widener family, who constructed the largest "cottages," such as The Breakers (1895) and Miramar Miramar is a place name of Spanish and Portuguese origin. It means "sea-view" or "sea sight" from ''mirar'' ("to look at, to watch") and ''mar'' ("sea"). It may refer to:
Places Africa
* Miramar, Port Elizabeth, see St Dominic's Priory School
...
(1915). They resided for a brief summer social season in grand mansions with elaborate receiving rooms, dining rooms, music rooms, and ballrooms—but with few bedrooms, since the guests were expected to have "cottages" of their own. Many of the homes were designed by New York architect Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of American architecture. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance fa ...
, who kept a house in Newport himself.
The social scene at Newport is described in Edith Wharton's novel '' The Age of Innocence''. Wharton's own Newport "cottage" was called Land's End''.'' Today, many mansions continue in private use. Hammersmith Farm is the mansion where John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy held their wedding reception; it was open to tourists as a "house museum", but has since been purchased and reconverted into a private residence. Many of the other mansions are open to tourists, and others were converted into academic buildings for Salve Regina College
Salve Regina University is a private Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The university enrolls m ...
in the 1930s, when the owners could no longer afford their tax bills.
In the mid-19th century, a large number of Irish immigrants settled in Newport. The Fifth Ward of Newport in the southern part of the city became a staunch Irish neighborhood for many generations. To this day, St. Patrick's Day is an important day of pride and celebration in Newport, with a large parade down Thames Street.
The oldest Catholic parish in Rhode Island is St. Mary's, located on Spring Street, though the current building is not original.
File:The_Breakers_interior_05.jpg, The Breakers (1895)
File:The_Elms_-_Rhode_Island.jpg, The Elms (1901)
File:The President's vacation - on Bellevue Avenue, Newport - drawn by W.P. Snyder. LCCN98511692 (cropped).jpg, President Chester A. Arthur vacationed in Newport in 1884
Bicycling history
In the late nineteenth century, Newport became the center of an emerging pastime for young, athletic, upper-class men: bicycling. On May 29, 1880, representatives of 31 cycling clubs convened in Newport to hold a parade and meeting, and formed the League of American Wheelmen, the first national bicycling organization. The League was instrumental in establishing the Good Roads Movement.
20th century and beyond
Rhode Island did not have a fixed capital during and after the colonial era, but rotated its legislative sessions among Providence, Newport, Bristol, East Greenwich, and South Kingstown. In 1854, the sessions were eliminated in cities other than Providence and Newport, and Newport was ultimately dropped in 1900 as a constitutional amendment that year restricted the meetings of the legislature to Providence.
The Kennedys and Newport
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...
had many ties to Newport. She spent her childhood summers at Newport's Hammersmith Farm. She and John Fitzgerald Kennedy attended nearby St. Mary's Church and were married there on September 12, 1953. The Kennedys sailed their yacht ''Honey Fitz'' in Narragansett Bay, golfed at Newport Country Club, dined at The White Horse Tavern, and attended social events at The Breakers.
Presidents Kennedy
Kennedy may refer to:
People
* John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States
* John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana
* Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...
and Eisenhower both made Newport the sites of their " Summer White Houses" during their years in office. Eisenhower stayed at Quarters A at the Naval War College and at what became known as the Eisenhower House, while Kennedy used Hammersmith Farm.
U.S. Navy
The city has long been entwined with the United States Navy. It held the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...
during the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
(1861–65) when the undergraduate officer training school was temporarily moved north from Annapolis, Maryland. From 1952 to 1973, it hosted the Cruiser-Destroyer Force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command (USFF) is a service component command of the United States Navy that provides naval forces to a wide variety of U.S. forces. The naval resources may be allocated to Combatant Commanders such as United Stat ...
, and subsequently, it has hosted smaller numbers of warships from time to time. Today it hosts Naval Station Newport (NAVSTA Newport) and remains home to the U.S. Naval War College, the center for Surface Warfare Officer training, the Navy Supply Corps School and other schools, and the headquarters of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. The decommissioned aircraft carrier was moored in an inactive status at the docks previously used by the Cruiser-Destroyer Force until it was towed to Brownsville, Texas in August–September 2014 to be dismantled. The shared the pier until June 2010.
The departure of the Cruiser-Destroyer fleet from Newport, and the closure of nearby Naval Air Station Quonset Point in 1973 were devastating to the local economy. The population of Newport decreased, businesses closed, and property values plummeted. However, in the late 1960s, the city began revitalizing the downtown area with the construction of America's Cup Avenue, malls of stores and condominiums, and upscale hotels. Construction was also completed on the Newport Bridge. The Preservation Society of Newport County began opening Newport's historic mansions to the public, and the tourist industry has become Newport's primary commercial enterprise over the subsequent years.
Geography and climate
Newport is located at . It is the most populous municipality on Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay. 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
An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 32.64%, is water. The Newport Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in New England, connects Newport to neighboring Conanicut Island across the East Passage of the Narragansett.
Being surrounded by ocean water, Newport is often cooler in the summer than some coastal cities further north, such as Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
.
Demographics
As of 2013, there were 24,027 people, 10,616 households, and 4,933 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 13,069 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 82.5% White
White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 6.9% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.1% some other race, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.4% of the population (3.3% Puerto Rican, 1.2% Guatemalan, 1.1% Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
).
There were 10,616 households, out of which: 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.9% were headed by married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.5% were non-families. 41.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05, and the average family size was 2.82.
The age distribution was 16.5% under the age of 18, 16.3% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
For the period 2009–2011, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $59,388, and the median income for a family was $83,880. Male full-time workers had a median income of $52,221 versus $41,679 for females. The per capita income for the city was $35,644. About 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line.
Culture
The Newport Historic District–one of the city's three National Historic Landmark Districts—boasts one of the highest concentrations of colonial homes in the nation. Doris Duke, heir to the tobacco fortune of her father, James B. Duke, founded the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) in 1968, and for the next 25 years, until her death in 1993, saved much of Newport's colonial architectural heritage. Under Duke's leadership, the NRF restored more than 80 18th- and early 19th-century buildings in Newport and neighboring Middletown, Rhode Island, most of which are still owned by the Foundation. In addition to colonial architecture, the city is known for its many mansions—summer "cottages" built in varying styles copied from the royal palaces of Europe—mostly built between 1870 through 1915.
The White Horse Tavern was built prior to 1673 and is one of the oldest taverns in the US. Newport is also home to the Touro Synagogue, one of the oldest Jewish houses of worship in the Western hemisphere. Newport also has the nation's oldest lending libraries, the Redwood Library and Athenaeum
The Redwood Library and Athenaeum is a subscription library, museum, rare book repository and research center founded in 1747, and located at 50 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. The building, designed by Peter Harrison and completed ...
.
The Save The Bay Exploration Center and Aquarium, located in the rotunda at Easton's Beach, welcomes 30,000 visitors and 3,500 students and teachers from across southern New England each year.
File:Newport Rhode Island Public Library.jpg, Newport Public Library
''For the public library in the city of Newport, South Wales see Newport Central Library''
The Newport Public Library was charted by the State of Rhode Island in 1869. The People’s Free Library opened their doors on May 4, 1870 with the comb ...
File:Redwood Library and Athenaeum - Newport, RI (51487895396).jpg, Redwood Library and Athenaeum
The Redwood Library and Athenaeum is a subscription library, museum, rare book repository and research center founded in 1747, and located at 50 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. The building, designed by Peter Harrison and completed ...
File:Marble House, Newport.jpg, Marble House, owned and operated by the Preservation Society
File:Save_the_Bay_Exploration_Center_and_Aquarium.jpg, Save The Bay Exploration Center and Aquarium
Sports and recreation
Because of its history as a summer playground for the wealthy, Newport has played a major role in the history and development of several sports. The League of American Wheelmen was formed in Newport in 1880. The first U.S. national tennis championships
The US Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually in Queens, New York City, New York. Since 1987, the US Open has been chronologically the fourth and final Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam tournament of the year. Th ...
were held in 1881 on grass courts at the Newport Casino. The first U.S. Open golf tournament was played in 1895 at the Newport Country Club. The America's Cup sailing races were held in Newport from 1930 to 1983.
Sailing
Newport is sometimes referred to as the "Sailing Capital of the World". The city was chosen as the new home of the National Sailing Hall of Fame which moved from Annapolis, Maryland in 2019. Several sailing clubs are based in the city, including the New York Yacht Club and the Ida Lewis
Idawalley Zoradia Lewis (February 25, 1842 – October 24, 1911) was an American lighthouse keeper noted for her heroism in rescuing people from the seas.
Biography Early years
Ida Lewis was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the second oldest of ...
Yacht Club.
Newport was the site of the America's Cup sailing races from 1930 to 1983, and it remains the starting point of the biannual 635 nautical-mile Newport Bermuda Race
The Newport Bermuda Race, commonly known as the ''Bermuda Race'', is a biennial, 635 nautical miles (1175 km) sailing yacht race from Newport, Rhode Island to the British island of Bermuda. According to its website, the Race is the oldest re ...
.
Tennis
Newport Casino was the site of the earliest American lawn tennis championships. Since 1954 it has housed the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The Newport Casino also hosted the first Newport Jazz Festival in 1954. The Hall of Fame Open has been held every July since 1976, during the week following Wimbledon. The week also includes annual inductions into the Hall of Fame.
Golf
Newport is home to the Newport Country Club, which hosted both the first U.S. Amateur Championship and the first U.S. Open in 1895. More recently, the Newport Country Club hosted the 1995 Men's US Amateurs and the 2006 U.S. Women's Open.
Music festivals
Fort Adams which houses the Museum of Yachting and hosts both the Newport Folk Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival, dates back to the War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...
. The Jazz Festival was established in 1954 by local socialite Elaine Lorillard and music promoter George Wein. It was held annually until 1971, and was re-established in Newport in 1981. In 1959, George Wein, folk singer Pete Seeger, and music manager Albert Grossman established the Newport Folk Festival as a counterpart to the Jazz Festival. It was held in Newport through 1969, returned to the city in 1985, and has been held annually at Fort Adams since. The Folk Festival was the venue for a controversial performance by singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in July 1965 that proved influential to the "folk rock movement". Both festivals were held at other venues in Newport before moving to Fort Adams when they were revived in the 1980s.
Other sports
Brenton Point State Park is the site of the annual Brenton Point Kite Festival.
In Fall 2013, Newport was designated a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists
The League of American Bicyclists (LAB), officially the League of American Wheelmen, is a membership organization that promotes cycling for fun, fitness and transportation through advocacy and education.
A Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organiz ...
.
The annual Citizens Bank Pell Bridge Run is held every Fall to raise money for local charities.
Beaches and parks
Aquidneck Island has several beaches, both public and private. The largest public beach is Easton's beach or First Beach, which has a view of the Newport Cliff Walk. The Cliff Walk is one of the most popular attractions in the city. It is a public access walkway bordering the shoreline and has been designated a National Recreation Trail
The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...
. Sachuest Beach or Second Beach in Middletown is the second-largest beach in the area. Gooseberry Beach is private but is open to the public on certain days of the year. It is located on Ocean Drive, along with the private beaches, Bailey's Beach
Bailey's Beach (officially named as and owned by the Spouting Rock Beach Association) is a private beach and club in Newport, Rhode Island, United States.
History
According to the ''Providence Journal'', Bailey's Beach in Newport Rhode Island was ...
and Hazard's Beach. In 2014 Maya Lin, the architect who designed the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., completed a $3.5 million renovation of Queen Anne Square Park, titled "The Meeting Room."
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Newport Public Schools
Newport Public Schools (NPS) is the public school system of Newport, Rhode Island.
History
NPS hired Jack Ambrogi as superintendent in 2005 and Colleen Jermain as superintendent in January 2014.
Schools
Its schools are Claiborne Pell School, Fr ...
operates public schools for the area including Claiborne Pell Elementary School, Thompson Middle School, Rogers High School, Newport Area Career and Technical Center, and the Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center. Prior to 2013, multiple small public elementary schools served the Newport community; the Pell School, a consolidation of those schools, opened in 2013.
St. Michael's Country Day School is the only private elementary school in the city. Nearby private primary schools include All Saints Academy in Middletown, The Pennfield School in Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
, and St. Philomena School in Portsmouth. Nearby private secondary schools include Portsmouth Abbey School in Portsmouth and St. George's School in Middletown.
St. Joseph of Cluny School was formerly located in Newport, on property given by the estate of Arthur Curtiss James to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence in 1941. Military families from Fort Adams requested a Catholic school, so St. Joseph of Cluny opened in September 1957 as a kindergarten and added grades until 1965, when the first eighth-grade graduation was held. Later on, the overall population of Newport declined along with the concentration of middle class families. Much of the housing became too expensive for families with young children, and there were relatively few houses sold to new residents. In addition, many families previously going to the school instead sent their children to the Portsmouth School Department.[ From 2014 to 2017, the enrollment decreased by a quarter. The school administration stated that this decline and the general competition among private schools in the Newport area meant the operation of the school was no longer viable. It closed in 2017. Betsy Sherman Walker of '']Newport This Week
Newport most commonly refers to:
* Newport, Wales
* Newport, Rhode Island, US
Newport or New Port may also refer to:
Places Asia
*Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay
Europe
Ireland
* Newport, County Mayo, a town on ...
'' described the closure as a "curveball," unexpected by the community.[
]
Tertiary education
Post-secondary schools include the Naval Academy Preparatory School, Salve Regina University, Naval War College, International Yacht Restoration School, and the Community College of Rhode Island Newport Campus.
Economy
While technology and defense are the largest employment sector in the region, seasonal tourism is a major economic engine of the city of Newport, including hotels, restaurants, and retail. As of 2013, 89.64% of all private employment in the city of Newport was in the service sector. Retail trade was the third largest sector, with 1,341 jobs. Retail and restaurant employment can swell by as many as 1,500 jobs during the peak summer season.
Principal employers
According to Newport's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the principal employers in the city are:
Notable people
Sister cities
Newport's sister cities are:
* Imperia, Italy
* Kinsale, Ireland
* Ponta Delgada, Portugal
* Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...
, Canada
* Shimoda, Japan
* Skiathos, Greece
In popular culture
Newport was a filming location for '' High Society'' (1956), '' The Great Gatsby'' (1974), ''Mr. North
''Mr. North'' is a 1988 American comedy-drama film starring Anthony Edwards and featuring Robert Mitchum and Lauren Bacall, based on the novel '' Theophilus North'' (1973) by Thornton Wilder.
Directed by Danny Huston, the film became a family ...
'' (1988), ''Wind'' (1992), and '' Moonrise Kingdom'' (2012).[Barth, Jack (1991). ''Roadside Hollywood: The Movie Lover's State-By-State Guide to Film Locations, Celebrity Hangouts, Celluloid Tourist Attractions, and More''. Contemporary Books. Pages 256–257. .]
See also
* Buildings and structures in Newport, Rhode Island
* Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery (includes "God's Little Acre")
References
Further reading
* Bridenbaugh, Carl (1964) 938
Year 938 ( CMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Summer – The Hungarian army invades Northern Italy with the permission of King H ...
br>''Cities in the Wilderness: The First Century of Urban Life in America 1625–1742''
New York: Capricorn Books.
* Bridenbaugh, Carl (1964) 900br>''Cities in Revolt: Urban Life in America, 1743–1776''
. New York: Capricorn Books.
* Crane, Elaine Forman (1985) 955br>''A Dependent People: Newport, Rhode Island in the Revolutionary Era''
. New York: Fordham University Press.
* Crane, Elaine Forman (2018). ''The Poison Plot: A Tale of Adultery and Murder in Colonial Newport''. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
* Crane, Elaine F. (1980)
The first wheel of commerce': Newport, Rhode Island and the Slave Trade, 1760–1776"
''Slavery and Abolition'' 1#2 pp. 178–198. .
* Downing, Antoinette Forrester, and Vincent Joseph Scully (1967). ''The Architectural Heritage of Newport, Rhode Island: 1640–1915''. CN Potter.
* Jefferys, C. P. B. (1992). ''Newport: A Short History''.
* Withey, Lynne (1984). ''Urban Growth in Colonial Rhode Island: Newport and Providence in the Eighteenth Century''. SUNY Press.
Older titles
* S. G. Arnold (1859–1860). ''History of the State of Rhode Island'' (two volumes). New York.
* G. C. Mason (1884). ''Reminiscences of Newport''. Newport.
* E. M. Stone (1884).
Our French Allies
'. Providence.
the journal of the Newport Historical Society
''Newport Mansions: Postcards of the Gilded Age''
, Schiffer Publishing
External links
City of Newport official website
Discover Newport, official tourism website
from American Studies at the University of Virginia
*
{{Authority control
1639 establishments in Rhode Island
Cities in Newport County, Rhode Island
Cities in Rhode Island
County seats in Rhode Island
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 i ...
Historic Jewish communities in the United States
Narragansett Bay
Populated coastal places in Rhode Island
Populated places established in 1639
Providence metropolitan area
Seaside resorts in Rhode Island