North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and is part of the Providence metropolitan area. The population was 27,732 in the 2020 census. North Kingstown is home to the birthplace of American portraitist

Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Charles Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter from Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-known work is an unfinished portrait of George Washi ...

, who was born in the village of

Saunderstown Saunderstown is a small village and historic district in the towns of Narragansett and North Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. Saunderstown has its own post office with the ZIP Code of 02874, which also includes a sma ...

. Within the town is

Quonset Point Quonset Point (), also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Its name is widely known from the Quonset hut, which was first manufactured there. ''Quonset'' is an Algonqu ...

, location of the former Naval Air Station Quonset Point, known for the invention of the Quonset hut, as well as the historic village of Wickford.

History

The area was first settled by

Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...

and

Richard Smith Richard Smith may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Richard Penn Smith (1799–1854), American playwright * Richard Smith (silent film director) (1886–1937), American silent film director * Richard Smith (screenwriter), Scottish screenwriter, ...

who set up trading posts near Wickford where

Smith's Castle Smith's Castle, built in 1678, is a house museum at 55 Richard Smith Drive, near Wickford, a village in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States. Smith's Castle is one of the oldest houses in the state. It was designated a National Historic ...

is today. The town of Kings Towne was founded in 1674, by the colonial government, and included the present day towns of North Kingstown, South Kingstown,

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, and Narragansett. In 1723, Kings Towne was split into two parts, North Kingstown and South Kingstown, with North Kingstown, having the earliest settlements, retaining the 1674 establishment date. In 1742, the town of Exeter was taken from the western part of North Kingstown.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (25.28%) is water.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 26,486 people, 10,436 households, and 7,347 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 94.7% White, 1.0% African American, 0.6% American Indian/Alaska Native, 1.3%

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 ...

, 0.5% from some other race other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 2.4% of the population. Of the 10,436 households, 70.4% were families, 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, and 29.6% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of householders living alone. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02. 75.4% of households resided in owner-occupied units and 24.6% in rental units. According to the 2017 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the town was $87,311 (adjusted to inflation), the median income for a family was $105,954, and the median income for married-couple families was $120,103.

Transportation

Wickford Junction is a terminus station on the Providence/Stoughton Line of the

MBTA Commuter Rail The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track to 141 different stations, with 58 statio ...

, providing weekday train service to Providence Station and Boston's South Station.

RIPTA The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the state of Rhode Island. The main hub of the RIPTA system is Kennedy Plaza, a large bus terminal in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. In 202 ...

also services in the town inbound to

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

and outbound to Narragansett or

Newport 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 the ...

. North Kingstown is also served by a passenger ferry connecting to the island of

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...

Education

North Kingstown School Department The North Kingstown School Department is a school district in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It operates five elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school, and one specialty school in North Kingstown North Kingstown is a town in Wa ...

is the municipal school district. It operates North Kingstown High School.

Notable people

Elizabeth Beisel Elizabeth Lyon Beisel (born August 18, 1992) is an American competition swimmer who specializes in backstroke and individual medley events. Beisel placed second in the 400m individual medley at the 2016 US Olympic Swimming Trials, qualifying fo ...

, two-time Olympic medalist swimmer * John Cole (1715–1777), was a lawyer and 12th Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court * Captain Daniel Fones *

(1755–1828), painter; his portrait of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

appears on the one dollar bill

Points of interest

Casey Farm Casey Farm is a historic farm in Saunderstown, Rhode Island, United States. It is now a historic museum property, operated by Historic New England, and is open to the public. History Casey Farm occupies a tract of land that has been undivided i ...

(1725): An original colonial plantation that is today one of the oldest operational farms in New England. *

Davis Memorial Wildlife Refuge Davis may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Davis (Antarctica) * Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago) * Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land Canada * Davis, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community * Davis Strait, between Nunavut and Green ...

: 96 acres of forest and wetlands preserved by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. * Devil's Foot Rock: A footprint-like natural impression or possibly petrosomatoglyph. Legends going back to the colonial era tell of a Native American woman being chased by the devil. Some say that she fled from Boston. Her pursuer is said to have left his footprints at Devil's Foot Rock, then at Chimney Hill in South Kingstown, and finally at Block Island. *

Gilbert Stuart Birthplace The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum is located in Saunderstown, Rhode Island, US. Gilbert Stuart was born on December 3, 1755, in the colonial-era house located on the property, becoming a famous American portraitist of the 18th and 19th ce ...

and Museum (1751): The house in which American portraitist Gilbert Stuart was born in 1755. The museum features works from throughout Stuart's career and operational grist and snuff mills. * Historic Wickford Village: A historic seaside village which contains one of the largest collections of preserved 18th-century houses in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

. Wickford also has a large and scenic harbor. * David S. Baker Estate: Home of Rhode Island's first elected Governor to never be seated. *

Quonset Air Museum The Quonset Air Museum was an aerospace museum located in Quonset Point Business Park in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The museum's collection included: missiles, aircraft and over 5000 smaller aviation artifacts. An extensive archive of magaz ...

: A large museum located at the former Naval Air Station Quonset Point which focuses on military aviation history. *

(1678): A colonial plantation located on the shore of Narragansett Bay. *

, a former military base which was once the home of the Naval Construction Battalions known as the

Seabees United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...

Other National Historic Places in North Kingstown

* Allen-Madison House (1801) *

Camp Endicott Camp Endicott was a United States Navy Seabee facility, part of Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center at Quonset Point in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. A surviving portion of the camp, now mostly demolished, was listed on the National ...

(1942) *

Crowfield Historic District The Crowfield Historic District is a small residential historic district (United States), historic district in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. It encompasses a cluster of four early 20th-century summer houses, all connected via family or friends ...

* Davisville Historic District *

George Douglas House The George Douglas House is an historic house at Tower Hill and Gilbert Stuart Roads in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Its oldest section dated to the 1730s, it is one of a small number of surviving colonial-era stone ender houses in the stat ...

(1738) * George Fayerweather Blacksmith Shop (1819) * Ezekial Gardner House * Hamilton Mill Village Historic District *

Lafayette Village Lafayette Village is a historic district extending along Ten Rod Road in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. It encompasses a linear rural and industrial village, running from the Wickford Junction railroad crossing in the west to Angel Avenue in the ...

Stephen Northup House The Stephen Northup House (also known as the "Stephen Northrup House") is a historic house at 99 Featherbed Lane in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. History The original house on the site may have been built in 1660 with an addition around 1712 ...

(1712) *

Old Narragansett Cemetery The Old Narragansett Cemetery is an historic cemetery on Shermantown Road in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Variant names for the cemetery include Narragansett Cemetery, Platform Cemetery, and The Platform Cemetery. The cemetery occupies a plot ...

Old Narragansett Church Old Narragansett Church (also known as Old St. Paul's Church and St. Paul's Episcopal Church) is a historic Episcopal church located at 60 Church Lane in Wickford, Rhode Island, believed to be the oldest Episcopal church building in the Northe ...

(1707) * Palmer-Northrup House (1680) *

Joseph Pierce Farm The Joseph Pierce Farm is an historic farm at 933 Gilbert Stuart Road in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. It consists of of land, along with an 18th-century farmhouse and a number of 19th-century outbuildings. The oldest portion of the house, i ...

* Plum Beach Light (1899) * Poplar Point Light (1831) * Rathbun House * Esbon Sanford House (1832) *

Saunderstown Historic District Saunderstown is a small village and historic district in the towns of Narragansett and North Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. Saunderstown has its own post office with the ZIP Code of 02874, which also includes a sma ...

Six Principle Baptist Church Six Principle Baptist Church (also known as Stony Lane Baptist Church, Stony Lane Six Principle Baptist Church and Old Baptist Meeting House) is a historic church in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. As of 2009 it was one of the last surviving hist ...

(1703) *

Joseph Slocum House The Joseph Slocum House is an historic house on Slocum Road (about 1/4 mile south of Indian Corner Road) in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. It is a -story wood-frame house, five bays wide, with a large central chimney. It faces south on the eas ...

(1750) * Spink Farm (1798) * St. Paul's Church (1847) *

YWCA Site The YWCA Site is an archaeological site in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Rhode Island __NO ...

File:Old Narragansett Church Wickford front view.jpg, Old Narragansett Church, built in 1707, is the oldest Episcopal Church building in New England File:Baptist Church in Wickford RI.jpg, Baptist Church in Wickford

References

External links

Town of North Kingstown website
{{authority control Towns in Washington County, Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Populated coastal places in Rhode Island Providence metropolitan area Towns in Rhode Island