North Providence 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 capi ...
,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
, United States. The population was 34,114 at the
2020 census.
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 the ...
, the Town of North Providence has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. Since North Providence is officially incorporated as a town and is the smallest incorporated municipality in the State of Rhode Island by total area, North Providence maintains the distinction as the smallest town in the smallest state. Although nearby
Central Falls
Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,583 at the 2020 census. With an area of only , it is the smallest and most densely populated city in the smallest state, and the 27th most densely ...
, at 1.29 square miles is geographically smaller than North Providence, Central Falls is incorporated as a city and, therefore, maintains the distinction of smallest city in the small state.
The Town of North Providence is bordered by
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 ...
to the south,
Johnston to the west,
Smithfield and
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln ...
to the north and
Pawtucket to the east. Within the town, there are multiple neighborhoods and villages, such as
Allendale,
Centredale,
Fruit Hill
Fruit Hill is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,755 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Fruit Hill is located at (39.070912, -84.364707).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the ...
,
Greystone,
Louisquisset,
Lymansville,
Marieville,
Woodville and
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
. Additionally, the town is home to three large recreational parks, including Captain Stephen Olney Park, Governor John Notte Memorial Park and Peter Randall State Park. Notable bodies of water in the town include Canada Pond, Wenscott Reservoir and the
Woonasquatucket River
The Woonasquatucket River (pronounced , Algonquian for "where the salt water ends") is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe N ...
. the town has a total of seven elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.
History
Founding History
Settled shortly after the arrival of
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 ...
in 1636, North Providence was incorporated as a town in 1765. The originally incorporated town area included sections of the present-day cities of
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
Pawtucket. Early colonial settlers in North Providence built
stone-ender
The stone-ender is a unique style of Rhode Island architecture that developed in the 17th century where one wall in a house is made up of a large stone chimney.
History
Rhode Island was first settled in 1636 by Roger Williams and other colonis ...
houses, such as the
Joseph Smith House (1705) at 109 Smithfield Road, which is now listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. In 1793, the first fully mechanized cotton-spinning mill in the United States,
Slater Mill
The Slater Mill is a historic water-powered textile mill complex on the banks of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, modeled after cotton spinning mills first established in England. It is the first water-powered cotton spinning mil ...
, was founded by
Samuel Slater
Samuel Slater (June 9, 1768 – April 21, 1835) was an early English-American industrialist known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution" (a phrase coined by Andrew Jackson) and the "Father of the American Factory System". In the ...
on the banks of the
Blackstone River
The Blackstone River is a river in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It flows approximately 48 mi (80 km) and drains a watershed of approximately 540 sq. mi (1,400 km2). Its long history of industrial use has left ...
in North Providence. In 1874, the eastern section of North Providence where Slater Mill is located became
Pawtucket, resulting in a large population decrease.
Politics in North Providence
From its incorporation, North Providence was governed by a Town Council with a Town Clerk and a Town Treasurer. In 1974, the residents of North Providence elected their first mayor, Salvatore Mancini, who served the town in this capacity for 20 years. Since the installation of the first town mayor, North Providence has had four mayors who were elected by town residents and one mayor who was elected by the Town Council when the incumbent mayor at the time, A. Ralph Mollis, was appointed to the position of
Secretary of State of Rhode Island
The secretary of state of Rhode Island is an elected office in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of 2015, the current secretary of state is Nellie Gorbea.
The Rhode Island Department of State or is composed of five separate divisions:
*The Ele ...
. Below is a list of mayors who have served North Providence:
* Salvatore Mancini (1974–1994)
* G. Richard Fossa (1994–1996)
* A. Ralph Mollis (1996–2007)
* John Sisto (2007–2007)
* Charles Lombardi (2007–present)
The Centredale Manor Restoration Project Superfund Site
From at least 1921–1971, the Centredale Manor area of North Providence was contaminated by textile, chemical, and drum recycling industries that discarded toxic liquids and wastes into the surrounding soil and river (EPA 1999).
In 2000, the
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
declared a area including parts of Centredale Manor and Brook Village, both affordable housing units for senior citizens, a
superfund
Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the United States Environmental Pro ...
site. The agency documented high levels of toxic chemicals like
dioxin
Dioxin may refer to:
* 1,2-Dioxin or 1,4-Dioxin, two unsaturated heterocyclic 6-membered rings where two carbon atoms have been replaced by oxygen atoms, giving the molecular formula C4H4O2
*Dibenzo-1,4-dioxin, the parent compound also known as ...
,
VOCs
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapour pressure at room temperature. High vapor pressure correlates with a low boiling point, which relates to the number of the sample's molecules in the surrounding air, a ...
, and
PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979 and internationally by t ...
in fish as well as soil from the area. Because of this the area has been fenced off from the community with warning signs against eating contaminated fish, and is undergoing evaluation for clean-up.
Town Council Arrests
On May 4, 2010, three members of the North Providence Town Council were arrested by the FBI and charged in Federal Court with taking a $25,000 bribe so that a developer could build a supermarket in their town. After the arrests, Councilman Mansuet J. Giusti would become the new Town Council President and lead the remaining members out of difficult times to regain the trust of the public.
[
]
Recreation
Parks
The town has two major parks, Governor John A. Notte Memorial Park and Capt. Stephen Olney Memorial Park, both have various sports fields, playgrounds; Gov. Notte Park has a freshwater beach and campground.
In 2015, Camp Meehan opened at Gov. Notte Park. Mayor Lombardi championed the sale of the land to the town of North Providence after it was to be built over by condominium housing. The Mayor allowed the land to be beautified using grant funds which were awarded to the town. Camp Meehan includes a newly renovated, modern building overlooking the Wenscott Reservoir which can house 250 guests for weddings and other such events. The Camp Meehan Hall held its first event in 2016.
Events
North Providence has always been filled with lively events. Currently there are a few major annual events:
* Mayor Lombardi's Fishing Derby is held each year at Governor Notte Park and receives wide turnouts from towns over.
* The Memorial Day Parade Celebration is a large event which includes town wide events, a large parade route leads to Gov. Notte Park where a festival is held.
* Independence Day celebrations are usually held at Gov. Notte Park as well, a fireworks display is a crowning part of this celebration.
* Pumpkins in the Park is also held at Halloween time, and like most events uses Notte Park as its setting. Residents are encouraged to see pumpkins put on display by the towns Youth Commission.
* The town also lights a Christmas tree on the front lawn of the town hall each year. It is a joyous occasion which includes refreshments, games, and music by Stephen Morrison and the North Providence High School Band, which provides entertainment for many of the towns events.
Demographics
As of the
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 incl ...
of 2000, there were 32,523 people, 14,209 households, and 8,368 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 14,867 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.98%
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 on ...
, 2.65%
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 ...
, 0.17%
Native American, 1.85%
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 ...
, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1.58% 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 1.76% from two or more races. 3.85% of the population were
Hispanic or Latino
''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...
of any race.
There were 14,351 households, out of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.3% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $37,897, and the median income for a family was $52,795. Males had a median income of $34,352 versus $27,553 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 $22,284. About 5.6% of families and 8.1% 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 9.8% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
John Cafferty
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band is an American rock band from Rhode Island which began its career in 1972, and achieved mainstream success in the 1980s. Originally known as simply Beaver Brown, they got their name from a paint can. The clas ...
, leader of
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band is an American rock band from Rhode Island which began its career in 1972, and achieved mainstream success in the 1980s. Originally known as simply Beaver Brown, they got their name from a paint can. The clas ...
*
Ernie DiGregorio
Ernest DiGregorio (born January 15, 1951), also known as "Ernie D.", is an American former professional basketball player. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1973–74 season and shares the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game w ...
, former
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
player
*
Jim Gilchrist
James Walter Gilchrist Jr. is an American political activist and the co-founder and president of the Minuteman Project, an activist group whose aim is to prevent illegal immigration across the southern border of the United States.
Early life
...
, founder of the controversial
Minuteman Project
The Minuteman Project is an organization which was founded in the United States in August 2004 by a group of private individuals who sought to extrajudicially monitor the United States–Mexico border's flow of illegal immigrants. Founded by J ...
*
Danielle Lacourse
Miss USA 2007 was the 56th Miss USA pageant, held at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 23, 2007, after two weeks of events and preliminary competition. The winner of the pageant was Rachel Smith of Tennessee.
The pageant was bro ...
,
Miss Rhode Island USA
The Miss Rhode Island USA competition is the beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state Rhode Island in the Miss USA pageant. It is currently directed by D&D Productions.
Rhode Island made its first placement at Miss USA in 19 ...
2007; first runner-up at
Miss USA 2007
Miss USA 2007 was the 56th Miss USA pageant, held at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 23, 2007, after two weeks of events and preliminary competition. The winner of the pageant was Rachel Smith of Tennessee.
The pageant was broa ...
*
Joseph Olney
Joseph Olney (1737, Rhode Island – 1814 Hudson, Columbia County, New York) was a native of Rhode Island and a leading naval officer during the American Revolution who was involved in the Raid of Nassau, Battle of Block Island and the Battle off ...
, American
privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
during
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 Revolut ...
*
Chris Sparling
Chris Sparling (born March 21, 1977) is an American filmmaker from Providence, Rhode Island.
Career
Upon graduating from Roger Williams University and Bridgewater State University with degrees in Criminal Justice, and after writing, directing, ...
, screenwriter and director
*
Zellio Toppazzini
Zellio Louis Peter Toppazzini (January 5, 1930 – April 1, 2001) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 123 games in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, and Chicago Black Hawks between 1949 and ...
, NHL – AHL hockey player;
Rhode Island Reds Player of the Century;
Providence College
Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...
head coach
*
Cody Wild
Cody Wild (born June 5, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman.
Playing career
Wild was born in Limestone, Maine, however, he grew up in North Providence, Rhode Island and attended North Providence High School. Wild was ...
, former AHL hockey player
References
External links
*
Town website
{{authority control
Towns in Providence County, Rhode Island
Providence metropolitan area
Towns in Rhode Island