Central Falls is a city in

Providence County, Rhode Island 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 ...

, 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 23rd most densely populated incorporated place in the United States. It is also one of only four incorporated places in New England that have a higher population density than the city of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

(ranking second, behind the Massachusetts city of

Somerville Somerville may refer to: Places Australia *Somerville, Victoria, a town **Somerville railway station * Somerville, Western Australia, a suburb of Kalgoorlie, Australia New Zealand * Somerville, New Zealand, a suburb of Manukau City, New Zea ...

, an

inner suburb An inner suburb is a suburban community central to a large city, or at the inner city and central business district. The urban density is usually lower than the inner city or central business district, but higher than that of the city's rural� ...

of Boston). The city takes its name from a

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

on the

Blackstone River The Blackstone River in the United States is a river that flows through Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is long with a drainage area of 475 mi2 (1229 km2). It drains into the tidal river, Pawtucket River at Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Pawtuck ...

. Central Falls went into

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...

in May 2010, then filed for bankruptcy on August 1, 2011. After cutting jobs and services, it came out of bankruptcy in September 2012.

History

Before

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

ans arrived, the area was home to

Nipmuc The Nipmuc or Nipmuck people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who historically spoke an Eastern Algonquian languages, Eastern Algonquian language, probably the Loup language. Their historic territory Nippenet, meaning 'the f ...

Wampanoag The Wampanoag, also rendered Wôpanâak, are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Northeastern Woodlands currently based in southeastern Massachusetts and forme ...

and Narragansett peoples. Central Falls has historic significance as the site of a major battle during

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodland ...

. It was here, on March 26, 1676, that Narragansett Indians ambushed Captain Michael Pierce and his Plymouth Colony troops who (with 20 Christian Wampanoag Indians) were pursuing them. Nearly all those ambushed were killed, including nine taken prisoner and later tortured to death at nearby

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

. A stone memorial marks the mass grave at the site known as "

Nine Men's Misery Nine Men's Misery is a site in current day Cumberland, Rhode Island, where nine colonists were tortured by Narragansett warriors during King Philip's War. A stone memorial was constructed in 1676 and is believed to be the oldest war monument in ...

". In the 18th century, Captain Stephen Jenks built a trip hammer and blacksmith shop along the

, forming the nucleus of what eventually became Central Falls. Other manufacturers, including a chocolate maker, set up shop in the building, and the new village became known as Chocolateville. In 1824, Jenks suggested the name Central Falls, thus giving the village its permanent name. Central Falls was incorporated as a town in 1730. Originally, Central Falls was one of the many villages within the town of Smithfield, but in 1871, having experienced a growth spurt, it split into three smaller towns: Smithfield,

North Smithfield North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterf ...

and

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

. Central Falls then became part of the town of Lincoln. Lincoln experienced its own growth spurt, so in 1895 Lincoln split into two towns, giving rise to the city of Central Falls. While

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

s made up the majority of the first European settlers in the area, they were soon followed by a diverse mix of immigrants from

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

French Canada Francophone Canadians or French-speaking Canadians are citizens of Canada who speak French, and sometimes refers only to those who speak it as their first language. In 2021, 10,669,575 people in Canada or 29.2% of the total population spoke Fren ...

. By the 20th century, Central Falls had experienced its own population explosion and for a while was the nation's most densely populated city. In 1922, Central Falls' textile mills were temporarily shut down by the New England Textile Strike over an attempted wage cut and hours increase. In recent decades, a large number of

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

immigrants have resided in Central Falls. Central Falls has historically been an extremely diverse city, so much so that when the city celebrated its 100th anniversary with a parade in 1995, more than 100 countries were represented.

Geography

Central Falls is located at (41.889863, −71.392606). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and (6.20%) is water. It is drained by the

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 22,583 people, 7,700 households, and 4,315 families in Central Falls. The population density was 18,913.7 per square mile (7,302.6/km). There were 8,191 housing units at an average density of 6,860.1 per square mile (2,648.7/km). The racial makeup was 27.93% (6,308)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

European American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

(18.36%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 7.47% (1,687)

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 2.32% (523) Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 0.59% (134) Asian, 0.08% (17)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 39.14% (8,840) from other races, and 22.47% (5,074) from

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

or Latino of any race was 65.32% (14,752) of the population. Of the 7,700 households, 43.0% had children under the age of 18; 31.9% were married couples living together; 36.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 26.4% of households consisted of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.1 and the average family size was 3.7. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 5.2% of the population. 28.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 98.8 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $34,689 (with a margin of error of +/- $2,947) and the median family income was $36,928 (+/- $4,820). Males had a median income of $24,390 (+/- $2,861) versus $21,893 (+/- $3,074) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $23,205 (+/- $2,867). Approximately, 23.7% of families and 29.9% 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 ...

, including 39.4% of those under the age of 18 and 17.8% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Central Falls was the only majority-minority municipality in Rhode Island with 60.31 percent of its residents identifying as Hispanic/Latino with Puerto Ricans, Guatemalans, and Colombians making up the largest share among the ethnicity. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, Central Falls had a median household income of $28,901 during the 2012-2016 estimates, making it the poorest municipality in Rhode Island.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,928 people, 6,696 households, and 4,359 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,270 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 57.16% White, 5.82% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 28.35% from other races, and 7.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 47.77% of the population. There were 6,696 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 21.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.38. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,628, and the median income for a family was $26,844. Males had a median income of $23,854 versus $18,544 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $10,825. About 25.9% of families and 29.0% of the population were below the

, including 40.8% of those under age 18 and 29.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Residents are served by the Central Falls School District. This school district is funded and appointed by the State of Rhode Island Department of Education. In February 2010, the entire faculty and administrative staff of Central Falls High School was fired after the teachers' union refused to accept one of the "

No Child Left Behind The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a 2002 United States Act of Congress promoted by the presidential administration of George W. Bush. It reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and included Title I provision ...

" options for restructuring failing schools. In accordance with NCLB legislation, schools deemed failing have four options to follow for restructuring. The superintendent chose the "turnaround model", which requires a district to fire the entire staff (teachers and administrators). They may rehire up to 50% of the teachers for the beginning of the next school year. The school has a graduation rate of around 50%, and 7% of 11th-graders were proficient in mathematics in 2009. This school had been identified as one of the worst in the state. The teachers' union sued the school district, challenging the requirement that teachers reapply for their jobs. The

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...

sided with the school board. In May 2010, the teachers were rehired when they agreed to work the extra time required. As of the 2000 U.S. census, 5.9% of Central Falls residents 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree. There has been at least one Catholic school in Central Falls since 1895. By 1908, there were three: St. Matthew's, Holy Trinity, and Notre Dame. In 1995, these three schools combined to create St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Academy, which is in the building originally serving St. Matthew's. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Academy is the only non-public school in Central Falls.

Government

In the

Rhode Island Senate 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 w ...

, Central Falls is in the 16th District, represented by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Jonathan Acosta. At the federal level, Central Falls is a part of

Rhode Island's 1st congressional district Rhode Island's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It includes all of Bristol County, Rhode Island, Bristol and Newport County, Rhode Island, Newport counties, along with parts of Providence ...

, represented by Democrat

Gabe Amo Gabriel Felix Kofi Amo ( ; born December 11, 1987) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2023. Before running for Congress, Amo worked in the Biden administration as the deputy director of the White House Offic ...

. The city has a mayor-council government led by Mayor Maria Rivera. The city council consists of five wards and is represented by Jonathan Acosta, Robert Ferri, Hugo Figueroa, Franklin Solano, and Jessica Vega. The Pawtucket Water Supply Board owns and operates the water system.

Issues

On April 25, 2010, the ''

Providence Journal Bulletin ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, the largest newspaper in Rhode Island, US. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspaper had won four P ...

'' ran an article detailing rampant fraud and corruption by Mayor Charles D. Moreau, outlining no-bid contracts and kickbacks from a high school friend, Michael G. Bouthillette, who was granted almost $2 million in overpriced property boarding fees. The article further states that Bouthillette gave him a $6,875 furnace for his home for only $6,000, which Moreau said he paid in cash. Bouthillette was a donor to Moreau's multiple reelection campaigns. These allegations and others are being investigated by the

Rhode Island State Police The Rhode Island State Police (RISP) is an agency of the US state of Rhode Island responsible for statewide law enforcement and regulation, especially in areas underserved by local police agencies and on the state's limited-access highways. Its he ...

. Central Falls's government's financial straits worsened in the 2000s as the state cut money to cities and towns, and

pension A pension (; ) is a fund into which amounts are paid regularly during an individual's working career, and from which periodic payments are made to support the person's retirement from work. A pension may be either a " defined benefit plan", wh ...

s and pensioner health insurance for city employees accumulated to the extent that the city government declared insolvency in May 2010 and went into

. On August 1, 2011, Central Falls filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 9, Title 11 of the United States Code. It made the filing as it grappled with an $80 million unfunded pension and retiree health benefit liability that was over five times its annual budget of $17 million.

Presidential Election Voting

Like most other

majority-minority A majority-minority or minority-majority area is a term used to refer to a subdivision in which one or more racial, ethnic, and/or religious minorities (relative to the whole country's population) make up a majority of the local population. Term ...

urban municipalities, Central Falls is overwhelmingly Democratic in presidential elections. No Republican has come remotely close to winning the city in over three decades, during which time voters have consistently backed Democratic nominees with lopsided majorities. In 2020, however, Donald Trump won a massive increase in the vote, mirroring his performance in other majority-Hispanic areas. Despite this, Joe Biden still won by an overwhelming percentage.

National historic places in Central Falls

* Central Falls Congregational Church * Central Falls Mill Historic District *

Central Street School The Central Street School is an historic school building located at 379 Central Street in Central Falls, Rhode Island. This -story wood-frame building was built by the city in 1881 to meet burgeoning demand for education brought about by the su ...

* Samuel B. Conant House * David G. Fales House * Benjamin F. Greene House *

Holy Trinity Church Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

Jenks Park & Cogswell Tower Jenks Park is a city park of Central Falls, Rhode Island. The city's only large park, its development began in 1890 on land donated by Alvin Jenks. Its centerpiece is Cogswell Tower, designed by Pawtucket architect Albert H. Humes and built ...

South Central Falls Historic District The South Central Falls Historic District is a historic district in Central Falls, Rhode Island. It is a predominantly residential area, densely populated, which was developed most heavily in the late 19th century. It is bounded roughly by B ...

* St. Joseph Church * St. Matthew Church (now Holy Spirit Parish) * Valley Falls Mill * Valley Falls Mill, Office and Bath House

Notable people

* Lincoln Carter Almond, 72nd

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 Dan McKee, a member of the Democrati ...

; grew up in Central Falls *

Michael Breault Michael Breault (born May 28, 1958 in Central Falls, Rhode Island) is a game designer and editor, and an author of multiple products for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game from TSR. Early life and education Mike Breault was bo ...

, game designer, editor and author; born in Central Falls *

Malcolm Greene Chace Malcolm Greene Chace (March 12, 1875 – July 16, 1955) was an American financier and textile industrialist who was instrumental in bringing electric power to New England. He was a pioneer of the sport of ice hockey in the United States, and was ...

, financier, head of Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates; born in Central Falls * Francis Condon, US congressman representing

; born in Central Falls *

Viola Davis Viola Davis ( ; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. List of awards and nominations received by Viola Davis, Her accolades include both the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. ''Time (magazine), Time'' named her one of ...

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning actress; grew up in Central Falls * James Diossa, politician, born in Central Falls * Carl Russell Fish, historian and professor at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

; born in Central Falls *

Roland Hemond Roland A. Hemond (October 26, 1929 – December 12, 2021) was an American professional baseball executive who worked in Major League Baseball. He served as the scouting director of the California Angels, general manager of the Chicago White Sox ...

, executive for several

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

teams; born in Central Falls * Leon Stanislaw Jablecki, rocket scientist * Jack McGee, aviation pioneer; born in Central Falls * Glyn O'Malley, playwright; grew up in Central Falls * Charles Risk, US congressman representing

; born in Central Falls * John Robitaille, US Army captain; unsuccessful politician Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate (2010); born in Central Falls *

Max Surkont Matthew Constantine Surkont (June 16, 1922 – October 8, 1986) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played from 1949 through 1957 in the Major League Baseball, Major Leagues. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, Bost ...

, baseball player, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox and Boston Braves; born in Central Falls

References

External links

City of Central Falls

Adams Memorial Library

Blackstone Valley Historical Society
{{authority control Cities in Providence County, Rhode Island Providence metropolitan area Government units that have filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy Cities in Rhode Island Hispanic and Latino American culture in Rhode Island