Coventry is a town in
Kent County, Rhode Island
Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the population was 170,363, making it the second-most populous county in Rhode Island. The county was formed in 1750 from the southern third of Provide ...
. The population was 35,688 at the
2020 census and is part of the .
Geography
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 town has a total area of . of it is land and of it (4.49%) is water. The town is bordered by
West Warwick to the east,
Foster,
Scituate, and
Cranston to the north,
West Greenwich and
East Greenwich to the south, and
Sterling,
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, to the west. It is the largest town in land area in Rhode Island, being surpassed in total area only by
South Kingstown, Rhode Island
South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind Ne ...
, with water and land area of .
Climate
According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Coventry has an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.
History
Coventry was settled by English colonists in the early 18th century, when it was part of
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...
. The area was far from the center of Warwick and grew very slowly. However, by 1741, enough farmers (about 100 families) had settled in the area that they petitioned the General Assembly of Rhode Island to create their own town. The petition was granted, and the new town was named Coventry after the
English city. For the rest of the 18th century, Coventry remained a rural town populated by farmers. Among the buildings that survive are the
Waterman Tavern (1740s), the
Nathanael Greene Homestead (1770), and the
Paine Homestead (late 17th century to early 18th century). The oldest church i
Maple Root Baptist Churchwhich dates from the end of the 18th century. The congregation was organized in 1762 and was affiliated with the
General Six-Principle Baptists.
During the
Revolutionary War, the people of Coventry were supporters of the patriot cause.
Nathanael Greene
Major general (United States), Major General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He emerge ...
, a resident of Coventry, rose through the ranks to become a leading general of the American army. By the end of the war, Greene was second in command in the US army after
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
.
In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution came to Coventry with the building of the first mill in Anthony. Over the next century, the eastern end of town became very industrialized, with manufacturing centers being located in Anthony,
Washington,
Quidnick, and
Harris villages. Many of the old factories still stand in the town, and the village centers remain mostly intact. The demographics of the town changed, as industrial jobs at these new mill villages attracted
French Canadian
French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
and Irish immigrants. By the end of the 19th century, almost one fourth of the population was born outside the US, and French was the primary language for many of the people in the eastern part of Coventry. Not all immigrants worked in the factories. Census records from the late 19th century show that some owned farms.
By comparison, the western end of the town remained very rural, with the only centers of population being located at
Greene and
Summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
, both established as railroad stations on the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated principally in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
.

In the 20th century, the town went through much change. The advent of the automobile brought an end of the railroad, and the track was dismantled in the 1970s. By the mid-20th century, industry had largely left the town and most of the factories closed.
Recreation
Coventry offers a few recreation facilities. The town has youth sport leagues for football (boasting the 2006 American Youth Football National title), basketball, baseball, and softball. Carbuncle Pond off
Route 14 (Plainfield Pike) near the Connecticut border is a pond that is popular for freshwater fishing. Johnson's Pond, a waterfront neighborhood, houses facilities for fishing and watersports. ''Wakeboarding Magazine'' rated Johnson's Pond as the best location for
wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is a water sport in which the rider, standing on a wakeboard (a board with foot bindings), is towed behind a motorboat across its wake and especially up off the crest in order to perform aerial maneuvers. A hallmark of wakeboarding ...
in Rhode Island. The George B. Parker woodland, owned by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, offers several hiking trails. The woodland caretaker's home dates from the mid 18th century.
The town has been investing in the Coventry Greenway, a pedestrian and bicycle path built on the old New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad right-of-way and part of the
East Coast Greenway, a trail running from
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
to
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. The Coventry Greenway travels from the
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
state line to the
West Warwick town line. The greenway has recently undergone a massive renovation and has reopened to the public as a walking, cycling, and horse trail.
Villages
Coventry has numerous villages founded in the 19th century:
*
Anthony – Mill village in the eastern part of the town
*
Arkwright – Mill village founded by
James DeWolf
*
Blackrock
BlackRock, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational investment company. Founded in 1988, initially as an enterprise risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager ...
– Named after a large dark rock rumored to be the site of Indian marriage ceremonies
* Colvintown – Named after original settlers
*
Coventry Centre – Village in the geographic center of Coventry
*
Fairbanks – Mill village along the
Moosup River
*
Greene – Old railroad village in the western end of town
*
Harris – Mill village in the northeastern part of town
*
Hopkins Hollow – Rural hamlet in the southwestern part of town
*
Quidnick – Mill village on the border of West Warwick
*
Rice City – Rural village in the northwestern part of town, dominated by Rice Tavern (1804), which used to serve travelers on their way to Connecticut
*
Spring Lake – Former mill village
*
Summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
– Railroad village near Greene
*
Tiogue – Formerly Barclay, after
Robert Barclay
*
Washington – Mill village in the center of the town
*
Whaley's Hollow – Mill village and location of
Waterman Tavern
Historic homes
Coventry boasts many old homes, churches and cemeteries. Farmhouses from the 18th century can be found scattered around the town, and many are still private residences. On the eastern side of town, many homes from the 19th century can be found, ranging from the two-family mill workers residence to mansions owned by the town elites. The village of
Greene and the
Rice City and
Hopkins Hollow parts of town have remained unchanged since the 19th century. Also, many of the churches in Coventry date from the 19th century and are still functioning churches.
National Register of Historic Places listings in Coventry
*
Isaac Bowen House (1795)
*
Joseph Briggs House-Coventry Town Farm (1790)
*
Carbuncle Hill Archaeological District, RI-1072-1079
*
General Nathanael Greene Homestead (1770)
*
Hopkins Hollow Village
*
Interlaken Mill Bridge (1885)
*
Moosup River Site (RI-1153)
*
Paine House (1748)
*
Pawtuxet Valley Dyeing Company (1859)
*
Read School (1831)
*
Rice City Historic District
*
South Main Street Historic District (Coventry, Rhode Island)
*
Waterman Tavern (1744) �
Historical Marker for Waterman Tavern – HMdb*
William Waterman House
*
Wilson-Winslow House (1812)
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2020, there were 35,688 people and 14,503 households in the town. The population density was . There were 14,931 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 90.90%
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 ...
, 0.94%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.23%
Native American, 1.30%
Asian, 0.03%
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 ...
, 1.17% from
other races, and 5.44% from two or more races.
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 ...
or
Latino of any race were 3.44% of the population.
There were 14,503 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% 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, 26.7% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 15.2% had a male householder with no spouse present. 8.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years.
The median income for a household in the town was $99,177, and the median income for a family was $115,718. 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 town was $46,557. About 7.9% 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 8.0% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Pursuant to its charter, Coventry's municipal government is classified as Council-Manager, with all powers vested in an elected Town Council, including the appointment of a Town Manager. Each Town councilperson represents one of five municipal districts. Members of the School Committee are also elected using these districts.
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 ...
, Coventry is a part of the 21st and 33rd Districts. In the
Rhode Island House of Representatives
The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...
it is part of the a part of the 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th and 40th Districts. At the federal level, Coventry is included in
Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district
Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district located in the southern and western part of the U.S. state, U.S State of Rhode Island.The district is currently represented by Democratic Party (United States), Democrat Seth ...
and is currently represented by Democrat
Seth M. Magaziner.
Notable people
*
Henry B. Anthony (1815–1884), US senator and the 21st
governor of Rhode Island; anti-Catholic newspaperman; born in Coventry
*
Henry P. Baldwin (1814–1892), US senator from and the 15th
governor of Michigan
The governor of Michigan is the head of government of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the state's 49th governor. She was re-ele ...
; born in Coventry
*
Allen Bestwick (born 1961), Race Announcer with NBC and ESPN/ABC. Notable for his
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
work
*
Peter Frechette, actor
*
Nathanael Greene
Major general (United States), Major General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He emerge ...
(1742–1786), Continental Army general during the
Revolutionary War
*
Mike Stefanik, driver with
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
*
Desiree Washington, contestant of
Miss Black America whom Heavyweight boxer
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...
was found guilty of raping
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Coventry, Rhode Island is
twinned with:
*
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
, United Kingdom
References
External links
*
Official website
{{authority control
Towns in Kent County, Rhode Island
Providence metropolitan area
Towns in Rhode Island
1741 establishments in Rhode Island