Johnston is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Providence County,

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, United States. The population was 29,568 at the 2020 census. Johnston is the site of the Clemence Irons House (1691), a stone-ender museum, and the only landfill in Rhode Island. Incorporated on March 6, 1759, Johnston was named for the colonial attorney general, Augustus Johnston.

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 which is land and (2.91%) is water.

Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods in Johnston: Winsor Hill, Thornton (includes part of Cranston), Graniteville, Hughesdale, Morgan Mills, Manton, Simmonsville, Pocasset, West End, Belknap, Moswansicut Lake, Merino and Frog City.

History

The area was first settled by English settlers in the seventeenth century as a farming community. In 1759 the town officially separated from Providence and was incorporated on March 6, 1759. Johnston was named for the current colonial attorney general, Augustus Johnston, who was later burned in

effigy An effigy is a sculptural representation, often life-size, of a specific person or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certain ...

during the Stamp Act protests in 1765 and then fled Rhode Island as a Tory during the American Revolution in 1779. The first house of worship in Johnston opened when the Baptist Meeting House in Belknap was constructed in 1771. During the American Revolution Rhode Island's only gunpowder mill was constructed in Graniteville, and the town hosted American General John Sullivan for a dinner in 1779 upon his departure from Rhode Island to fight in New York. In 1790 the Belknap School, the first public school in the town, was founded. In 1791 the Providence and Norwich Turnpike (today's Plainfield Pike) was chartered.

Demographics

At the 2020

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 ...

, there were 29,568 people and 11,359 households in the town. The population density was . There were 12,501 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 79.45%

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, 3.46%

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 ...

, 0.34% Native American, 3.05% Asian, 0.06%

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, 6.52% from other races, and 7.12% 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 13% of the population. There were 11,359 households, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% 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, 30.5% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 16.7% had a male householder with no spouse present. 11.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.09. Age distribution was 19.3% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $87,514, and the median family income was $104,950. 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 $45,447. About 8.6% 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 9.9% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over. In 2000, 46.7% of Johnston residents identified themselves as being of

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heritage. This was the highest percentage of

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s of any municipality in the country.

Parks and recreation

Johnston War Memorial Park footbridge and sign

Local parks include the Johnston War Memorial Park and Snake Den State Park. Former Providence Mayor Joe Paolino purchased the ''Columbus'' statue that had been removed from Columbus Square in Providence. In 2023, the statue was donated to the city and placed in Memorial Park with the unveiling held on

Columbus Day Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. He went ashore at ...

Government

The town is governed by a mayor (currently Joe Polisena Jr.) and a five-member town council. Johnston is policed by the Johnston Police Department.

Education

The Johnston Public School System has four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Johnston Senior High School is a 2005 Rhode Island Department of Education Regents' Commended School. In 2008, the Johnston School Committee decided to close both Graniteville and Calef Elementary schools. Students affected by the closures were transferred to Brown Avenue Elementary School and Winsor Hill Elementary School. This decision was not without controversy, as school officials, parents and teachers complained of inadequate staffing, increased neighborhood traffic and lack of attention for special-needs students.

Media

Johnston has one local weekly newspaper, the ''Johnston Sun Rise.'' The paper is complimentary, and can be found in many Johnston businesses.

Economy

Insurance company FM Global is based in Johnston. In 2018, Providence-based Citizens Bank opened a $285 million corporate campus in the town. The project encompasses 425,000 square feet and employs around 3,000 people.

Notable people

* Noel Acciari, hockey player, currently with the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

* Zenas Work Bliss, Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island from 1910 to 1913 * Jeanine Calkin, Rhode Island state senator * Amanda Clayton, actress, graduate of Johnston Senior High School * Paul DelVecchio (a.k.a. Pauly D); DJ, reality TV personality (''

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

''); graduate of Johnston Senior High School * Deborah Fellela, member of 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 ...

* Mat Franco, magician *

Samuel Ward King Samuel Ward King (May 23, 1786 – January 20, 1851) was the 15th Governor of Rhode Island from 1839 to 1843. He was born in Johnston, Rhode Island to William Borden King and Welthian Walton King. King attended Brown University but did not gra ...

, 15th Governor of Rhode Island; enacted laws that led to the Dorr Rebellion *

Lou Lamoriello Louis A. Lamoriello (; born October 21, 1942) is an Americans, American professional ice hockey executive who most recently served as the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League ...

, former general manager of the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

and the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

. Now with the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

of the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

* Aria Mia Loberti, actress * Frank Lombardo, Rhode Island state senator * Christopher Lowrey, countertenor * Dan Mazzulla, basketball player and coach * Joe Mazzulla, head coach for the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

* Mario Mendez, member of the

* Joe Polisena, Rhode Island state senator; former mayor of Johnston * Joey Spina, professional boxer * Nathan B. Sprague, 19th-century politician * Stephen Ucci, member of the

Sister cities

* Panni, Apulia, Italy

References

External links

Town of Johnston, Rhode Island Official website

''Johnston Sunrise'' newspaper Official website
{{Authority control Italian-American culture in Rhode Island Little Italys in the United States Providence metropolitan area Towns in Providence County, Rhode Island Towns in Rhode Island