Melville is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in the

towns 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 ...

of Middletown and

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

in Newport 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. It lies along the shore of

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. S ...

. The population of the CDP was 1,320 at the 2010 census. The CDP is named after Admiral George Wallace Melville. Past names for the area include Portsmouth Grove and Bradford.

Military history

Melville was the site of the Lovell General Hospital during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. In the late 1800s Melville became the site of a U.S. Navy coaling station which was later converted for use as a fuel oil depot. During World War II, Melville was the site of a

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...

officer training center, the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Training Center. It was closed after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

ended. Among the officers trained there was future President of the United States

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

. After the Navy's withdrawal from Melville in 1973, the site was redeveloped into a boat yard. The Navy, as of 2020, uses land in Melville for housing and recreation areas.

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 CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (57.23%) is water.

Places of interest

Some locations within Melville CDP include: * Dyer Island (uninhabited) * Melville Marina District, also known as Bend Boat Basin, at Coggeshall Point. * Melville Park, Melville Ponds Campground, and Portsmouth Dog Park, located near a string of ponds * N&NB Railroad Melville Station (Portsmouth Junction Station), also serving as the headquarters of the RI branch of Rail Explorers. * Parts of the

Naval Station Newport Naval Station Newport (NAVSTA Newport) is a United States Navy base located in the city of Newport, Rhode Island, Newport and the town of Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice Scho ...

area, including the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, are located within the southern part of the CDP boundaries.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 1,609 people, 514 households, and 494 families in Melville. The population density was . There were 550 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 66.31% (1,067)

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 ...

(61.59%

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 ...

), 9.14% (147)

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. ...

, 0.5% (8) 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 ...

, 6.28% (101) Asian, 0.5% (8)

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 ...

, 3.85% (62) from other races, and 13.42% (216) 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 was 14.29% (230) of the population. Of the 514 households, 61.5% had children under the age of 18; 70.6% were married couples living together; 9.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 11.1% of households consisted of individuals and 3.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.2 and the average family size was 3.5. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 40.3% of the population. 35.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 38.0% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 4.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 101.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 99.8 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 $84,550 (with a margin of error of +/- $11,553) and the median family income was $84,300 (+/- $13,598). Males had a median income of $61,521 (+/- $13,570) versus $37,739 (+/- $13,093) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $48,486 (+/- $11,432). Approximately, 3.6% of families and 4.7% 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 6.4% of those under the age of 18 and 40.0% of those ages 65 or over.

2000 census

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 2000, there were 2,325 people, 764 households, and 637 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,012 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 78.97%

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 ...

, 9.46%

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 ...

, 0.47% Native American, 4.65% Asian, 0.13%

, 2.92% from other races, and 3.40% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 8.39% of the population. There were 764 households, out of which 61.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.7% 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, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.6% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.36. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 37.8% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 45.9% from 25 to 44, 5.4% from 45 to 64, and 1.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.4 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,314, and the median income for a family was $40,134. Males had a median income of $42,500 versus $20,813 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 CDP was $14,789. About 7.7% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the

, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

References

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Newport County, Rhode Island Census-designated places in Rhode Island