Middletown 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
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. The population was 17,075 at the
2020 census. It lies to the south of
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 ...
and to the north of
Newport on
Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island ( ), officially known as Rhode Island, is an island in Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island. The total land area is , which makes it the largest island in the bay. The 2020 United States Census reported its population as ...
, hence the name "Middletown."
History
Issues including unjust taxation and a growing population caused the freeholders living in the northern section of Newport to petition the General Assembly for independence. As a result of the petition, the land that Middletown occupies was set apart in 1731. The town was incorporated in 1743.
During the 1980s, large sections of East Main Road and West Main Road running through Middletown began to be commercialized, and by the late 1990s, the area had become Aquidneck Island's central business district.
Today, the community boasts a strong business district that relies heavily on
Naval Station Newport and defense
industries.
Middletown also maintains its "small-town charm" with scenic vistas of the Atlantic Ocean, world-class beaches, hiking trails and open spaces.
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 14.9 square miles (38.7 km
2), of which 13.0 square miles (33.6 km
2) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.1 km
2; 13.18%) is water. Middletown was known as the "farming community" of Aquidneck Island. Today most of the developed land is located towards the western part of the town, while what is left of its rural heritage is primarily towards the east. Middletown also has several beaches.
The
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 ...
of
Newport East and part of the
Melville CDP lie within the town boundaries.
Parks and beaches
Middletown is home to
Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, as well as public two beaches and a myriad of open space and recreational opportunities:
* Second Beach (also known as Sachuest Beach), a south-facing beach with concessions, showers, and bathrooms. The west part is known as Surfer's End.
Third Beach is an east-facing beach with fewer waves, grills, and picnic tables.
Parks in Middletown include:
* Albro Woods
* Demery Memorial Park
* Dunlap-Wheeler Park
* Gaudet Athletic Complex
* Green End Fort
* Howland Park
* Linden Park
* Middletown Town Beach
* Middletown Valley Park
* Norman Bird Sanctuary
* Paradise Valley Park
* Prescott Farm
* Purgatory Chasm
* Sakonnet Greenway Trail
* Starlight Drive-In Multiuse Fields
*Witherbee School
* Wyatt Road Soccer Complex
Government

The town is governed by a seven-member
Town Council
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions.
Republic of Ireland
In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...
, elected
at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...
in non-partisan elections. Executive authority is vested in an appointed
town administrator (on the
council–manager model). The town also elects a non-partisan
School Committee.
Middletown forms part of , represented by
Democrat Gabe Amo. At the state level, Middletown is part of one state senate and three state house districts. The 12th
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 ...
district, which also includes parts of Newport,
Little Compton and
Tiverton, is held by Democrat
Louis P. DiPalma. 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 ...
, Middletown forms part of the 72nd, 73rd, and 74th districts. The 72nd, which also includes a portion of Portsmouth, is represented by Democrat
Terri Cortvriend. The 73rd, which is predominantly Newport, is held by Democrat Marvin Abney. The 74th, shared between Middletown and
Jamestown, is represented by Democrat
Alex Finkelman.
Demographics
At the 2020 census, there were 17,075 people and 7,237 households in the town. The population density was . There were 8,029 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 78.48%
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 ...
, 4.98%
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 ...
, 0.41%
Native American, 3.4%
Asian, 0.13%
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 ...
, 3.36% from
other races, and 9.24% 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 7.92% of the population.
There were 7,237 households, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 27% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 20.5% had a male householder with no spouse present. Of all households, 13.9% were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.86.
Of the population, 18.9% were under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.2 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 $97,650 and the median family income was $124,713. The per capita income for the town was $56,184. About 10.0% of the population was below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Newport State Airport, a public-use
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...
airport and the only airport on Aquidneck Island, is located in Middletown.
West Main Road (
RI-114) and East Main Road (
RI-138) are the
main roads running north–south through Middletown.
Sports
Middletown is home to
St Columba's Cricket Club, which hosts an annual
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
tournament for teams throughout the
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
area. The Newport National Golf Club is located in Middletown. The town is also home to the Middletown Islanders hockey, football, baseball, volleyball, and lacrosse teams. They also are involved with
Pop Warner football and cheerleading. More known as a middle school football league, Pop Warner hosts from very young ages and separates them by age.
* Kids ages 6–8: Mighty Mights
* Kids ages 9 & 10: Junior Pee Wee
* Kids ages 11 & 12: Pee Wee
* Kids ages 13 & 14: Midget
Schools
The
Middletown Public School District consists of four schools serving pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. They are Aquidneck Elementary School (grades Pre-K to 3), Forest Avenue Elementary School (grades K–3), Joseph H. Gaudet Middle School (grades 4–8) and
Middletown High School (grades 9–12).
Middletown is also home to private schools, including All Saints Academy (grades K–8), a Catholic school, and
St. George's School (grades 9–12).
Historic sites in Middletown
*
Boyd's Windmill, built 1810
*
Bailey Farm, built 1838
*
Clambake Club of Newport, built in 1895
*
Gardiner Pond Shell Midden
*
Hamilton Hoppin House, built in 1856
*
Lyman C. Joseph House, built 1882
*
Norman Bird Sanctuary, central house built
*
Paradise School, built 1875
*
Prescott Farm,
*
Whitehall (Rhode Island), built 1729
*
Witherbee School, built 1900
Notable people
*
Israel T. Almy,
Fall River architect, born in Middletown
*
George Berkeley
George Berkeley ( ; 12 March 168514 January 1753), known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland), was an Anglo-Irish philosopher, writer, and clergyman who is regarded as the founder of "immaterialism", a philos ...
(a.k.a. Bishop Berkeley), 18th century
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...
philosopher, known for his doctrine of
immaterialism. He lived in Middletown between 1729 and 1731.
*
Edwin Booth
Edwin Thomas Booth (November 13, 1833 – June 7, 1893) was an American stage actor and theatrical manager who toured throughout the United States and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869, he founded Booth's Th ...
, actor. He built summer cottage "
Boothden" in Middletown in 1884.
*
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...
, actor. He once lived in Middletown.
*
Bill Cowsill, singer-songwriter, musician and record producer, born in Middletown (1948)
*
Charlie Day, actor (''
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', also known colloquially simply as ''Always Sunny'', is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and co-developed by Glenn Howerton for FX (TV channel), FX. It premiered on August 4, 2005, and stars Charl ...
''), grew up in Middletown
*
Charles A. Flynn, retired
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
General, born in Middleton (1963)
*
Michael T. Flynn, retired United States Army
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
, former
National Security Advisor to President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
and former
Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency
The Director of the United States Defense Intelligence Agency is a military officer who, upon nomination by the President of the United States and confirmation by the Senate, serves as the United States' highest-ranking military intelligence offi ...
under President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
, born in Middletown (1958)
*
Richard Hatch,
Survivor
Survivor(s) may refer to:
* one who survives
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series
* ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...
contestant, grew up in Middletown
*
Obadiah Holmes, colonial Baptist minister; ancestor of President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
. He lived and is buried in a part of Newport annexed to Middletown.
*
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...
, film director, screenwriter and actor (''
Moulin Rouge (1952),
Key Largo'').
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People and fictional and mythical characters
* Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar
* Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
winner (''
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre''). Died in Middletown (1987).
See also
*
References
External links
Town of Middletown official websiteMiddletown Historical Society
{{Coord, 41, 32, 44, N, 71, 17, 29, W, type:city_region:US-RI, display=title
Towns in Newport County, Rhode Island
Narragansett Bay
Populated coastal places in Rhode Island
Providence metropolitan area
Towns in Rhode Island