North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and is part of the Providence metropolitan area. Its population was 27,732 in the 2020 census. North Kingstown is the birthplace of American

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...

ist

Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter born in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-k ...

, who was born in the village of Saunderstown. Within the town is Quonset Point, location of the former Naval Air Station Quonset Point, known for the invention of the Quonset hut, as well as the historic village of

Wickford Wickford is a town and civil parish in the south of the English county (England), county of Essex, with a population of 33,486. Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of London, it is within the Borough of Basildon along with the orig ...

History

The area was first settled by

Roger Williams Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...

and Richard Smith, who set up trading posts near Wickford where Smith's Castle is today. The town of Kings Towne was founded in 1674, by the colonial government, and included the present-day towns of North Kingstown, South Kingstown,

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, and Narragansett. In 1723, Kings Towne was split into two parts, North Kingstown and South Kingstown, with North Kingstown, having the earliest settlements, retaining the 1674 establishment date. In 1742, the town of Exeter was taken from the western part of North Kingstown. On September 17, 2024, the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

announced that North Kingstown was named a World War II Heritage City.

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 (25.28%) are covered by water. It is bordered on the east by Narragansett Bay.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, 27,732 people and 11,338 households were in the town. The population density was , with 12,189 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 89.59% White, 1.27% African American, 0.57% American Indian/Alaska Native, 1.90% Asian, 1.19% from some other race, and 5.42% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.65% of the population. Of the 11,338 households, 28.1% had children under 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 23.6% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 14.2% had a male householder with no spouse present. About 11.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.98. In the town, the age distribution was 18.4% under 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 44 years. The median income for a household in the town was $120,565, and for a family was $144,898. 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 $61,280. About 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under 18 and 6.6% of those 65 or over.

Transportation

Wickford Junction is a terminus station on the Providence/Stoughton Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail, providing weekday train service to Providence Station and Boston's South Station. At 63 miles from Boston, it is the most distant station in the MBTA's 135-station commuter-rail network, and the only one in its most expensive fare zone.

RIPTA The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The main hub of the RIPTA system is Kennedy Plaza, a large bus terminal in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. ...

also serves in the town inbound to Providence and outbound to Narragansett or Newport. North Kingstown is also served by a passenger ferry connecting to the island of

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

Education

North Kingstown School Department is the municipal school district. It operates

North Kingstown High School North Kingstown Senior High School (North Kingstown High School) is a public secondary school located in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States. The school, which serves grades 9–12, is attended by residents of both North Kingstown and J ...

Notable people

* Elizabeth Beisel, two-time Olympic medalist swimmer * John Cole (1715–1777), was a lawyer and 12th chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court * Captain Daniel Fones *

(1755–1828), painter, his portrait of

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 ...

appears on the one-dollar bill * Dee Dee Myers (born 1961), 19th White House press secretary * Robert J. Papp Jr. - naval

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

and recipient of the Order of Naval Merit Admiral Padilla

Points of interest

* Casey Farm (1725): An original colonial plantation, it is today one of the oldest operational farms in

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 ...

. * Davis Memorial Wildlife Refuge: These 96 acres of forest and wetlands are preserved by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. * Devil's Foot Rock: A footprint-like natural impression or possibly petrosomatoglyph was found here. Legends going back to the colonial era tell of a Native American woman being chased by the devil. Some say that she fled from Boston. Her pursuer is said to have left his footprints at Devil's Foot Rock, then at Chimney Hill in South Kingstown, and finally at Block Island. * Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum (1751): The house in which American portraitist Gilbert Stuart was born in 1755 is now a museum, which features works from throughout Stuart's career, and operational grist and snuff mills. * Historic Wickford Village: A historic seaside village, it contains one of the largest collections of preserved 18th-century houses in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

. Wickford also has a large and scenic harbor. * David S. Baker Estate: This is the home of Rhode Island's first elected governor to never be seated. * Quonset Air Museum: A large museum, it is located at the former Naval Air Station Quonset Point, which focuses on military aviation history. * Smith's Castle (1678): This colonial plantation is located on the shore of Narragansett Bay. * Quonset Point, a former military base, once was the home of the Naval Construction Battalions known as the Seabees.

Other National Historic Places in North Kingstown

* Allen-Madison House (1801) * Camp Endicott (1942) * Crowfield Historic District * Davisville Historic District * George Douglas House (1738) * George Fayerweather Blacksmith Shop (1819) * Ezekial Gardner House * Hamilton Mill Village Historic District * Lafayette Village * Stephen Northup House (1712) * Old Narragansett Cemetery * Old Narragansett Church (1707) * Palmer-Northrup House (1680) * Joseph Pierce Farm * Plum Beach Light (1899) * Poplar Point Light (1831) * Rathbun House * Esbon Sanford House (1832) * Saunderstown Historic District *

Six Principle Baptist Church Six Principle Baptist Church (also known as Stony Lane Baptist Church, Stony Lane Six Principle Baptist Church and Old Baptist Meeting House) is a historic church in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. As of 2009 it was one of the last surviving hist ...

(1703) * Joseph Slocum House (1750) * Spink Farm (1798) * St. Paul's Church (1847) *

YWCA Site The YWCA Site is an archaeological site in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, Unit ...

File:Old Narragansett Church Wickford front view.jpg, Old Narragansett Church, built in 1707, is the oldest Episcopal Church building in New England File:Baptist Church in Wickford RI.jpg, Baptist Church in Wickford

References

External links

Town of North Kingstown website
{{authority control Towns in Washington County, Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Populated coastal places in Rhode Island Providence metropolitan area Towns in Rhode Island