Pascoag, Rhode Island
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Pascoag ( or ) is a census-designated place (CDP) and village in
Providence County, Rhode Island Providence County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence County contains the city of Providence, the state cap ...
, United States. The population was 4,577 at the 2010 census. Pascoag is one of eight villages that make up the town of Burrillville.


Geography

Pascoag is located at (41.957401, -71.705957). The village is centered on the
Pascoag River The Pascoag River ( or ) is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 4.5 miles (7 km). There are five dams along the river's length. Course The river rises from the various streams that feed the Pascoag Reservoir ...
at its outlet from the Pascoag Reservoir. The river drops through the village, providing ample power for industry in the village's early days. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.5 square miles; 5 square miles is land and 0.4 square miles (7.88%) is water.


Demographics


2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 4,641 people, 1,811 households, and 1,189 families in Pascoag. The population density was 915.6 per square mile (353.5/km). There were 1,978 housing units at an average density of 390.2 per square mile (150.7/km). The racial makeup was 92.76% (4,305)
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 ...
or
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 ...
(91.4%
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 ...
), 0.69% (32)
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 ...
or
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. ...
, 0.3% (14) 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 ...
, 0.39% (18) Asian, 0.06% (3)
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 1.29% (60) from other races, and 4.5% (209) 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 3.84% (178) of the population. Of the 1,811 households, 34.6% had children under the age of 18; 46.4% were married couples living together; 24.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 24.0% of households consisted of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.0. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 18.6% of the population. 22.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 104.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 108.2 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 $86,741 (with a margin of error of +/- $14,413) and the median family income was $89,398 (+/- $23,198). Males had a median income of $55,735 (+/- $16,984) versus $32,155 (+/- $12,092) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $45,846 (+/- $8,341). Approximately, 6.1% of families and 7.0% 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 7.8% of those under the age of 18 and 13.8% of those ages 65 or over.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,742 people, 1,642 households, and 1,175 families residing in the village. The racial makeup was 98.33% White, 0.36% African American, 0.32% American Indian, 0.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population. The population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. The median income for a household was $48,778, and the median income for a family was $54,391.


History

The name of Burrillville's principal village, Pascoag, named after the
Pascoag River The Pascoag River ( or ) is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 4.5 miles (7 km). There are five dams along the river's length. Course The river rises from the various streams that feed the Pascoag Reservoir ...
upon which it is located, probably derives from an Algonquian Indian root. The Nipmuc word for snake was rendered "askug" 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 ...
in his ''
A Key Into the Language of America ''A Key into the Language of America'' or ''An help to the Language of the Natives in that part of America called New England'' is a book written by Roger Williams in 1643 describing the Native American languages in New England in the 17th centu ...
,'' and "askoog" by the Reverend John Eliot in his Algonquian translation of the Bible. Pascoag can trace its origins back to the first half of the 18th century, when a saw mill and other businesses were built in what is now the village center. In the 19th century, Pascoag became a textile manufacturing town, an industry that continued until 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 ...
. From 1891 until the 1930s the Woonsocket and Pascoag Railroad operated trains to Pascoag, but the line (currently operated by the Providence & Worcester Railroad) now terminates in Slatersville. The horror author HP Lovecraft set part of his story "
The Horror at Red Hook "The Horror at Red Hook" is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, written on August 1–2, 1925. "Red Hook" is a transitional tale, situated between the author's earlier work and the later Cthulhu Mythos. Although the story depicts a ...
" (1925) in Pascoag. Recent history includes an incident involving
groundwater contamination Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidat ...
. A test of the groundwater conducted on September 14, 2001, showed that the water contained the ether
MTBE Methyl ''tert''-butyl ether (MTBE), also known as ''tert''-butyl methyl ether, is an organic compound with a structural formula (CH3)3COCH3. MTBE is a volatile, flammable, and colorless liquid that is sparingly soluble in water. Primarily used as ...
(methyl tertiary-butyl ether) at levels of over 350 ppb (parts per billion). This was the first public statement concerning the presence of MTBE in Pascoag drinking water, though residents claim to have detected it as early as May 2001. MTBE is a
gasoline Gasoline ( North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When for ...
additive intended to enhance octane levels. It is believed to have come from leaking tanks at a local
ExxonMobil Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the Successors of Standard Oil, largest direct s ...
gas station. As the situation was resolved over the following months, nearly 1,500 residents of Pascoag responded by filing a lawsuit against ExxonMobil through the law offices of Napoli, Kaiser, and Bern and Houston attorney Armistead Easterby. ExxonMobil signed off on a $7 million settlement with residents of Pascoag in May 2012, to cover the cost of having the Pascoag Public Utility District bore new wells.


Historic sites

* Pascoag Grammar School (1917)


References


External links


History of PascoagPascoag Public LibraryPascoag Utility DistrictPascoag Riverwalk
at Town of Burrillville website

The Pascoag Cafe {{authority control Census-designated places in Providence County, Rhode Island Villages in Providence County, Rhode Island Burrillville, Rhode Island Providence metropolitan area Villages in Rhode Island Census-designated places in Rhode Island