Warwick, Rhode Island
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2007) |
City of Warwick | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 41°43′N 71°25′W / 41.717°N 71.417°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Rhode Island |
County | Kent |
Founded | 1642 |
Incorporated (Town) | August 8, 1647 |
Incorporated (City) | April 21, 1931 |
Government | |
• Type | Mayor-council |
• Mayor | Joseph J. Solomon (D) |
• City Council | Richard Corley (D) Jeremy M. Rix (D) Timothy Howe (D) Edgar N. Ladouceur (D) Donna M. Travis (D) Steven McAllister (D) Joseph E. Gallucci (D) Steve Merolla (D) |
Area | |
• Total | 49.62 sq mi (128.52 km2) |
• Land | 35.50 sq mi (91.94 km2) |
• Water | 14.1 sq mi (36.6 km2) |
Elevation | 36 ft (11 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 82,672 |
• Density | 2,328.8/sq mi (899.2/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
ZIP code | 02886, 02888, 02889 |
Area code | 401 |
FIPS code | 44-74300[1] |
GNIS feature ID | 1220018[2] |
Website | www.warwickri.gov |
Warwick (/ˈwɔːrwɪk/) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the second largest city in the state with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Warwick is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, 63 miles (101 km) southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, and 171 miles (275 km) northeast of New York City.
Warwick was founded by Samuel Gorton in 1642 and has witnessed major events in American history. It was decimated during King Philip's War (1675–76) and was the site of the Gaspee Affair, a significant prelude to the American Revolution. Warwick is also the home of Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene, George Washington's second-in-command, and Civil War General George S. Greene, hero of the battle of Gettysburg. Today, it is home to Rhode Island's main airport T. F. Green Airport, which serves the Providence area and also functions as a reliever for Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts.
Early history
Warwick was founded in 1642[3] by Samuel Gorton when Narragansett Indian Sachem Miantonomi sold him the Shawhomett Purchase for 144 fathoms of wampum. This included the towns of Coventry and West Warwick, Rhode Island. However, the purchase was not without dispute. Sachems Sacononoco and Pumham claimed that Miantonomi had sold the land without asking for their approval. They took their case to Boston, where they placed their lands under Massachusetts rule. In 1643, Massachusetts Bay Colony sent a militia force to Shawomett to arrest Gorton and his followers. After a tense standoff, all but three of the Gortonists surrendered to the Massachusetts force. This event caused the other three settlements on Narragansett Bay (Providence Plantations, Portsmouth, and Newport) to unite and get a royal charter allowing them to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.[4]
In 1648, Gorton was granted a Charter by Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, Lord Admiral and head of the Parliamentary Commission on Plantation Affairs. Because of this, the name of the settlement was changed from Shawhomett to Warwick. Massachusetts continued to lay claim to the area, but it made no further effort to enforce it.[4]
In 1772, Warwick was the scene of the first violent act against the British Crown in the Gaspee Affair. Local patriots boarded the Gaspee,[5] a revenue cutter that enforced the Stamp Act 1765 and Townshend Acts in Narragansett Bay. It was here that the first blood was spilled in the American Revolution when Gaspee's commanding officer Lt. Dudingston was shot and seriously wounded during the struggle for the ship. The Gaspee was stripped of all cannon and arms, then burned.[6]
During the Revolution, Warwick militiamen participated in the battles of Montreal, Quebec, Saratoga, Monmouth, and Trenton, and they were present for the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781.
Transportation
Major traversing highways include:
Interstate 95 is the major thoroughfare of Rhode Island, with the first southbound exit in Warwick at Jefferson Boulevard, and ending with the Route 117 interchange, near the Apponaug rotaries. Interstate 295 connects to the main highway at exit 11, providing direct travel to Woonsocket and Massachusetts. Smaller routes include Route 37 (Lincoln Avenue Freeway) connecting 295 to U.S. Route 1, and the Airport Connector Road.
T. F. Green Airport is a station on the Providence/Stoughton Commuter Rail Line, providing weekday service to Providence Station and Boston's South Station.[7]
Climate
Climate data for Warwick, Rhode Island (T.F. Green Airport), 1981–2010 normals | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) |
72 (22) |
90 (32) |
98 (37) |
96 (36) |
98 (37) |
102 (39) |
104 (40) |
100 (38) |
88 (31) |
81 (27) |
77 (25) |
104 (40) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 37.4 (3.0) |
40.3 (4.6) |
47.8 (8.8) |
58.6 (14.8) |
68.4 (20.2) |
77.5 (25.3) |
82.8 (28.2) |
81.4 (27.4) |
74.2 (23.4) |
63.3 (17.4) |
53.2 (11.8) |
42.3 (5.7) |
60.6 (15.9) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 21.0 (−6.1) |
23.6 (−4.7) |
30.0 (−1.1) |
39.6 (4.2) |
48.6 (9.2) |
58.4 (14.7) |
64.2 (17.9) |
63.2 (17.3) |
55.3 (12.9) |
43.9 (6.6) |
35.7 (2.1) |
26.3 (−3.2) |
42.5 (5.8) |
Record low °F (°C) | −13 (−25) |
−17 (−27) |
1 (−17) |
11 (−12) |
29 (−2) |
39 (4) |
48 (9) |
40 (4) |
32 (0) |
20 (−7) |
6 (−14) |
−12 (−24) |
−17 (−27) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.76 (96) |
3.34 (85) |
5.00 (127) |
4.36 (111) |
3.55 (90) |
3.64 (92) |
3.28 (83) |
3.60 (91) |
3.92 (100) |
3.92 (100) |
4.51 (115) |
4.21 (107) |
47.09 (1,196) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 10.3 (26) |
8.6 (22) |
5.6 (14) |
0.7 (1.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1.4 (3.6) |
7.3 (19) |
33.8 (86) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11.0 | 9.7 | 11.9 | 11.3 | 12.0 | 10.9 | 9.4 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 9.4 | 10.1 | 11.6 | 125.0 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.6 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 18.3 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 170.5 | 175.2 | 217.0 | 225.0 | 254.2 | 273.0 | 291.4 | 263.5 | 234.0 | 207.7 | 147.0 | 148.8 | 2,607.3 |
Source 1: NOAA (extremes 1904–present),[8] The Weather Channel[9] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: HKO (sun only, 1961–1990)[10] |
Geography
Warwick is located at 41°43′N 71°25′W / 41.717°N 71.417°W (41.7181, −71.4152).[11]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.6 square miles (128 km2), of which, 35.5 square miles (92 km2) of it is land and 14.1 square miles (37 km2) of it (28.46%) is water.
The following villages are located in Warwick:
- Apponaug[12]
- Arnold's Neck[12]
- Brush Neck Cove[12]
- Buttonwoods[12]
- Cedar Tree Point[12]
- Chepiwanoxet[12]
- Coles[12]
- Conimicut[12]
- Cowesett[12]
- Dryden Heights[12]
- Duby Grove[12]
- East Natick[12]
- Gaspee point[12]
- Goddard Park[12]
- Grant Point[12]
- Greenwood[12]
- Governor Francis Farms[12]
- Hillsgrove[12]
- Hoxsie[12]
- Knight[12]
- Lakewood[12]
- Lincoln Park[12]
- Lockwood Corner[12]
- Nausauket[12]
- Natick[12]
- Norwood[12]
- Oakland Beach[12]
- Old Buttonwoods[12]
- Pawtuxet Village (also in Cranston)[12]
- Pocasset[12]
- Pontiac (also in Cranston)[12]
- Potowomut[12]
- Riverview[12]
- Shawomet[12]
- Warwick Neck[12]
- Wildes Corner[12]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1830 | 5,529 | — | |
1840 | 6,726 | 21.6% | |
1850 | 7,740 | 15.1% | |
1860 | 8,916 | 15.2% | |
1870 | 10,453 | 17.2% | |
1880 | 12,164 | 16.4% | |
1890 | 17,761 | 46.0% | |
1900 | 21,316 | 20.0% | |
1910 | 26,629 | 24.9% | |
1920 | 13,481 | −49.4% | |
1930 | 23,196 | 72.1% | |
1940 | 28,757 | 24.0% | |
1950 | 43,028 | 49.6% | |
1960 | 68,504 | 59.2% | |
1970 | 83,694 | 22.2% | |
1980 | 87,123 | 4.1% | |
1990 | 85,427 | −1.9% | |
2000 | 85,808 | 0.4% | |
2010 | 82,672 | −3.7% | |
2016 (est.) | 81,579 | [13] | −1.3% |
U.S. Decennial Census |
Warwick is officially a part of the Providence metropolitan area, which has a population of 1,600,852 in 2010 census. As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 85,808 people, 35,517 households, and 22,979 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,417.2 people per square mile (933.3/km²). There were 37,085 housing units at an average density of 1,044.7 per square mile (403.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.21% White, 1.16% African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.60% of the population.
There were 35,517 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,483, and the median income for a family was $56,225. Males had a median income of $39,455 versus $28,946 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,410. About 4.2% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Year | GOP | DEM | Others |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | 44.25% 18,338 | 48.35% 20,038 | 7.39% 3,064 |
2012 | 37.21% 15,027 | 60.54% 24,448 | 2.24% 905 |
2008 | 38.37% 16,541 | 59.85% 25,802 | 1.79% 770 |
2004 | 41.02% 16,640 | 57.10% 23,164 | 1.87% 760 |
2000 | 32.37% 12,741 | 60.85% 23,948 | 6.78% 2,669 |
1996 | 26.83% 10,414 | 59.64% 23,152 | 13.53% 5,254 |
1992 | 29.88% 13,348 | 45.90% 20,504 | 24.22% 10,822 |
1988 | 45.29% 18,052 | 54.34% 21,662 | 0.37% 149 |
Warwick is split into three districts in the Rhode Island Senate which are currently held by Democrats Michael McCaffrey (District 29), Jeanine Calkin (District 30), and Erin Lynch-Prata. The town is a part of Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district, which is currently represented by Democrat James Langevin. It is traditionally Democratic in presidential elections; no Republican has carried it in over three decades, although Donald J. Trump came close in 2016 when he lost the municipality by just over four points.
Economy
Before its dissolution, Eckerd Corporation had its headquarters in Warwick.[15]
The ten largest employers in Warwick are Kent Memorial Hospital, Citizens Bank- Warwick Call Center, UPS, MetLife, City of Warwick, Leviton Manufacturing, Wal-Mart, Community College of Rhode Island, J.C. Penney, Kenney Manufacturing, and Inskip Automall. [citation needed]
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Notable people
- Richard S. Aldrich, U.S. Representative[16]
- Bill Almon, MLB player attended Warwick Veterans Memorial High School
- Rocco Baldelli, MLB player who attended Bishop Hendricken High School
- John Brown (Rhode Island), American merchant and participant in the Gaspee Affair; Brown University is named for him
- Lincoln Chafee, former Governor of RI and subsequently led an unsuccessful run for the Presidency
- John Chafee, former Governor of RI, Secretary of the Navy under President Richard M. Nixon, and U.S. senator
- Christine Bannon-Rodrigues, martial artist and actress
- Damian Costantino, NCAA record holder with hits in 60 consecutive games[17]
- Sara Decosta, US Women's hockey goalie
- Elleanor Eldridge, writer
- George S. Greene, U.S. Civil War general
- Mary Ann Greene, lawyer
- Nathanael Greene, Revolutionary War general and second in command to George Washington
- Martha McSally, retired Air Force Colonel and politician
- Raymond Nels Nelson, bureau chief of the Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin in Warwick, murdered Senate staffer
- Matthew Calbraith Perry, Commodore U.S. Navy, served in the Mexican–American War and the War of 1812; considered the father of the "Steam Navy"
- Oliver Hazard Perry, Navy Captain, hero of the Battle of Lake Erie, War of 1812
- Lorraine K. Potter, Chief of Chaplains of the Air Force
- Craig Price, murderer from Buttonwoods, briefly attended Warwick Veterans Memorial High School
- Chris Terreri, NHL goalie attended Pilgrim High School
- Dan Wheeler, MLB pitcher attended Pilgrim High School
- Doug White, former WJAR news anchor
- Fred Whittingham, NFL player and coach, attended Warwick Veterans Memorial High School
- James Woods, actor, attended Pilgrim High School in 1965[18][19]
Education
Local public schools are operated by Warwick Public Schools.[20] Toll Gate High School and Pilgrim High School are the two comprehensive public high schools located in Warwick. The two public middle schools are Winman Junior High School and Warwick Veterans Junior High School. Aldrich Junior High School and Gorton Junior High School have recently closed in 2016 as part of the school consolidation project.[21] The school department is headed by superintendent Philip Thornton.[22]
Bishop Hendricken High School is an all-male college preparatory Catholic high school located in Warwick.[23] Rocky Hill School is a P–12 coed secular country day school located on Warwick's isolated Potowomut peninsula. The school lists an East Greenwich address, despite being geographically included as part of the city of Warwick.[24]
The Community College of Rhode Island Knight Campus is also located in Warwick on the former Knight Estate.[25]
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Admin. "Welcome to Warwick History". www.warwickhistory.com. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ a b Austin 1887, p. 302.
- ^ This version of the story is told by Ephraim Bowen and John Mawney in Staples, William R., The Documentary History of the Destruction of the Gaspee, (Providence, R.I.: Knowles, Vose, and Anthony, 1845), p. 14–16. These men had taken part in burning Gaspee and made these statements in 1826.
- ^ "Joseph Bucklin V Biography". Joseph Bucklin Society. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ Authority, Massachusetts Bay Transportation. "Providence/Stoughton Line < Commuter Rail < Schedules & Maps < MBTA - Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority". mbta.com. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ "Monthly average temperatures and precipitation". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
- ^ "Climatological Normals of Providence". Hong Kong Observatory. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj RI.gov: Cities & Towns
- ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ^ http://www.elections.state.ri.us/elections/preresults/
- ^ "Contacting Us." Eckerd Corporation. Retrieved on June 19, 2010. "Mail: 50 Service Ave., Warwick, RI 02886."
- ^ Rhode Island. Dept. of State (1916). Manual, with Rules and Orders, for the Use of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island. Rhode Island. Dept. of State. p. 393.
- ^ Derewicz, Mark. "Costantino's hitting streak breaks record", Warwick Veterans Memorial High School Baseball America, March 11, 2003. Accessed June 6, 2010.
- ^ "1965 Pilgrim High School Yearbook". www.classmates.com. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ Botelho, Jessica A. "James Woods recently retires from acting, now selling RI home". WJAR. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ Warwick Public Schools website
- ^ "Warwick Public Schools Consolidation". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Office of the Superintendent". Warwick Public Schools. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Bishop Hendricken Catholic High School - Rhode Island". Bishop Hendricken High School. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "RI Private School- Pre-School, Prep School, Rhode Island". Rocky Hill School. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Home Page – Community College of Rhode Island". www.ccri.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-30.