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Rhode Island borders Connecticut to the west, Massachusetts to the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island. It was one of the original 13 states and is one of the six New England states. Rhode Island is bounded to the north and east by Massachusetts, to the south by.
 
 

– What region is rhode island in

Dorr organized an extralegal convention to draft a state constitution, [56] arguing the charter government violated the Guarantee Clause in Article Four, Section Four of the United States Constitution.

In , the charter government and Dorr’s supporters held separate elections, and two rival governments claimed sovereignty over the state. Dorr’s supporters led an armed rebellion against the charter government, and Dorr was arrested and imprisoned for treason against the state. In the early 19th century, Rhode Island was subject to a tuberculosis outbreak which led to public hysteria about vampirism. During the American Civil War , Rhode Island was the first Union state to send troops in response to President Lincoln ‘s request for help from the states.

Rhode Island furnished 25, fighting men, of whom 1, died. In , Rhode Island abolished racial segregation in the public schools throughout the state.

The 50 years following the Civil War were a time of prosperity and affluence that author William G. McLoughlin calls “Rhode Island’s halcyon era. This was a time of growth in textile mills and manufacturing and brought an influx of immigrants to fill those jobs, bringing population growth and urbanization. In Newport , New York’s wealthiest industrialists created a summer haven to socialize and build grand mansions. Thousands of French-Canadian, Italian, Irish, and Portuguese immigrants arrived to fill jobs in the textile and manufacturing mills in Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket.

After the war, the state was hit hard by the Spanish Influenza. In the s and s, rural Rhode Island saw a surge in Ku Klux Klan membership, largely in reaction to large waves of immigrants moving to the state.

The Klan is believed to be responsible for burning the Watchman Industrial School in Scituate , which was a school for African-American children. Rhode Island has comprehensive health insurance for low-income children and a large social safety net.

Many urban areas still have a high rate of children in poverty. Due to an influx of residents from Boston , increasing housing costs have resulted in more homelessness in Rhode Island. The th Anniversary of the founding of Rhode Island was celebrated with a free concert held on the tarmac of the Quonset State Airport on August 31, In , a nightclub fire in West Warwick claimed lives and resulted in nearly twice as many injured, catching national attention.

The fire resulted in criminal sentences. In March , areas of the state received record flooding due to rising rivers from heavy rain. The first period of rainy weather in mid-March caused localized flooding and, two weeks later, more rain caused more widespread flooding in many towns, especially south of Providence.

Rain totals on March 29—30, exceeded 14 inches The overflow of the Pawtuxet River, nearly 11 feet 3 m above flood stage, submerged a sewage treatment plant and closed a five-mile 8 km stretch of Interstate In addition, it flooded two shopping malls, numerous businesses, and many homes in the towns of Warwick, West Warwick, Cranston, and Westerly.

Amtrak service was also suspended between New York and Boston during this period. Following the flood, Rhode Island was in a state of emergency for two days. Rhode Island covers an area of 1, square miles 3, km 2 within the New England region of the Northeastern United States and is bordered on the north and east by Massachusetts, on the west by Connecticut, and on the south by Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.

The state’s mean elevation is feet 61 m. It is only 37 miles 60 km wide and 48 miles 77 km long, yet the state has a tidal shoreline on Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean of miles km. Rhode Island is nicknamed the Ocean State and has a number of oceanfront beaches.

It is mostly flat with no real mountains, and the state’s highest natural point is Jerimoth Hill , feet m above sea level. Rhode Island’s forests are part of the Northeastern coastal forests ecoregion. Narragansett Bay is a major feature of the state’s topography. There are more than 30 islands within the bay; the largest is Aquidneck Island , which holds the municipalities of Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth.

The second-largest island is Conanicut , and the third is Prudence. Block Island lies about 12 miles 19 km off the southern coast of the mainland and separates Block Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean proper. A rare type of rock called Cumberlandite is found only in Rhode Island specifically, in the town of Cumberland and is the state rock.

There were initially two known deposits of the mineral, but it is an ore of iron, and one of the deposits was extensively mined for its ferrous content. Trustom Pond , a lagoon in South Kingstown. Most of Rhode Island has a humid continental climate , with warm summers and cold winters.

The state’s southern coastal portions are the broad transition zone into subtropical climates, with hot summers and cool winters with a mix of rain and snow. Block Island has an oceanic climate. Rhode Island is vulnerable to tropical storms and hurricanes due to its location in New England, catching the brunt of many storms that blow up the eastern seaboard.

Hurricanes that have done significant damage in the state include the New England hurricane , Hurricane Carol , Hurricane Donna , and Hurricane Bob Rhode Island is divided into five counties but it has no county governments. The entire state is divided into municipalities, which handle all local government affairs. There are 39 cities and towns in Rhode Island.

Major population centers today result from historical factors; development took place predominantly along the Blackstone , Seekonk , and Providence Rivers with the advent of the water-powered mill. Providence is the base of a large metropolitan area. The state’s 19 largest municipalities ranked by population are [75] :.

Some of Rhode Island’s cities and towns are further partitioned into villages, in common with many other New England states. Notable villages include Kingston in the town of South Kingstown, which houses the University of Rhode Island; Wickford in the town of North Kingstown, the site of an annual international art festival; and Wakefield where the Town Hall is for the Town of South Kingstown. East Providence. North Providence. South Kingstown. West Warwick. North Kingstown.

The state capitol building is made of white Georgian marble. On top is the world’s fourth largest self-supported marble dome. The first fully automated post office in the country is in Providence. Also there is the Touro Synagogue , dedicated on December 2, , considered by locals to be the first synagogue within the United States see below for information on New York City’s claim , and still serving. The synagogue showcases the religious freedoms established by Roger Williams, as well as impressive architecture in a mix of the classic colonial and Sephardic style.

It was once the entrance to a famous Narragansett casino that burned down in The Towers now serve as an event venue and host the local Chamber of Commerce, which operates a tourist information center. The Newport Tower has been hypothesized to be of Viking origin, although most experts believe it was a Colonial-era windmill. On May 29, , Governor Lincoln D. Chafee announced that Rhode Island was one of eight states to release a collaborative Action Plan to put 3.

The plan’s purpose is to reduce greenhouse gas and smog-causing emissions. The plan promotes zero-emissions vehicles and investments in the infrastructure to support them. The grants provided communities with funding to assess, clean up, and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies, and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the environment.

In , the “Lots of Hope” program was established in the City of Providence to focus on increasing the city’s green space and local food production, improve urban neighborhoods, promote healthy lifestyles and improve environmental sustainability. Sponsored by Senator Juan Pichardo and Representative Scott Slater , and signed into law by the governor, it made Rhode Island the first US State to prohibit school construction on Brownfield sites where toxic vapors can potentially affect indoor air quality.

It also creates a public participation process whenever a city or town considers building a school on any other kind of contaminated site. According to the census, Of the people residing in Rhode Island, Island areas or born abroad to American parent s , and According to the U. Census Bureau, as of [update] , Rhode Island had an estimated population of 1,,, which is an increase of 1,, or 0.

This includes a natural increase since the last census of 15, people that is 66, births minus 51, deaths and an increase due to net migration of 14, people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 18, people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 4, people. Hispanics in the state make up The state’s most populous ethnic group, non-Hispanic white, has declined from According to the — American Community Survey , the largest ancestry groups were Irish Irish Americans have a strong presence in Newport and Kent counties.

Americans of English ancestry still have a presence in the state as well, especially in Washington County , and are often referred to as ” Swamp Yankees “. Rhode Island has a notable Lusophone community, having a higher percentage of Americans of Portuguese ancestry than any other state, including Portuguese Americans and Cape Verdean Americans.

Additionally, the state also has the highest percentage of Liberian immigrants, with more than 15, residing in the state. Rhode Island is one of the few states where blacks of foreign origins outnumber blacks of multigenerational American origin African Americans. Although Rhode Island has the smallest land area of all 50 states, it has the second highest population density of any state in the Union, second to that of New Jersey.

Rhode Island has had the highest proportion of Catholic residents of any state according to a study in , [] mainly due to large Irish, Italian, and French-Canadian immigration in the past; recently, significant Portuguese and various Hispanic or Latino communities have also been established in the state.

Though it has the highest overall Catholic percentage of any state, none of Rhode Island’s individual counties ranks among the 10 most Catholic in the United States, as Catholics are evenly spread throughout the state. Rhode Island’s Jewish community, centered in the Providence area, emerged during a wave of Jewish immigration predominantly from Eastern Europeans shtetls between and The presence of the Touro Synagogue in Newport, the oldest existing synagogue in the United States, emphasizes that these second-wave immigrants did not create Rhode Island’s first Jewish community; a comparatively smaller wave of Spanish and Portuguese Jews immigrated to Newport during the colonial era.

It was in Pawtucket that Samuel Slater set up Slater Mill in , [] using the waterpower of the Blackstone River to power his cotton mill. For a while, Rhode Island was one of the leaders in textiles.

However, with the Great Depression , most textile factories relocated to southern U. The textile industry still constitutes a part of the Rhode Island economy but does not have the same power. Other important industries in Rhode Island’s past included toolmaking, costume jewelry , and silverware. An interesting by-product of Rhode Island’s industrial history is the number of abandoned factories, many of which are now condominiums, museums, offices, and low-income and elderly housing.

Today, much of Rhode Island’s economy is based on services, particularly healthcare and education, and still manufacturing to some extent. Rhode Island has the lowest level of energy consumption per capita of any state. This has since reduced to Health services are Rhode Island’s largest industry. The third-largest industry is manufacturing. Rhode Island’s agricultural outputs are nursery stock, vegetables, dairy products, and eggs.

In , the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a new state income tax structure that Governor Carcieri signed into law on June 9, As of March [update] , Rhode Island’s largest employers excluding employees of municipalities are: [].

New Shoreham on Block Island is not served. RIPTA operates 58 routes, including daytime trolley service using trolley-style replica buses in Providence and Newport. Though the service was popular with residents and tourists, RIPTA was unable to continue after the federal funding ended. Service was discontinued as of [update]. Private ferry services also link several Rhode Island communities with ports in Connecticut , Massachusetts , and New York.

Green Airport with Boston’s South Station. The line was later extended southward to Wickford Junction , with service beginning April 23, Green Airport. Rhode Island’s primary airport for passenger and cargo transport is T. Green Airport in Warwick , though Rhode Islanders who wish to travel internationally on direct flights and those who seek a greater availability of flights and destinations often fly through Logan International Airport in Boston.

Interstate 95 I runs southwest to northeast across the state, linking Rhode Island with other states along the East Coast. I functions as a partial beltway encircling Providence to the west. Initially built as the easternmost link in the now cancelled extension of I from Hartford, Connecticut , a portion of U. Several Rhode Island highways extend the state’s limited-access highway network. Route 4 is a major north—south freeway linking Providence and Warwick via I with suburban and beach communities along Narragansett Bay.

Route 10 is an urban connector linking downtown Providence with Cranston and Johnston. Route 37 is an important east—west freeway through Cranston and Warwick and links I with I Route 99 links Woonsocket with Providence via Route Route links Route 4 with Quonset Point.

In late , the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority released a draft of the Rhode Island Transit Master Plan, documenting and describing a variety of proposed improvements and additions to be made to the state’s public transit network by Several different proposals were offered and still under consideration as of December , [] including implementation of a bus rapid transit system, express bus routes, expansion of Amtrak and MBTA services throughout the state, and construction of a new light rail network through downtown Providence.

Some Rhode Islanders speak with the distinctive, non-rhotic , traditional Rhode Island accent linguists describe as a cross between New York City and Boston accents e. Rhode Island, like the rest of New England, has a tradition of clam chowder. Both the white New England and the red Manhattan varieties are popular, but there is also a unique clear-broth chowder known as Rhode Island Clam Chowder available in many restaurants.

A culinary tradition in Rhode Island is the clam cake also known as a clam fritter outside of Rhode Island , a deep fried ball of buttery dough with chopped bits of clam inside.

They are sold by the half-dozen or dozen in most seafood restaurants around the state, and the quintessential summer meal in Rhode Island is chowder and clam cakes. The quahog is a large local clam usually used in a chowder. It is also ground and mixed with stuffing or spicy minced sausage, and then baked in its shell to form a stuffie.

Calamari squid is sliced into rings and fried as an appetizer in most Italian restaurants, typically served Sicilian-style with sliced banana peppers and marinara sauce on the side.

In , calamari became the official state appetizer. The official state drink of Rhode Island is coffee milk , [] a beverage created by mixing milk with coffee syrup. This unique syrup was invented in the state and is sold in almost all Rhode Island supermarkets, as well as its bordering states.

Johnnycakes have been a Rhode Island staple since Colonial times, made with corn meal and water then pan-fried much like pancakes. Submarine sandwiches are called grinders throughout Rhode Island, and the Italian grinder, made with cold cuts such as ham, prosciutto , capicola , salami , and Provolone cheese , is especially popular. The Farrelly brothers and Seth MacFarlane depict Rhode Island in popular culture, often making comedic parodies of the state.

MacFarlane’s television series Family Guy is based in a fictional Rhode Island city named Quahog, and notable local events and celebrities are regularly lampooned. Peter Griffin is seen working at the Pawtucket brewery , and other state locations are mentioned. The film adaptation of The Great Gatsby was also filmed in Newport. Jacqueline Bouvier and John F. Kennedy were married at St. Mary’s church in Newport. Their reception took place at Hammersmith Farm , the Bouvier summer home in Newport.

Body of Proof ‘ s first season was filmed entirely in Rhode Island. The sunset scene with the entire family on the beach takes place at Napatree Point. Rhode Island has been the first in a number of initiatives. The idea of a Continental Congress was first proposed at a town meeting in Providence on May 17, The Rhode Island General Assembly created the first standing army in the colonies 1, men on April 22, On June 15, , the first naval engagement took place in the American Revolution between an American sloop commanded by Capt.

Abraham Whipple and an armed tender of the British Frigate Rose. The tender was chased aground and captured. Later in June, the General Assembly created the American Navy when it commissioned the sloops Katy and Washington , armed with 24 guns and commanded by Abraham Whipple who was promoted to Commodore. Rhode Island was the first Colony to declare independence from Britain on May 4, Slater Mill in Pawtucket was the first commercially successful cotton-spinning mill with a fully mechanized power system in America and was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the US.

The first Baptist church in America was founded in Providence in Pelham Street in Newport was the first in America to be illuminated by gaslight in Rhode Island is nicknamed “The Ocean State”, and the nautical nature of Rhode Island’s geography pervades its culture. Newport Harbor, in particular, holds many pleasure boats. In the lobby of T. Green , the state’s main airport, is a large life-sized sailboat, [] and the state’s license plates depict an ocean wave or a sailboat. The large number of beaches in Washington County lures many Rhode Islanders south for summer vacation.

The state constitution protects shore access, including swimming and gathering of seaweed. Ibbison [] [] defines the end of private land as the mean high tide line, which is difficult to determine in day-to-day activities, and has resulted in beach access conflicts.

The state was notorious for organized crime activity from the s into the s when the Patriarca crime family held sway over most of New England from its Providence headquarters. Rhode Islanders developed a unique style of architecture in the 17th century called the stone-ender. Nibbles Woodaway, more commonly referred to as ” The Big Blue Bug “, is a foot-long termite mascot for a Providence extermination business.

Since its construction in , it has been featured in several movies and television shows, and has come to be recognized as a cultural landmark by many locals. Rhode Island’s only professional minor league team is the Providence Bruins ice hockey team of the American Hockey League , who are a top-level minor league affiliate of the Boston Bruins.

They played at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket and had won four league titles, the Governors’ Cup , in , , , and McCoy Stadium also has the distinction of being home to the longest professional baseball game ever played — 33 innings.

The team won the Calder Cup in , , , and The team name came from the rooster known as the Rhode Island Red. The Reds are the oldest continuously operating minor-league hockey franchise in North America, having fielded a team in one form or another since in the CAHL.

It is also the only AHL franchise to have never missed a season. Before the great expansion of athletic teams all over the country, Providence and Rhode Island in general played a great role in supporting teams. The Providence Grays won the first World Championship in baseball history in The team played their home games at the old Messer Street Field in Providence.

The Grays played in the National League from to Providence won three straight games to become the first champions in major league baseball history.

Babe Ruth played for the minor league Providence Grays of and hit his only official minor league home run for them before the Grays’ parent club, the Boston Red Stockings , recalled him. They played in a 10, person stadium called the Cycledrome. Rhode Island is also home to a top semi-professional soccer club, the Rhode Island Reds , which compete in the National premier soccer league, in the fourth division of U. All four schools compete in different conferences. Three of the schools’ football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the second-highest level of college football in the United States.

All four Division I schools in the state compete in an intrastate all-sports competition known as the Ocean State Cup , with Bryant winning the most recent cup in —12 academic year. From to , America’s Cup races were sailed off Newport, and the extreme-sport X Games and Gravity Games were founded and hosted in the state’s capital city. National Championships in The capital of Rhode Island is Providence.

Gina Raimondo became Rhode Island’s first female governor with a plurality of the vote in the November state elections. See congressional districts map. Rhode Island is one of a few states that do not have an official governor’s residence.

See List of Rhode Island Governors. The state legislature is the Rhode Island General Assembly , consisting of the member House of Representatives and the member Senate. The Democratic Party dominates both houses of the bicameral body; the Republican Party’s presence is minor in the state government, with Republicans holding a handful of seats in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Rhode Island’s population barely crosses the threshold beyond the minimum of three for additional votes in both the federal House of Representatives and Electoral College ; it is well represented relative to its population, with the eighth-highest number of electoral votes and second-highest number of House Representatives per resident.

Based on its area, Rhode Island has the highest density of electoral votes of any state. Federally, Rhode Island is a reliably Democratic state during presidential elections, usually supporting the Democratic presidential nominee. The state voted for the Republican presidential candidate until Since then, it has voted for the Republican nominee for president seven times, and the Democratic nominee 17 times.

In the presidential election , Rhode Island was one of six states to vote against Republican Ronald Reagan. Reagan was the last Republican to win any of the state’s counties in a Presidential election until Donald Trump won Kent County in In , George H.

Rhode Island was the Democrats’ leading state in , , , and , and second-best in , , , and In , Rhode Island gave John Kerry more than a percentage-point margin of victory the third-highest of any state , with All but three of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns voted for the Democratic candidate.

All but one of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns voted for the Democratic candidate the exception being Scituate. In a study, Rhode Island was ranked as the 19th easiest state for citizens to vote in. Rhode Island is one of 21 states that have abolished capital punishment; it was second do so, just after Michigan , and carried out its last execution in the s.

Rhode Island was the second to last state to make prostitution illegal. Until November Rhode Island law made prostitution legal provided it took place indoors. In , Rhode Island became the third state in the United States to pass legislation to allow the use of medical marijuana.

On May 25, , Rhode Island fully legalized recreational use of marijuana, becoming the nineteenth state to do so. Rhode Island became the eighth state to fully recognize either same-sex marriage or civil unions. Rhode Island has some of the highest taxes in the country, particularly its property taxes, ranking seventh in local and state taxes, and sixth in real estate taxes.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This is the latest accepted revision , reviewed on 3 October This article is about the U. For the geographic feature, see Aquidneck Island.

For other uses, see Rhode Island disambiguation. State in the United States. The Ocean State Little Rhody [1]. Jerimoth Hill [3] [4]. Atlantic Ocean [3]. Main article: History of Rhode Island. Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge. Forest along the Blackstone River. Main article: List of municipalities in Rhode Island. Religious affiliation [] [] Christian. See also: Rhode Island locations by per capita income. Further information: Rhode Island Department of Transportation.

See also: List of Rhode Island railroads. Main article: Media in Rhode Island. Further information: Rhode Island schools. Main article: List of colleges and universities in Rhode Island.

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Flag of Rhode Island. Main article: Government of Rhode Island. Main article: List of people from Rhode Island. Archived from the original on July 1, Retrieved July 31, Retrieved on July 12, United States Geological Survey.

Archived from the original on October 15, Retrieved October 24, The United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, Retrieved April 27, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Archived from the original on December 20, Retrieved December 9, Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

April 26, Archived PDF from the original on April 26, Retrieved April 26, Office of the Secretary of State: Nellie M. Archived from the original on November 13, Retrieved November 13, Archived from the original on January 27, Retrieved November 10, Archived from the original on November 11, Retrieved November 11, State of Rhode Island. Archived from the original on September 5, Retrieved May 3, University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN Ashland, Ohio: TeachingAmericanHistory. Archived from the original on September 15, Retrieved October 21, Washington, The Indispensable Man.

New York: Signet. Archived from the original on February 1, January 8, Archived from the original on September 6, Retrieved January 26, Business Insider. Archived from the original on November 4, Retrieved November 4, Archived from the original on February 17, Retrieved December 18, Archived from the original on July 17, Retrieved July 16, Archived from the original on January 17, Verrazano’s voyage along the Atlantic coast of North America, State University of New York at Albany.

Retrieved August 14, Archived from the original on January 1, Retrieved October 17, — via Google Books. S4U Languages in Portuguese. Archived from the original on October 22, Retrieved December 11, The Early History of Narragansett. Archived from the original on February 20, Retrieved October 28, — via Google Books.

Retrieved on April 12, Staples Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, Volume 1. Archived from the original on July 28, Retrieved September 4, — via Google Books. Archived from the original on October 14, Retrieved September 17, The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on November 6, Retrieved November 3, Archived from the original on June 20, Retrieved June 20, Archived from the original on October 31, Retrieved June 24, Rhode Island General Assembly.

Archived from the original on November 17, Archived PDF from the original on February 20, PBS NewsHour. November 4, Archived from the original on November 26, The History Place.

Archived from the original on June 8, Military History Online. July 17, Archived from the original on May 16, May 14, Colonial America To Infobase Publishing. Archived from the original on October 16, Retrieved May 26, March 12, Archived from the original on September 12, The Brown University News Service. Archived from the original on June 15, The Rhode Island Census of Report. General Assembly. It becomes forested west of the bay. Rhode Island is the smallest of the 50 states in area.

Rhode Island ranks 23rd in Poverty Rate at The Poverty Rate of Rhode Island is slightly lower than the national average of Revolution and independence. Rhode Island was among the first and most enthusiastic colonies to resist British rule , having been the first to call for a continental congress in and the first, in , to eliminate an oath of allegiance to the British crown that had been required of colonial officials.

Rhode Island has seven regions with unique experiences in each — from preserved natural environments and beaches to bustling College Hill and history around every corner. Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams in , who had been banished from the Massachusetts colony for his advocacy of religious tolerance and the separation of church and state. Mild, short summers and long, cold winters. In , Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian explorer serving under King Francis I of France recognized the existence of an island close to the crevice of Narragansett Bay, which he pointed out to resemble the Island of Rhodes, a part of modern day Greece.

The wealthiest person in Rhode Island and the only billionaire in the state is Jonathan Nelson. On May 4th, , Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce allegiance to the Great Britain and declare its independence. It finally did so on May 29, , following threats of having its exports taxed as if from a foreign country.

Rhode Island Colony had long cold winters and mild summers. Like the other New England Colonies, the cold winters made it difficult for disease to thrive, unlike in the warm Southern Colonies where the climate made it possible for diseases to spread more easily.

– Rhode Island Regions |RI Tourism, Meetings & Vacations

Travel guide. Bus lines. Car rentals. Electric vehicle charging stations. Special offers. PVD Airport. Rhode Island in the news. Live here. Move your business here. Celebrate Pride in RI. Accessibility in RI. Art Galleries. Motorized Charter. Water sports. Pick Your Own. Summer Getaways. Newport Family Summer Getaway. Spring Getaways. Fall Getaways. Unplugged on Block Island. Winter Getaways. Early Black History in Providence. Shop like a local. RV Camping. Blackstone Valley. Rhode Island is packed with great things to do and manages to fit a seemingly endless array of activities, Check out Rest easy in Rhode Island.

From vacationing along the scenic coastline to convenient business centers in our Planning your trip to Rhode Island has never been easier. Here are some travel tools to take some of the guesswork Rhode Island regions Rhode Island has seven regions with unique experiences in each – from preserved natural environments and beaches to bustling College Hill and history around every corner.

Wicked Awesome Rhode Island Destinations. Visit Page. Block Island Only a minute ferry ride from the mainland, Block Island offers the quintessential island experience. Find Your Experience Rich history. Order your guide today! Get Guide. Get news from Visit Rhode Island in your inbox. Ratings Powered by. Story Ideas. Fun-Sized Rhode Island. Rhode Island in the News. Free Travel Guide. Contact Visit Rhode Island. Rhody Resilient. Fried clam cakes, clam chowder, steamers steamed clams , and stuffed clams are favorite snacks.

All rights reserved. Personality Quizzes. Funny Fill-In. Amazing Animals. Weird But True! Party Animals. Try This! Explore More. Sakonnet River flows from the Atlantic 14 miles into Rhode Island. Please be respectful of copyright. The presence of the Touro Synagogue in Newport, the oldest existing synagogue in the United States, emphasizes that these second-wave immigrants did not create Rhode Island’s first Jewish community; a comparatively smaller wave of Spanish and Portuguese Jews immigrated to Newport during the colonial era.

It was in Pawtucket that Samuel Slater set up Slater Mill in , [] using the waterpower of the Blackstone River to power his cotton mill. For a while, Rhode Island was one of the leaders in textiles. However, with the Great Depression , most textile factories relocated to southern U.

The textile industry still constitutes a part of the Rhode Island economy but does not have the same power. Other important industries in Rhode Island’s past included toolmaking, costume jewelry , and silverware. An interesting by-product of Rhode Island’s industrial history is the number of abandoned factories, many of which are now condominiums, museums, offices, and low-income and elderly housing. Today, much of Rhode Island’s economy is based on services, particularly healthcare and education, and still manufacturing to some extent.

Rhode Island has the lowest level of energy consumption per capita of any state. This has since reduced to Health services are Rhode Island’s largest industry. The third-largest industry is manufacturing. Rhode Island’s agricultural outputs are nursery stock, vegetables, dairy products, and eggs. In , the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a new state income tax structure that Governor Carcieri signed into law on June 9, As of March [update] , Rhode Island’s largest employers excluding employees of municipalities are: [].

New Shoreham on Block Island is not served. RIPTA operates 58 routes, including daytime trolley service using trolley-style replica buses in Providence and Newport. Though the service was popular with residents and tourists, RIPTA was unable to continue after the federal funding ended. Service was discontinued as of [update].

Private ferry services also link several Rhode Island communities with ports in Connecticut , Massachusetts , and New York. Green Airport with Boston’s South Station. The line was later extended southward to Wickford Junction , with service beginning April 23, Green Airport.

Rhode Island’s primary airport for passenger and cargo transport is T. Green Airport in Warwick , though Rhode Islanders who wish to travel internationally on direct flights and those who seek a greater availability of flights and destinations often fly through Logan International Airport in Boston. Interstate 95 I runs southwest to northeast across the state, linking Rhode Island with other states along the East Coast. I functions as a partial beltway encircling Providence to the west. Initially built as the easternmost link in the now cancelled extension of I from Hartford, Connecticut , a portion of U.

Several Rhode Island highways extend the state’s limited-access highway network. Route 4 is a major north—south freeway linking Providence and Warwick via I with suburban and beach communities along Narragansett Bay. Route 10 is an urban connector linking downtown Providence with Cranston and Johnston. Route 37 is an important east—west freeway through Cranston and Warwick and links I with I Route 99 links Woonsocket with Providence via Route Route links Route 4 with Quonset Point.

In late , the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority released a draft of the Rhode Island Transit Master Plan, documenting and describing a variety of proposed improvements and additions to be made to the state’s public transit network by Several different proposals were offered and still under consideration as of December , [] including implementation of a bus rapid transit system, express bus routes, expansion of Amtrak and MBTA services throughout the state, and construction of a new light rail network through downtown Providence.

Some Rhode Islanders speak with the distinctive, non-rhotic , traditional Rhode Island accent linguists describe as a cross between New York City and Boston accents e. Rhode Island, like the rest of New England, has a tradition of clam chowder. Both the white New England and the red Manhattan varieties are popular, but there is also a unique clear-broth chowder known as Rhode Island Clam Chowder available in many restaurants.

A culinary tradition in Rhode Island is the clam cake also known as a clam fritter outside of Rhode Island , a deep fried ball of buttery dough with chopped bits of clam inside. They are sold by the half-dozen or dozen in most seafood restaurants around the state, and the quintessential summer meal in Rhode Island is chowder and clam cakes.

The quahog is a large local clam usually used in a chowder. It is also ground and mixed with stuffing or spicy minced sausage, and then baked in its shell to form a stuffie. Calamari squid is sliced into rings and fried as an appetizer in most Italian restaurants, typically served Sicilian-style with sliced banana peppers and marinara sauce on the side. In , calamari became the official state appetizer.

The official state drink of Rhode Island is coffee milk , [] a beverage created by mixing milk with coffee syrup. This unique syrup was invented in the state and is sold in almost all Rhode Island supermarkets, as well as its bordering states. Johnnycakes have been a Rhode Island staple since Colonial times, made with corn meal and water then pan-fried much like pancakes. Submarine sandwiches are called grinders throughout Rhode Island, and the Italian grinder, made with cold cuts such as ham, prosciutto , capicola , salami , and Provolone cheese , is especially popular.

The Farrelly brothers and Seth MacFarlane depict Rhode Island in popular culture, often making comedic parodies of the state. MacFarlane’s television series Family Guy is based in a fictional Rhode Island city named Quahog, and notable local events and celebrities are regularly lampooned.

Peter Griffin is seen working at the Pawtucket brewery , and other state locations are mentioned. The film adaptation of The Great Gatsby was also filmed in Newport. Jacqueline Bouvier and John F. Kennedy were married at St.

Mary’s church in Newport. Their reception took place at Hammersmith Farm , the Bouvier summer home in Newport. Body of Proof ‘ s first season was filmed entirely in Rhode Island. The sunset scene with the entire family on the beach takes place at Napatree Point. Rhode Island has been the first in a number of initiatives.

The idea of a Continental Congress was first proposed at a town meeting in Providence on May 17, The Rhode Island General Assembly created the first standing army in the colonies 1, men on April 22, On June 15, , the first naval engagement took place in the American Revolution between an American sloop commanded by Capt. Abraham Whipple and an armed tender of the British Frigate Rose. The tender was chased aground and captured. Later in June, the General Assembly created the American Navy when it commissioned the sloops Katy and Washington , armed with 24 guns and commanded by Abraham Whipple who was promoted to Commodore.

Rhode Island was the first Colony to declare independence from Britain on May 4, Slater Mill in Pawtucket was the first commercially successful cotton-spinning mill with a fully mechanized power system in America and was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the US. The first Baptist church in America was founded in Providence in Pelham Street in Newport was the first in America to be illuminated by gaslight in Rhode Island is nicknamed “The Ocean State”, and the nautical nature of Rhode Island’s geography pervades its culture.

Newport Harbor, in particular, holds many pleasure boats. In the lobby of T. Green , the state’s main airport, is a large life-sized sailboat, [] and the state’s license plates depict an ocean wave or a sailboat. The large number of beaches in Washington County lures many Rhode Islanders south for summer vacation. The state constitution protects shore access, including swimming and gathering of seaweed. Ibbison [] [] defines the end of private land as the mean high tide line, which is difficult to determine in day-to-day activities, and has resulted in beach access conflicts.

The state was notorious for organized crime activity from the s into the s when the Patriarca crime family held sway over most of New England from its Providence headquarters. Rhode Islanders developed a unique style of architecture in the 17th century called the stone-ender. Nibbles Woodaway, more commonly referred to as ” The Big Blue Bug “, is a foot-long termite mascot for a Providence extermination business.

Since its construction in , it has been featured in several movies and television shows, and has come to be recognized as a cultural landmark by many locals. Rhode Island’s only professional minor league team is the Providence Bruins ice hockey team of the American Hockey League , who are a top-level minor league affiliate of the Boston Bruins. They played at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket and had won four league titles, the Governors’ Cup , in , , , and McCoy Stadium also has the distinction of being home to the longest professional baseball game ever played — 33 innings.

The team won the Calder Cup in , , , and The team name came from the rooster known as the Rhode Island Red. The Reds are the oldest continuously operating minor-league hockey franchise in North America, having fielded a team in one form or another since in the CAHL.

It is also the only AHL franchise to have never missed a season. Before the great expansion of athletic teams all over the country, Providence and Rhode Island in general played a great role in supporting teams. The Providence Grays won the first World Championship in baseball history in The team played their home games at the old Messer Street Field in Providence. The Grays played in the National League from to Providence won three straight games to become the first champions in major league baseball history.

Babe Ruth played for the minor league Providence Grays of and hit his only official minor league home run for them before the Grays’ parent club, the Boston Red Stockings , recalled him. They played in a 10, person stadium called the Cycledrome. Rhode Island is also home to a top semi-professional soccer club, the Rhode Island Reds , which compete in the National premier soccer league, in the fourth division of U.

All four schools compete in different conferences. Three of the schools’ football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the second-highest level of college football in the United States. All four Division I schools in the state compete in an intrastate all-sports competition known as the Ocean State Cup , with Bryant winning the most recent cup in —12 academic year.

From to , America’s Cup races were sailed off Newport, and the extreme-sport X Games and Gravity Games were founded and hosted in the state’s capital city. National Championships in The capital of Rhode Island is Providence. Gina Raimondo became Rhode Island’s first female governor with a plurality of the vote in the November state elections. See congressional districts map. Rhode Island is one of a few states that do not have an official governor’s residence.

See List of Rhode Island Governors. The state legislature is the Rhode Island General Assembly , consisting of the member House of Representatives and the member Senate. The Democratic Party dominates both houses of the bicameral body; the Republican Party’s presence is minor in the state government, with Republicans holding a handful of seats in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Rhode Island’s population barely crosses the threshold beyond the minimum of three for additional votes in both the federal House of Representatives and Electoral College ; it is well represented relative to its population, with the eighth-highest number of electoral votes and second-highest number of House Representatives per resident.

Based on its area, Rhode Island has the highest density of electoral votes of any state. Federally, Rhode Island is a reliably Democratic state during presidential elections, usually supporting the Democratic presidential nominee. The state voted for the Republican presidential candidate until Since then, it has voted for the Republican nominee for president seven times, and the Democratic nominee 17 times.

In the presidential election , Rhode Island was one of six states to vote against Republican Ronald Reagan. Reagan was the last Republican to win any of the state’s counties in a Presidential election until Donald Trump won Kent County in In , George H. Rhode Island was the Democrats’ leading state in , , , and , and second-best in , , , and In , Rhode Island gave John Kerry more than a percentage-point margin of victory the third-highest of any state , with All but three of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns voted for the Democratic candidate.

All but one of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns voted for the Democratic candidate the exception being Scituate. In a study, Rhode Island was ranked as the 19th easiest state for citizens to vote in.

Rhode Island is one of 21 states that have abolished capital punishment; it was second do so, just after Michigan , and carried out its last execution in the s. Rhode Island was the second to last state to make prostitution illegal. Until November Rhode Island law made prostitution legal provided it took place indoors. In , Rhode Island became the third state in the United States to pass legislation to allow the use of medical marijuana. On May 25, , Rhode Island fully legalized recreational use of marijuana, becoming the nineteenth state to do so.

Rhode Island became the eighth state to fully recognize either same-sex marriage or civil unions. Rhode Island has some of the highest taxes in the country, particularly its property taxes, ranking seventh in local and state taxes, and sixth in real estate taxes.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This is the latest accepted revision , reviewed on 3 October This article is about the U. For the geographic feature, see Aquidneck Island. For other uses, see Rhode Island disambiguation.

State in the United States. The Ocean State Little Rhody [1]. Jerimoth Hill [3] [4]. Atlantic Ocean [3]. Main article: History of Rhode Island. Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge. Forest along the Blackstone River. Main article: List of municipalities in Rhode Island. Religious affiliation [] [] Christian.

See also: Rhode Island locations by per capita income. Further information: Rhode Island Department of Transportation. See also: List of Rhode Island railroads. Main article: Media in Rhode Island. Further information: Rhode Island schools. Main article: List of colleges and universities in Rhode Island. This section needs additional citations for verification.

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