South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind New Shoreham, and the third largest town in Rhode Island by geographic land area, behind Exeter and Coventry.
History
The Narragansett Indians were known to occupy a winter camp in the Great Swamp, within present day South Kingstown.[6]
In March of 1638, Rhode Island founder Roger Williams signed an agreement with two Sachems of the Narragansett Tribe, Canonicus and Miantonomoh, establishing the boundaries between the Narragansett Tribe and the Colony of Rhode Island, as well as to purchase Aquidneck Island.[7][8] The agreement was signed at Pettaquamscutt Rock, which is now a part of South Kingstown.[9] Twenty years later, on January 20, 1658, Roger Williams again met with the Sachems of the Narragansett Tribe to purchase much of the area that is now present-day Washington County, including South Kingstown, in what is now known as the Pettaquamscutt Purchase of 1658. This agreement was also signed at Pettaquamscutt Rock.[7]
South Kingstown was sparsely populated and mostly inhabited by farmers in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century, due to the high demand for livestock and produce in Newport, and land speculators who wanted to hold the land to resell when more settlers inevitably came into the area. Widespread population of the land was discouraged due to a speculation company known as the Atherton Syndicate buying up land to resell, the powerful Narragansett Nation discouraging settlements, and a dispute over the land with neighboring Connecticut.[10] Over time, most of these problems slowly went away with time. In the late 1660s, the Atherton Syndicate was run off to join Connecticut in its dispute over the territory and eventually going bankrupt.[10] In 1675 the Great Swamp Fight, a battle of King Philip's War fought by the New England Confederation, essentially wiped out the Narragansett. However in retaliation the Narragansett razed most of the settlements in South Kingstown, including Little Rest, the largest.[10] After the destruction of Little Rest, the land was described as a "desolate wilderness".[10] Finally, in 1723, Connecticut conceded that the territory belonged to Rhode Island, after decades of lobbying before the Court of St James's in London.[10] In the same year, the Rhode Island General Assembly split the town of Kingstown into the towns of North Kingstown and South Kingstown.[11] The towns were formally incorporated on February 25, 1723.[11]
In 1888 a narrow strip of land running along the eastern bank of the Pettaquamscutt River to the shore of Narragansett Bay was separated from South Kingstown to form the town of Narragansett.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 79.8 square miles (206.6 km²), of which, 57.1 square miles (147.9 km2) of it is land and 22.7 square miles (58.7 km2) of it (28.43%) is water.
South Kingstown includes the villages of Kingston, West Kingston, Wakefield, Peace Dale, Usquepaug, Snug Harbor, Tuckertown, East Matunuck, Matunuck, Green Hill, and Perryville. Peace Dale and Wakefield are treated as a census-designated place called Wakefield-Peacedale. Ocean Ridge, Indian Lake, Curtis Corner, and Torrey Hill are among the other small areas that are regarded as unique localities, although official distinctions are less clear. Middlebridge, located on the west side of Narrow River, is a densely populated neighborhood in the town.
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,921 people, 9,268 households, and 6,394 families residing in the town. The population density was 489.0 inhabitants per square mile (188.8/km2). There were 11,291 housing units at an average density of 197.8 per square mile (76.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 91.11% White, 1.57% African American, 1.61% Native American, 3.08% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population.
There were 9,268 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 19.8% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $56,325, and the median income for a family was $67,912. Males had a median income of $50,519 versus $31,087 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,827. About 3.1% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Art galleries include the Hera Gallery (Wakefield), South County Art Association (Kingston), and sometimes the Courthouse Center for the Arts (or CCA, West Kingston). Theaters include The Contemporary Theater Company (Wakefield), the Theatre-by-the-Sea (Matunuck), and the CCA. The sole cinema is South County Cinema 8 (Wakefield), which replaced the independently run Campus Cinema (Wakefield) in the early 2000s. There are numerous venues for music and other entertainment, including the University of Rhode Island's Ryan Center and smaller venues such as Lily Pads (Peace Dale), and the CCA.
Arts and cultural education is also offered through community centers like The Guild and the Senior Center in Wakefield. There are also three public libraries which are located in Kingston, Matunuck, and Peace Dale.
Museums
The South County History Center, located in the village of Kingston, is located in a former jail building and contains a collection of fine Early American artifacts. The Peace Dale Museum of Art and Culture founded by Caroline Hazard in the village of Peace Dale in South Kingstown holds in its collections artifacts of the local Narragansett People and from indigenous cultures around the world.[14]
Points of interest
South Kingstown is the location of the deadly Great Swamp Fight that occurred during King Philip's War in 1675. The battle site is commemorated by a rough granite shaft about twenty feet high. Around the mound on which the shaft stands are four granite markers engraved with the names of the colonies which took part in the battle.[15]
South Kingstown is home to 31 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 4 of which are historic districts. A driving tour is described by the Pettaquamscutt Historical Society.[16]
South Kingstown has over ten miles of undisturbed beaches. South Kingstown has also recently made an upgrade to their town's parks and recreation by building the South Kingstown Recreation Center located at 30 St. Dominic Rd.[18][19]
Government
All 5 seats on the town council are at-large seats that are up for election every 2 years, with no term limits. After each election, the newly elected council members elect two of their own as president and vice president. The current president is Rory McEntee, and the current vice president is Michael Marran.[20]
South Kingstown is served by the South Kingstown School District. The district includes nine schools that serve students in grades prekindergarten to twelfth.[21]
Pre-kindergarten (Pre-K)
South Kingstown Inclusionary Pre-School, located in the village of Wakefield
Elementary schools
Matunuck Elementary School, located in the village of Matunuck
Peace Dale Elementary School, located in the village of Peace Dale
West Kingston Elementary School, located in the village of West Kingston
Kingston Hill Academy, a public charter school located in the village of Kingston
The Compass School, a public charter school located in the village of Kingston
Middle schools
Broad Rock Middle School, located in the village of Wakefield
Curtis Corner Middle School, located in the village of Wakefield
High schools
Independence Transition Academy, located in the village of Kingston
Public transportation in South Kingstown is provided by the statewide Rhode Island Public Transit Authority or RIPTA. The following routes service South Kingstown:
United States
Rhode Island
