Foster, Rhode Island Facts for Kids

Foster is a town located in Providence County, Rhode Island, in the United States. In 2020, about 4,469 people lived there. Foster is known as a New England town, which means it has a special way of governing itself, often through town meetings.

History of Foster
Geography of Foster
- Climate in Foster
Population in Foster
Education in Foster
Arts and Culture in Foster
- Tourism in Foster
Notable People from Foster
Historic Places in Foster
See also

History of Foster

Foster was first settled in the 1600s by British colonists. These early settlers came to the area to start farms. In 1662, three men named William Vaughan, Zachariah Rhodes, and Robert Wescott bought a large piece of land from the Native Americans. This land was called West Quanaug.

The first person to settle in Foster was likely Ezekiel Hopkins. Many people from Newport, another Rhode Island town, also moved to Foster in the 1700s. Before Foster officially became a town, its first church was started. Later, other churches were also founded.

Foster was originally part of another town called Scituate. This happened in 1730. But in 1781, Foster became its own separate town. The town was named after Theodore Foster, who was a U.S. Senator. He even gave the town a library! Some of the first books and old town records are still kept today.

Another important person born in Foster was Nelson Aldrich in 1841. He also became a U.S. Senator. Senator Aldrich helped create the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, which is important for the country's money system.

Geography of Foster

Foster covers an area of about 51.9 square miles (134.3 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small amount of water.

Foster is home to Jerimoth Hill, which is the highest point in all of Rhode Island! It stands about 812 feet (248 meters) tall.

Climate in Foster

Foster has a climate where the temperatures don't change too much between summer and winter. It also gets enough rain throughout the year. This type of weather is called an Oceanic climate.

Climate data for Foster, Rhode Island
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	34 (1)	38 (3)	46 (8)	57 (14)	67 (19)	75 (24)	80 (27)	78 (26)	71 (22)	60.7 (15.9)	50 (10)	39 (4)	58.0 (14.5)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	17 (−8)	20 (−7)	27 (−3)	36 (2)	46 (8)	55 (13)	60 (16)	59 (15)	52 (11)	41 (5)	32 (0)	23 (−5)	39 (4)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.28 (109)	4.12 (105)	5.45 (138)	4.70 (119)	3.92 (100)	4.58 (116)	3.82 (97)	4.33 (110)	4.09 (104)	4.77 (121)	4.96 (126)	4.84 (123)	53.86 (1,368)
Source: Weatherbase

Population in Foster

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	2,268	—
1800	2,457	8.3%
1810	2,613	6.3%
1820	2,900	11.0%
1830	2,672	−7.9%
1840	2,181	−18.4%
1850	1,932	−11.4%
1860	1,935	0.2%
1870	1,630	−15.8%
1880	1,552	−4.8%
1890	1,252	−19.3%
1900	1,151	−8.1%
1910	1,124	−2.3%
1920	905	−19.5%
1930	916	1.2%
1940	1,237	35.0%
1950	1,630	31.8%
1960	2,097	28.7%
1970	2,626	25.2%
1980	3,370	28.3%
1990	4,316	28.1%
2000	4,274	−1.0%
2010	4,606	7.8%
2020	4,469	−3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2000, there were 4,274 people living in Foster. These people lived in 1,535 homes, and 1,198 of those were families. About 36% of the homes had children under 18 living there.

The average age of people in Foster in 2000 was 40 years old. About 25.9% of the population was under 18, and 10.5% was 65 or older. Foster's zip code, 02825, actually covers more people than just those in Foster. This is because the zip code also includes parts of the nearby town of Scituate, Rhode Island.

Education in Foster

Foster is proud of its schools. Capt. Isaac Paine Elementary School in Foster is known for its high reading scores. In a test called the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP), 82% of its students showed they were good at reading. This was the best score in the state for that test!

Arts and Culture in Foster

Tourism in Foster

Foster has some interesting places to visit. One of them is the Foster Town House. This building was built in 1796 and is still used today for government meetings. It's the oldest government meeting house of its kind in the United States!

Foster also has Rhode Island's only real covered bridge, called the Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge. It was built in 1994 by a local resident, Jed Dixon. It looks like the covered bridges from the early 1800s. It's the only covered bridge in Rhode Island that you can find on a public road. As mentioned before, Jerimoth Hill, the highest point in Rhode Island, is also located in Foster.

Notable People from Foster

Nelson Aldrich: A U.S. Senator from Rhode Island. He was the father of Abby Rockefeller.
Solomon Drowne: A doctor and writer who lived in Foster.
Theodore Foster: A U.S. Senator from Rhode Island. The town of Foster was named after him.
Clarke Howard Johnson: A Rhode Island lawmaker and state supreme court judge.
Albert W. Hicks: One of the last people executed for piracy in the United States.

Historic Places in Foster

Foster Center Historic District
Breezy Hill Site (RI-957)
Clayville Historic District
Capt. George Dorrance House (built in 1720)
Moosup Valley Historic District
Mount Vernon Tavern (built in 1761)
Mt. Hygeia (built in 1808)
Line Baptist Church (built in 1867)

Foster, Rhode Island facts for kids

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