Kingston, Rhode Island facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kingston, Rhode Island
Census-designated place
Kingston, Rhode Island Location in Rhode Island Show map of Rhode Island Kingston, Rhode Island Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Rhode Island
County	Washington
Area
• Total	1.56 sq mi (4.05 km2)
• Land	1.56 sq mi (4.03 km2)
• Water	0.007 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	246 ft (75 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	6,974
• Density	4,471/sq mi (1,722.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	02881
Area code(s)	401
FIPS code	44-38980
GNIS feature ID	1217812

Kingston Village Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Kings County Court House (now a public library) where the Constitution was last voted against by Rhode Island in 1790
Area	470 acres
Architectural style	Greek Revival, Late Victorian, Federal, Colonial
NRHP reference No.	74000011
Added to NRHP	May 1, 1974

Kingston in 1900 on Kingstown Road near the intersection of South Road, showing the village well

Washington County Jail (1858 & 1861). This building housed prisoners awaiting trial in the county courthouse. It is the current home of the South County History Center.

Kingston is a village and a census-designated place within the town of South Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and the site of the main campus of the University of Rhode Island. The population was 6,974 at the 2010 census. Much of the village center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Kingston Village Historic District. It was originally known as Little Rest.

History

The village was originally called Little Rest, but was renamed Kingston in 1826. It was the county seat for Washington County (formerly Kings County) from 1752 until 1894, when a new courthouse was built in nearby West Kingston. West Kingston is also the site of the historic Kingston Railroad Station which opened in June, 1875. The station is served by Amtrak on its Northeast Corridor.

South Kingstown established the Kingston Historic District in 1959, and much of Kingston village became a National Register historic district in 1974 as Kingston Village Historic District. The historic district is located just outside the campus of the University of Rhode Island and contains many fine examples of 18th and 19th century architecture. The historic district includes 38 buildings.

The University of Rhode Island was established at Kingston in 1888 as the Rhode Island Agricultural School and Agricultural Experiment Station, by funding from the Hatch Act of 1887. In 1892 the Agricultural School became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts with funding from the Second Morrill Land Grant Act of 1890, later becoming Rhode Island State College in 1909 and the University of Rhode Island in 1951.

Nearby populated areas

• Wakefield, Rhode Island (3 miles)
• Peace Dale, Rhode Island (3 miles)
• Narragansett, Rhode Island (5 miles)

Climate

Churches and houses of worship

Religious denominations represented with churches in Kingston or on the university campus are Roman Catholicism, the United Church of Christ, Episcopalians, United Methodists, Baptists, and Judaism.

Economy

In addition to the university, major businesses in Kingston include APC by Schneider Electric and the Arnold Lumber Company.

Education

Public schools are operated by the South Kingstown School District. Educational institutions in Kingston include:

• The Compass School, a public K-8 charter school
• Kingston Hill Academy, a public K-5 charter school
• University of Rhode Island
• Gordon Research Conferences center