South Kingstown is a town in Rhode Island, USA. It's the main town of Washington County. In 2020, about 31,931 people lived here. South Kingstown is one of the largest towns in Rhode Island by land size.

History of South Kingstown

Early Days and Native Americans

The Narragansett Indians used to have a winter camp in the Great Swamp. This area is now part of South Kingstown.

In 1638, Roger Williams, who founded Rhode Island, made an agreement. He worked with two Sachems (leaders) of the Narragansett Tribe. This agreement set the borders between the tribe and the Rhode Island Colony. They also bought Aquidneck Island. This important agreement was signed at Pettaquamscutt Rock. This rock is still in South Kingstown today.

Twenty years later, in 1658, Roger Williams met with the Narragansett Sachems again. They made another agreement, called the Pettaquamscutt Purchase. This deal bought most of the land that is now Washington County, including South Kingstown. This agreement was also signed at Pettaquamscutt Rock.

Settlement and Challenges

In the late 1600s and early 1700s, South Kingstown didn't have many people. Most residents were farmers. They grew food and raised animals for nearby Newport. Some people also bought land to sell later when more settlers arrived.

However, there were challenges. A company called the Atherton Syndicate bought a lot of land to resell. The strong Narragansett Nation also didn't want many new settlements. Plus, there was a disagreement over the land with the neighboring Connecticut.

Over time, these problems slowly went away. The Atherton Syndicate eventually went out of business. In 1675, a big battle called the Great Swamp Fight happened during King Philip's War. This battle greatly reduced the Narragansett population. However, the Narragansett fought back and destroyed most settlements in South Kingstown. This included Little Rest, which was the largest settlement. After this, the land was described as a "desolate wilderness."

Becoming a Town

Finally, in 1723, Connecticut agreed that the land belonged to Rhode Island. This happened after many years of discussions in London. In the same year, the Rhode Island General Assembly divided the town of Kingstown. It was split into North Kingstown and South Kingstown. Both towns officially became separate on February 25, 1723.

Later, in 1888, a small strip of land was taken from South Kingstown. This land, along the Pettaquamscutt River to Narragansett Bay, became the town of Narragansett.

Geography of South Kingstown

South Kingstown covers about 79.8 square miles (206.6 square kilometers). About 57.1 square miles (147.9 square kilometers) is land. The rest, about 22.7 square miles (58.7 square kilometers), is water.

Villages and Neighborhoods

South Kingstown has several villages. These include Kingston, West Kingston, Wakefield, Peace Dale, and Usquepaug. Other villages are Snug Harbor, Tuckertown, East Matunuck, Matunuck, Green Hill, and Perryville.

Peace Dale and Wakefield are often grouped together as Wakefield-Peacedale. Other small areas are Ocean Ridge, Indian Lake, Curtis Corner, and Torrey Hill. Middlebridge, on the west side of Narrow River, is a busy neighborhood.

Climate

South Kingstown has a climate with warm summers. It gets a good amount of rain throughout the year.

Climate data for South Kingstown, 1991–2020 simulated normals (43 ft elevation)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	38.3 (3.5)	39.9 (4.4)	45.9 (7.7)	55.2 (12.9)	64.8 (18.2)	73.6 (23.1)	79.5 (26.4)	79.0 (26.1)	73.2 (22.9)	63.0 (17.2)	52.9 (11.6)	43.9 (6.6)	59.1 (15.1)
Daily mean °F (°C)	30.6 (−0.8)	32.0 (0.0)	37.9 (3.3)	47.1 (8.4)	56.5 (13.6)	65.8 (18.8)	71.8 (22.1)	71.1 (21.7)	65.1 (18.4)	54.7 (12.6)	45.0 (7.2)	36.3 (2.4)	51.2 (10.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	22.6 (−5.2)	23.9 (−4.5)	30.0 (−1.1)	39.0 (3.9)	48.4 (9.1)	58.1 (14.5)	64.0 (17.8)	63.3 (17.4)	57.0 (13.9)	46.4 (8.0)	37.0 (2.8)	28.8 (−1.8)	43.2 (6.2)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.14 (105.25)	3.68 (93.44)	5.41 (137.49)	4.77 (121.07)	3.64 (92.42)	3.94 (99.95)	3.22 (81.71)	4.00 (101.71)	4.01 (101.83)	4.86 (123.50)	4.32 (109.83)	5.19 (131.73)	51.18 (1,299.93)
Average dew point °F (°C)	20.8 (−6.2)	21.4 (−5.9)	26.4 (−3.1)	35.6 (2.0)	46.6 (8.1)	57.2 (14.0)	63.7 (17.6)	63.1 (17.3)	57.2 (14.0)	46.0 (7.8)	35.4 (1.9)	27.3 (−2.6)	41.7 (5.4)
Source: PRISM Climate Group

Neighboring Towns

South Kingstown shares borders with several other towns:

Charlestown to the southwest
Exeter to the northwest
Narragansett to the east
North Kingstown to the northeast
Richmond to the northwest

To the south, South Kingstown is bordered by Block Island Sound.

Population of South Kingstown

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	4,131	—
1800	3,438	−16.8%
1810	3,560	3.5%
1820	3,723	4.6%
1830	3,663	−1.6%
1840	3,717	1.5%
1850	3,807	2.4%
1860	4,717	23.9%
1870	4,493	−4.7%
1880	5,114	13.8%
1890	4,823	−5.7%
1900	4,972	3.1%
1910	5,176	4.1%
1920	5,181	0.1%
1930	6,010	16.0%
1940	7,282	21.2%
1950	10,148	39.4%
1960	11,942	17.7%
1970	16,913	41.6%
1980	20,414	20.7%
1990	24,631	20.7%
2000	27,921	13.4%
2010	30,639	9.7%
2020	31,931	4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2000, about 27,921 people lived in South Kingstown. There were 9,268 households. Most people were White (91.11%). There were also African American, Native American, and Asian residents. About 1.77% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 22.5% of the population was under 18 years old. The median age was 34 years. This means half the people were younger than 34, and half were older.

The median income for a household was $56,325. For families, it was $67,912. The average income per person was $23,827. A small number of families (3.1%) and people (5.3%) lived below the poverty line.

Arts and Culture

South Kingstown has many places for art and entertainment.

Art Galleries: You can visit the Hera Gallery in Wakefield. There's also the South County Art Association in Kingston. The Courthouse Center for the Arts (CCA) in West Kingston sometimes has art shows.
Theaters: Enjoy plays at The Contemporary Theater Company in Wakefield. The Theatre-by-the-Sea is in Matunuck. The CCA also hosts theater performances.
Cinema: The main movie theater is South County Cinema 8 in Wakefield.
Music and Entertainment: The University of Rhode Island's Ryan Center hosts larger events. Smaller venues like Lily Pads in Peace Dale and the CCA offer more intimate shows.

You can also learn about arts and culture at community centers. The Guild and the Senior Center in Wakefield offer classes. There are three public libraries in Kingston, Matunuck, and Peace Dale.

Museums

The South County History Center is in Kingston. It's in an old jail building. It has a collection of early American items. The Peace Dale Museum of Art and Culture is in Peace Dale. It was started by Caroline Hazard. This museum has items from the local Narragansett People. It also has artifacts from other cultures around the world.

Points of Interest

South Kingstown is where the Great Swamp Fight happened in 1675. This was a very important battle during King Philip's War. A tall granite monument marks the battle site. Four smaller granite markers around it list the colonies that fought there.

There are 31 sites in South Kingstown listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Four of these are historic districts. You can take a driving tour to see them.

Kingston Village Historic District in Kingston
Peace Dale Historic District in Peace Dale
Usquepaug Road Historic District near Usquepaug
Wakefield Historic District in Wakefield
Hannah Robinson Tower on McSparran Hill

Sports

The Ocean State Waves baseball team plays in South Kingstown. They are part of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Their home games are at Old Mountain Field.

Parks and Recreation

South Kingstown has over ten miles of beautiful, untouched beaches. The town also recently improved its parks and recreation facilities. They built the South Kingstown Recreation Center at 30 St. Dominic Rd.

Education

The South Kingstown School District serves the town. It has nine schools for students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade.

Pre-kindergarten (Pre-K)

South Kingstown Inclusionary Pre-School in Wakefield

Elementary Schools

Matunuck Elementary School in Matunuck
Peace Dale Elementary School in Peace Dale
West Kingston Elementary School in West Kingston
Kingston Hill Academy, a public charter school in Kingston
The Compass School, a public charter school in Kingston

Middle Schools

Broad Rock Middle School in Wakefield

High Schools

Independence Transition Academy in Kingston
South Kingstown High School in Wakefield

Colleges and Universities

The University of Rhode Island is located in Kingston.

Private Schools

Monsignor Clarke School, a K-8 Catholic school in Wakefield
The Prout School, a Catholic high school in Wakefield

Infrastructure

Emergency Services

The South Kingstown Police Department handles law enforcement. It is located in Peace Dale. The Rhode Island State Police also have authority here.

The Union Fire District of South Kingstown provides fire protection. It is a volunteer department.

South County Hospital is located in Wakefield.

Transportation

Roads

Major roads in South Kingstown include U.S. Route 1, Route 1A, Route 2, Route 108, Route 110, and Route 138.

Rail

You can take a train from Kingston Station. This station is in West Kingston. Amtrak provides this service. Kingston is a stop on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. The Northeast Regional train stops here. This train goes north to Boston and south to Washington, D.C.. It makes stops in cities like Providence, New Haven, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore.

Public Transportation

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) offers public transportation. Several bus routes serve South Kingstown:

64 Newport / URI – Link
65X Wakefield Express – Link
66 URI / Galilee – Link

Utilities

Electricity

Rhode Island Energy provides electricity services.

Telephone

Verizon New England provides local and long-distance landline phone services.

Notable People

Many interesting people have come from South Kingstown. You can find a full list in the main article about people from South Kingstown.

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South Kingstown, Rhode Island Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.

South Kingstown, Rhode Island facts for kids

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