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Warwick, Rhode Island facts for kids

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City of Warwick
City
Warwick City Hall, Brush Neck Cove, the Caleb Greene House, and T. F. Green Airport
Official seal of City of Warwick
Seal
Location in Kent County, Rhode Island
Country United States
State Rhode Island
County Kent
Founded 1642
Incorporated (Town) August 8, 1647
Incorporated (City) April 21, 1931
Government
 • Type Mayor-council
Area
 • Total 49.75 sq mi (128.85 km2)
 • Land 35.00 sq mi (90.65 km2)
 • Water 14.75 sq mi (38.20 km2)
Elevation
36 ft (11 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 82,823
 • Density 2,366/sq mi (913.7/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes
02886, 02888–02889
Area code(s) 401
FIPS code 44-74300
GNIS feature ID 1220018
Website www.warwickri.gov

Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, 63 miles (101 km) southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, and 171 miles (275 km) northeast of New York City.

Warwick was founded by Samuel Gorton in 1642 and has witnessed major events in American history. It was decimated during King Philip's War (1675–1676) and was the site of the Gaspee Affair, the first act of armed resistance against the British, preceding even the Boston Tea Party, and a significant prelude to the American Revolution. Warwick was also the home of Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene, George Washington's second-in-command, and Civil War General George S. Greene, a hero of the Battle of Gettysburg. Today, it is home to Rhode Island's main airport, T. F. Green Airport, which serves the Providence area and also functions as a reliever for Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts.

Early history

Warwick was founded in 1642 by Samuel Gorton when Narragansett Indian Chief Sachem Miantonomi agreed to accept 144 fathoms of Wampum for what was known as "The Shawhomett Purchase". This included the present day towns of Coventry and West Warwick. However, the purchase was not without dispute. The two sachems of the area, Sacononoco and Pumham, stated that Miantonomi had sold the land without asking for their approval. They took their case to Boston, where they placed their lands under Massachusetts rule. In 1643, Massachusetts Bay Colony sent a militia force to Shawomett to arrest Gorton and his followers. After a tense standoff, all but three of the Gortonists surrendered to the Massachusetts force. This event caused the other three settlements on Narragansett Bay (Providence, Portsmouth, and Newport) to unite and get a royal charter allowing them to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

In 1648, Gorton was granted a Charter by Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, Lord Admiral and head of the Parliamentary Commission on Plantation Affairs. Because of this, the name of the settlement was changed from Shawhomett to Warwick. Massachusetts continued to lay claim to the area, but it made no further effort to enforce it.

In 1772, Warwick was the scene of the first violent act against the Crown in what came to be called the Gaspee Affair. Local patriots mooned and then boarded the Gaspee, a revenue cutter charged with enforcing the Stamp Act 1765 and Townshend Acts in Narragansett Bay where smuggling was common. It was here that the first blood was spilled in the American Revolution when Gaspee's commanding officer Lt. Dudingston was shot in his crotch while resisting the taking of his ship. The Gaspee was stripped of all cannon and arms before being torched.

During the Revolution, Warwick militiamen participated in the battles of Montreal, Quebec, Saratoga, Monmouth, and Trenton, and were present for the surrender at Yorktown.

Transportation

Major traversing highways include:

  • I-95.svg Interstate 95
  • I-295.svg Interstate 295
  • Rhode Island 37.svg Route 37
  • T. F. Green Airport Connector Road

Interstate 95 is the major thoroughfare of Rhode Island, with the first southbound exit in Warwick at Jefferson Boulevard, and ending with the Route 117 interchange, near the Apponaug rotaries. Interstate 295 connects to the main highway at exit 11, providing direct travel to Woonsocket and Massachusetts. Smaller routes include Route 37 (Lincoln Avenue Freeway) connecting 295 to U.S. Route 1, and the Airport Connector Road.

The Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport is the main airport serving Rhode Island, and is located in Warwick. The name was changed for T.F. Green Airport in 2021. T. F. Green Airport is a station on the Providence/Stoughton Commuter Rail Line, providing weekday service to Providence Station and Boston's South Station.

Climate

Climate data for Warwick, Rhode Island (T.F. Green Airport), 1981–2010 normals
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 69
(21)
72
(22)
90
(32)
98
(37)
96
(36)
98
(37)
102
(39)
104
(40)
100
(38)
88
(31)
81
(27)
77
(25)
104
(40)
Average high °F (°C) 37.4
(3.0)
40.3
(4.6)
47.8
(8.8)
58.6
(14.8)
68.4
(20.2)
77.5
(25.3)
82.8
(28.2)
81.4
(27.4)
74.2
(23.4)
63.3
(17.4)
53.2
(11.8)
42.3
(5.7)
60.6
(15.9)
Average low °F (°C) 21.0
(−6.1)
23.6
(−4.7)
30.0
(−1.1)
39.6
(4.2)
48.6
(9.2)
58.4
(14.7)
64.2
(17.9)
63.2
(17.3)
55.3
(12.9)
43.9
(6.6)
35.7
(2.1)
26.3
(−3.2)
42.5
(5.8)
Record low °F (°C) −13
(−25)
−17
(−27)
1
(−17)
11
(−12)
29
(−2)
39
(4)
48
(9)
40
(4)
32
(0)
20
(−7)
6
(−14)
−12
(−24)
−17
(−27)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.76
(96)
3.34
(85)
5.00
(127)
4.36
(111)
3.55
(90)
3.64
(92)
3.28
(83)
3.60
(91)
3.92
(100)
3.92
(100)
4.51
(115)
4.21
(107)
47.09
(1,196)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 10.3
(26)
8.6
(22)
5.6
(14)
0.7
(1.8)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
1.4
(3.6)
7.3
(19)
33.8
(86)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 11.0 9.7 11.9 11.3 12.0 10.9 9.4 9.0 8.7 9.4 10.1 11.6 125.0
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 5.6 4.7 3.4 0.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.6 3.4 18.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours 170.5 175.2 217.0 225.0 254.2 273.0 291.4 263.5 234.0 207.7 147.0 148.8 2,607.3
Source 1: NOAA (extremes 1904–present), The Weather Channel
Source 2: HKO (sun only, 1961–1990)

Geography

Warwick is located at 41°43′N 71°25′W / 41.717°N 71.417°W / 41.717; -71.417 (41.7181, -71.4152).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.6 square miles (128 km2), of which, 35.5 square miles (92 km2) of it is land and 14.1 square miles (37 km2) of it (28.46%) is water.

The following villages are located in Warwick:

3

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1830 5,529
1840 6,726 21.6%
1850 7,740 15.1%
1860 8,916 15.2%
1870 10,453 17.2%
1880 12,164 16.4%
1890 17,761 46.0%
1900 21,316 20.0%
1910 26,629 24.9%
1920 13,481 −49.4%
1930 23,196 72.1%
1940 28,757 24.0%
1950 43,028 49.6%
1960 68,504 59.2%
1970 83,694 22.2%
1980 87,123 4.1%
1990 85,427 −1.9%
2000 85,808 0.4%
2010 82,672 −3.7%
2020 82,823 0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

Warwick is officially a part of the Providence metropolitan area, which has a population of 1,600,852 in 2010 census. As of the census of 2000, there were 85,808 people, 35,517 households, and 22,979 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,417.2 people per square mile (933.3/km2). There were 37,085 housing units at an average density of 1,044.7 per square mile (403.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.21% White, 1.16% African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.60% of the population.

There were 35,517 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $46,483, and the median income for a family was $56,225. Males had a median income of $39,455 versus $28,946 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,410. About 4.2% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Before its dissolution, Eckerd Corporation had its headquarters in Warwick.

The ten largest employers in Warwick are Kent Memorial Hospital, Citizens Bank- Warwick Call Center, UPS, MetLife, City of Warwick, Leviton Manufacturing, Wal-Mart, Community College of Rhode Island, J.C. Penney, Kenney Manufacturing, and Inskip Automall.

Education

Community College of Rhode Island Knight Campus-side
The Knight Campus building of the Community College of Rhode Island

Local public schools are operated by Warwick Public Schools. Toll Gate High School and Pilgrim High School are the two comprehensive public high schools located in Warwick. The two public middle schools are Winman Junior High School and Warwick Veterans Junior High School. Aldrich Junior High School and Gorton Junior High School closed in 2016 as part of the school consolidation project. The school department is headed by superintendent Lynn Dambruch.

Bishop Hendricken High School is an all-male college preparatory Catholic high school located in Warwick. Rocky Hill School is a Pre-K–12 co-ed secular country day school located on Warwick's isolated Potowomut peninsula. The school lists an East Greenwich address, despite being geographically included as part of the city of Warwick.

The Community College of Rhode Island Knight Campus is also located in Warwick on the former Knight Estate.

Notable people

  • Bill Almon, MLB player who attended Warwick Veterans Memorial High School
  • Rocco Baldelli, MLB player and Minnesota Twins head coach who attended Bishop Hendricken High School
  • John Belluso, playwright
  • John Brown, American merchant and participant in the Gaspee Affair; Brown University is named for him
  • Marnee Carpenter, actress
  • Thomas Holden, American general and Rhode Island Supreme Court justice
  • John Hynes, Head coach of the NHL Nashville Predators, born in Warwick
  • Martha McSally, Senator from Arizona (2019–2020), born and raised in Warwick
  • Walt Mossberg, personal technology journalist and editor, born and raised in Warwick who attended Pilgrim High School
  • Nolan North, voice actor who attended Bishop Hendricken High School
  • Dave Shalansky, actor, attended Toll Gate High School
  • Chris Terreri, NHL goalie attended Pilgrim High School
  • Dan Wheeler, MLB pitcher attended Pilgrim High School
  • Fred Whittingham, NFL player and coach, attended Warwick Veterans Memorial High School
  • James Woods, actor, attended Pilgrim High School in 1965

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Warwick (Rhode Island) para niños

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