Washington County, known locally as South County, is a county located in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,839. Rhode Island counties have no governmental functions other than as court administrative and sheriff corrections boundaries, which are part of the state government.
History
Washington County was created as Kings County in 1729 within the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It was renamed Washington County on October 29, 1781, in honor of George Washington. At the earliest stage of colonial settlement, the area was called "The Narragansett Country", named after the Naragansett tribe and its tributary tribe the Niantics, both of whom lived in the area.
Early land purchases in the Narragansett Country were effected by settlers after the establishment of Indian trading posts at Fort Neck in Charlestown, and at "Smith's Castle" in Wickford. A series of conflicts involving the Manisseans on Block Island gave that island to the Massachusetts Bay Colony for a number of years, before being transferred to the Rhode Island Colony under Newport County, and then finally to Washington County in 1959.
The borders of the Narragansett country were disputed for nearly 100 years among the colonies of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The Narragansetts had pledged their fealty to King Charles, and the area was known as "The King's Province" and was placed under the authority of Rhode Island "until the King's pleasure was further known". In 1664, a royal commission under Charles II stepped in to adjudicate these conflicting claims. The commission extinguished the claims of Massachusetts, and Rhode Island was granted jurisdiction until the commission finished processing Connecticut's appeals, which were not ended until 1726. Settlements of King's Province were named to reflect the English Restoration, in honor of King Charles II. Towns reflecting this history include the two Kingstowns and Charlestown, as well as the villages of Kingston and West Kingston.
Washington County is also known in Rhode Island as "South County", though some definitions of South County include outside towns, such as East Greenwich in neighboring Kent County, and exclude towns within Washington County, such as New Shoreham.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (41%) is water. It is the largest county in Rhode Island by total area. The county's topography ranges from flat along the shoreline to gently rolling hills farther inland. The highest point is a large area approximately 560 feet (171 m) above sea level in the Exeter neighborhood of Black Plain; the lowest point is sea level along the coast. The northern boundary west of Davisville is approximately 41.60°N. The western boundary north of Westerly is approximately 71.79°W.
National protected areas
Block Island National Wildlife Refuge
John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge
Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge
Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge
Major Highways
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Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 126,979 people, 49,177 households, and 32,297 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 62,206 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.8% white, 1.6% Asian, 1.2% black or African American, 0.9% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population.
The largest ancestry groups were:
27.8% Irish
21.4% Italian
19.9% English
11.4% French
10.8% German
4.9% Portuguese
4.8% Polish
4.3% French Canadian
3.5% Scottish
2.9% Swedish
2.7% American
2.5% Scotch-Irish
1.4% Russian
Of the 49,177 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.3% were non-families, and 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 42.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $70,285 and the median income for a family was $87,999. Males had a median income of $59,598 versus $44,851 for females. The per capita income for the county was $34,737. About 3.4% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
thumb|200px|right|Map of Washington County, Rhode Island showing towns, census-designated places, and
Towns
Charlestown
Exeter
Hopkinton
Narragansett
New Shoreham
North Kingstown
Richmond
South Kingstown (traditional county seat)
Westerly
Census-designated places
Ashaway
Bradford
Carolina
Charlestown
Hope Valley
Hopkinton
Kingston
Misquamicut
Narragansett Pier
Quonochontaug
Wakefield-Peacedale
Watch Hill
Weekapaug
Westerly
Wyoming
Other villages
Alton
Arcadia
Ashaway
Barberville
Bethel
Burdickville
Canonchet
Centerville
Davisville
Galilee
Hamilton
Hopkinton City
Jerusalem
Kenyon
Lafayette
Locustville
Matunuck
Moscow
Peace Dale
Point Judith
Rockville
Saunderstown
Shannock
Shelter Harbor
Slocum
South Hopkinton
Usquepaug
Wakefield
West Kingston
White Rock
Wickford
Wood River Junction
Woodville
Politics
Similar to other counties in Rhode Island, Washington County votes Democratic in presidential elections, having last voted Republican in 1984.
