Kingston, Rhode Island

Kingston, Rhode Island
Census-designated place
Kingston, Rhode Island

Location in the state of Rhode Island

Coordinates: 41°29′N 71°32′W / 41.483°N 71.533°W / 41.483; -71.533
Country United States
State Rhode Island
County Washington
Area
 • Land 1.57 sq mi (4.1 km2)
Elevation 246 ft (75 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 5,446
 • Density 3,474.6/sq mi (1,341.6/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 02881
Area code(s) 401
FIPS code 44-38980[1]
GNIS feature ID 1217812[2]
Kingston Village 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 # 74000011[3]
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 in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States, and the site of the main campus of the University of Rhode Island. Much of the village center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Kingston Village Historic District.

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.[4]

Nearby populated areas

Climate

Climate data for Kingston, Rhode Island
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 37.7
(3.2)		 38.6
(3.7)		 46.4
(8)		 56.7
(13.7)		 67.0
(19.4)		 75.5
(24.2)		 80.6
(27)		 79.3
(26.3)		 73.2
(22.9)		 63.6
(17.6)		 52.2
(11.2)		 41.4
(5.2)		 59.4
(15.2)
Average low °F (°C) 18.9
(−7.3)		 19.6
(−6.9)		 27.2
(−2.7)		 35.4
(1.9)		 44.7
(7.1)		 53.8
(12.1)		 59.8
(15.4)		 58.5
(14.7)		 51.6
(10.9)		 41.0
(5)		 32.6
(0.3)		 23.0
(−5)		 38.8
(3.8)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.5
(114)		 3.9
(99)		 5.0
(127)		 4.4
(112)		 3.8
(97)		 3.5
(89)		 3.1
(79)		 4.3
(109)		 3.9
(99)		 3.9
(99)		 4.7
(119)		 4.8
(122)		 49.6
(1,260)
Source: Weatherbase[5]

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:

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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  4. ↑ "University of Rhode Island History". Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  5. ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Kingston, Rhode Island". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Gordon Research Conference Center". Retrieved 10 July 2009.

Further reading

Coordinates: 41°29′N 71°32′W / 41.483°N 71.533°W / 41.483; -71.533

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