Portal:Rhode Island

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

The Rhode Island Portal

Rhode Island (/ˌroʊd-/ ^ⓘ, pronounced "road") is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020; but it has grown at every decennial count since 1790 and is the second-most densely populated state, after New Jersey. The state takes its name from the eponymous island, though nearly all its land area is on the mainland. Providence is its capital and most populous city.

Native Americans lived around Narragansett Bay before English settlers began arriving in the early 17th century. Rhode Island was unique among the Thirteen British Colonies in having been founded by a refugee, Roger Williams, who fled religious persecution in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to establish a haven for religious liberty. He founded Providence in 1636 on land purchased from local tribes, creating the first settlement in North America with an explicitly secular government. The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations subsequently became a destination for religious and political dissenters and social outcasts, earning it the moniker "Rogue's Island".

Rhode Island was the first colony to call for a Continental Congress, in 1774, and the first to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown, on May 4, 1776. After the American Revolution, during which it was heavily occupied and contested, Rhode Island became the fourth state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, on February 9, 1778. Because its citizens favored a weaker central government, it boycotted the 1787 convention that had drafted the United States Constitution, which it initially refused to ratify; it finally ratified it on May 29, 1790, the last of the original 13 states to do so.

The state was officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations since the colonial era but came to be commonly known as "Rhode Island". On November 3, 2020, the state's voters approved an amendment to the state constitution formally dropping "and Providence Plantations" from its full name. Its official nickname, found on its welcome sign, is the "Ocean State", a reference to its 400 mi (640 km) of coastline and the large bays and inlets that make up about 14% of its area. (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Recognized content - show another

Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

The Narragansett Pacer, illustrated in 1895

The Narragansett Pacer was one of the first recorded horse breeds developed in the United States. It emerged in the 1700s, and is believed to have been bred from a mix of English and Spanish breeds. The Pacer was associated with Rhode Island. The last known Pacer is thought to have died around 1880. The Pacer was known as a sure-footed, dependable breed, although not flashy or always good-looking. Pacers were used for racing and general riding. They provided the foundation for several other American breeds. (Full article...)

List of recognized articles

Selected article - show another

Cranston, formerly known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second-largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston. Cranston is a part of the Providence metropolitan area.

Cranston ranked 36th on the list of "America's 50 Best Cities to Live" in a 2014 survey done by 247wallst.com. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know?

... that three decades after chasing away surveyors for a previous railroad with guns, residents of Wickford, Rhode Island, built their own railroad?
... that Northup Avenue Yard in Providence, Rhode Island, was described as "the finest in the New Haven system"?
... that a Rhode Island TV station broadcast for 14 months and then was off the air for 26 years before returning?
... that James Diossa rescued the only public library and post office in Central Falls, Rhode Island, when the city went into bankruptcy?

Quotes related to Rhode Island

Political corruption is to Rhode Islanders as smog is to people who live in Los Angeles: nobody complains of its absence, but when it rolls around everyone feels right at home.

— Philip Gourevitch

More selected quotes

Related portals

edit

Selected picture

Credit: User:Khoule23

Jerimoth Hill is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, at 812 feet (247 m) above sea level. It was formerly controversial due to property complications, but it is now accessible to the public on weekends.

More selected pictures

General images

The following are images from various Rhode Island-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 2Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 3Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 4Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 5In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 6Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 7Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 8The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 9University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 10Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 11The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 12Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 131884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 14Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 15Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 16Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 17A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 18Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 19In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 20The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 21The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 22A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 23University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 24Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 25Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 26In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 27County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 28The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 29Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 30Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 31In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams (from Rhode Island)
Image 32Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 33Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 34University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 35Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 36The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 37In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams (from Rhode Island)
Image 38The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 39Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 40The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 41Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 42University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 43The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 44Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 451884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 46Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 47Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 48The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 49The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 50The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 51County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 52The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 53The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 54Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 55Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 56The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 57Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 58The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 59A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 60In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 61Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 62Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 63The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 64The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)

Topics

Selected panorama

Credit: User:ReneS

The Newport Bridge spanning the Narragansett Bay

More selected panoramas

Quality content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged or categorized (e.g. Category:WikiProject Rhode Island articles) correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.