Washington County, known to Rhode Islanders asSouth County, is acounty located in theU.S. state ofRhode Island. As of the2020 census, the population was 129,839.[4]Rhode Island counties have no governmental functions other than as court administrative boundaries, which are part of the state government.[5]
The area today known as Washington County was part of the ancestral lands of theNarragansett Indian Tribe.[6] During the second half of the 17th Century, about a dozen English colonists from Newport and Massachusetts colonies moved to the area to establish farms; the larger of these were known as "Narragansett Planters."[6]
By the mid-18th century, there were 25 to 30 large plantations in the county, and their owners became very wealthy.[6] The labor for these farms came from enslaved people; it is estimated that about 15% and 25% of Washington County’s population was enslaved.[6]
Washington County was created asKings County in 1729 within theColony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It was renamed Washington County on October 29, 1781, in honor ofGeorge Washington. At the earliest stage of colonial settlement, the area was called "The Narragansett Country",[citation needed] named after theNaragansett tribe and its tributary tribe theNiantics, 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 inCharlestown, and atSmith's Castle inWickford. A series of conflicts involving the Manisseans onBlock Island gave that island to theMassachusetts Bay Colony for a number of years, before being transferred to the Rhode Island Colony underNewport 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, andMassachusetts. 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 underCharles 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 theEnglish Restoration, in honor of King Charles II. Towns reflecting this history include the two Kingstowns and Charlestown, as well as the villages ofKingston andWest Kingston.
Washington County is also known in Rhode Island as "South County",[7][8] though some definitions of South County include outside towns, such asEast Greenwich in neighboringKent County, and exclude towns within Washington County, such asNew Shoreham.[9]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 563 square miles (1,460 km2), of which 329 square miles (850 km2) is land and 234 square miles (610 km2) (41%) is water.[10] It is the largest county in Rhode Island by total area. The county'stopography ranges from flat along the shoreline to gently rolling hills farther inland. The highest point is a large area approximately 560 feet (170 m) above sea level in the Exeter neighborhood of Black Plain;[11] 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.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 129,839.[17] Of the residents, 16.2% were under the age of 18 and 22.7% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 46.9 years, with 93.0 males for every 100 females and 90.9 males for every 100 females age 18 and over. 66.4% of residents lived in urban areas and 33.6% lived in rural areas.[18]
There were 52,439 households in the county, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[19]
There were 65,694 housing units, of which 20.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.6% were owner-occupied and 25.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%.[19]
Washington County, Rhode Island – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
.jpg)
