Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city in
Newport County,
Rhode Island, about 30 miles (48 km) south of
Providence. It is the home of the
U.S. Naval War College, the
Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and a major naval training center.
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A side street in Newport, Rhode Island, showing the historic buildings near the waterfront |
Newport was founded in 1639 by
William Coddington,
John Clarke, and others, who left
Boston on account of their sympathy with the
Antinomians. A public school was established in 1640. In 1727, James Franklin (brother of
Benjamin) was printing in Newport; in 1732, he published the first newspaper, the Rhode Island
Gazette. In 1758, his son James founded the
Mercury, a weekly paper. One of the first acts of resistance to
British authority occurred in 1769 when the British sloop
Liberty was destroyed and its boats dragged in Washington Square.
Newport was incorporated from 1784 to 1787 and again in 1853. It was an important port during the
slave trade (particularly a key port in the
Triangular trade) and has since become a favorite holiday location and well-known
summer colony.
The city is the site of the last residence of Commodore
Oliver Hazard Perry, the birthplace of Commodore
Matthew C. Perry and the Reverend
William Ellery Channing, and the mansion of General
Nathanael Greene.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy and
Jacqueline Bouvier were married in St. Mary's Church in Newport on
September 12,
1953.[
1]
Presidents
Kennedy and
Eisenhower both made Newport the sites of their "summer White Houses" during their years in office. Eisenhower stayed at
Fort Adams, while Kennedy used Hammersmith Farm.
In 1900, 22,204 people lived in Newport, Rhode Island; in 1910, 27,149; in 1920, 30,255; and in 1940, 30,532. The city has long been entwined with the
U.S. Navy. Until
1971, it hosted the Cruiser-Destroyer Force of the
U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and subsequently it has from time to time hosted smaller numbers of warships. It held the campus of the
U.S. Naval Academy during the
Civil War, when the undergraduate officer training school was temporarily moved north from
Annapolis, Maryland. It remains home to the U.S.
Naval War College.
Newport is located at .It is the largest city on
Aquidneck Island in
Narragansett Bay. According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.7
km² (11.5
mi²). 20.6 km² (7.9 mi²) of it is land and 9.2 km² (3.5 mi²) of it (30.86%) is water. The
Newport Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in New England, connects Newport to neighboring
Conanicut Island across the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 26,475 people, 11,566 households, and 5,644 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,287.4/km² (3,336.3/mi²). There were 13,226 housing units at an average density of 643.1/km² (1,666.7/mi²).
The racial makeup of the city was 84.12%
White, 7.75%
African American, 0.85%
Native American, 1.33%
Asian, 0.09%
Pacific Islander, 2.41% from
other races, and 3.44% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 5.54% of the population.
There were 11,566 households out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.3% were
married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.2% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 14.6% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,669, and the median income for a family was $54,116. Males had a median income of $37,780 versus $27,492 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $25,441. About 12.9% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 23.8% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
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Bellevue Avenue's Belcourt Castle is owned by the Tinney Family. |
Newport is the home of the International
Tennis Hall of Fame, where important
tennis players are commemorated, as well as a number of mansions dating back to the
Gilded Age, including
The Breakers,
Belcourt Castle,
Chateau-sur-Mer,
The Elms,
Marble House,
Rosecliff, and
Rough Point. Some of these are open for guided tours. The nearby
Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum has a fine collection of trees and plants, including the largest sequoia on the East Coast.
With coastlines on the west, south and east, Newport is a maritime city. Its harbors teem with
commercial fishing boats, power and sail pleasure craft. It is known as the sailing capitol of the United States. Many defenses by the
New York Yacht Club of the
America's Cup yachting prize took place here.
Newport Country Club was one of the five founding clubs of the
United States Golf Association; it hosted the first
U.S. Open and the first
US Amateur, both held in 1895. In June 2006, it will host the U.S. Women's open.
Newport is also home to the
Newport Tower,
Salve Regina University,
Hammersmith Farm and the
Touro Synagogue, the oldest Jewish house of worship in the United States, as well as
Redwood Library and Anthanaeum, the nation's oldest lending library.
The city is also known for the
Newport Jazz Festival, the Sunset Music Festival and the
Newport Folk Festival, where
Bob Dylan shocked the crowd by playing an electric guitar. Each June, the city hosts the
Newport International Film Festival. In September, the Newport International Boat Show comes to town.
Aquidneck Island is home to many beautiful beaches, most public and a few private. In Newport, the largest public beach, Easton's beach or First Beach, has a view of the famed Cliff Walk. Gooseberry Beach, located on the Ocean Drive, is a good family beach. There are two private beaches in Newport, Bailey's Beach (Spouting Rock Beach Association) and Hazard's Beach, both located on the Ocean Drive.
Since Newport is a maritime city, water based recreation is a primary attraction. Options include sailing, sea kayaking, and windsurfing.
*Elementary Schools: Carey School, Coggeshall School, Cranston- Calvert School, Sheffield School. Sullivan School, Underwood School, St Michael's Country Day School, St. Joseph of Cluny Sisters' School.
*Secondary Schools: St. George's School, Thompson Middle School,
Rogers High School, Newport Area Career and Technical Center, Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center.
*Post Secondary Schools: U.S. Naval Academy Prep School,
Salve Regina University,
Naval War College, International Yacht Restoration School.
*
Frank Corridon, who pitched for the
Chicago Cubs,
Philadelphia Phillies, and
St. Louis Cardinals and is known for inventing the now illegal pitch, the
spitball.
*
Mena Suvari, actress, known best for her role as the vampish cheerleader with whom
Kevin Spacey's character is obsessed in the 1999 film
American Beauty.
*
Tanya Donelly, musician, vocalist for Rhode Island-based bands
Belly and
Throwing Muses, as well as gutairist for the band
The Breeders.
*
Van Johnson, actor, known best for "all-American" roles in
MGM films during
World War II.
*
Ida Lewis, lighthouse keeper credited with saving 18 lives in Newport Harbor throughout the nineteenth century; she received national attention and numerous honors.
*
Matthew C. Perry,
Commodore of the
U.S. Navy who forced the opening of
Japan to the West with the
Convention of Kanagawa in 1854, under the threat of military force.
*
William Ellery Channing, one of the foremost
Unitarian preachers of the
nineteenth century.
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Newport's Shoreline includes the mansions of many famous people from the past and present |
*
Oliver Hazard Perry, commander of the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
*
Admiral Jeremy Michael Boorda,
25th Chief of Naval Operations,
Washington D.C* S. G. Arnold,
History of the State of Rhode Island, (two volumes, New York, (1859-60)
* G. W. Mason,
Reminiscences of Rhode Island, (Newport, 1884)
* E. M. Stone,
Our French Allies, (Providence, 1884)
*
City of Newport homepage*
Newport County Convention & Visitor's Bureau homepage*
Newport Attractions & Travel Guide*
Newport Online
