North Providence, Rhode Island

North Providence, Rhode Island
—  Town  —
Nickname(s): none
Location of North Providence in Providence County, Rhode Island
Coordinates: 41°51′36″N 71°27′23″W / 41.86°N 71.45639°W / 41.86; -71.45639Coordinates: 41°51′36″N 71°27′23″W / 41.86°N 71.45639°W / 41.86; -71.45639
Country	United States
State	Rhode Island
County	Providence
Area
- Total	5.8 sq mi (15.0 km2)
- Land	5.7 sq mi (14.7 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	184 ft (56 m)
Population (2010)
- Total	32,078
- Density	5,627.7/sq mi (2,182.2/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	02904, 02908, 02911
Area code(s)	401
FIPS code	44-51760[1]
GNIS feature ID	1219763[2]

North Providence is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 32,078 at the 2010 census.

The town has the distinction of being the smallest by area (5.8 square miles) in the smallest state (1,214 square miles). Though at only 1.29 square miles (3.3 km²), the city of Central Falls is Rhode Island's smallest municipality. Warren holds the title for smallest town (8.6 square miles) in the smallest county (45 square miles) of the smallest state. Despite its small footprint, North Providence has the eighth-highest population of Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns, and the second-highest of the state's towns after Coventry, Rhode Island's largest municipality by land area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.8 square miles (15 km²), of which, 5.7 square miles (15 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (2.07%) is water.

Within the town, there are several villages and neighborhoods, such as Allendale, Centredale, Fruit Hill, Greystone, Louisquisset, Lymansville, Marieville, Woodville, and Geneva.

North Providence is bordered by Providence to the south, Johnston to the west, Smithfield and Lincoln to the north, and Pawtucket to the east.

History

Founding History

Established in 1636 and incorporated as a town in 1765, it originally included parts of what are today the cities of Providence and Pawtucket.

North Providence elected its first mayor in 1974. Since then, the town has been governed by a mayor and seven-member town council.

The town has had four elected mayors:

From 1974 - 1994: Salvatore Mancini

From 1994 - 1996: G. Richard Fossa

From 1996 - 2007: A. Ralph Mollis

From 2007–present: Charles Lombardi

Tax Collector: Claudette Mooney

The Centredale Manor Restoration Project Superfund Site

From at least 1921-1971, the Centredale Manor area of North Providence was contaminated by textile, chemical, and drum recycling industries that discarded toxic liquids and wastes into the surrounding soil and river (EPA 1999). In 2000, the United States Environmental Protection Agency declared a 9-acre (36,000 m²) area including parts of Centredale Manor and Brook Village, both affordable housing units for senior citizens, a superfund site. The agency documented high levels of toxic chemicals like dioxin, VOCs, and PCBs in fish as well as soil from the area. Because of this the area has been fenced off from the community with warning signs against eating contaminated fish, and is undergoing evaluation for clean-up.[1][2]

Town Council Arrests

On May 4, 2010, three members of the North Providence Town Council were arrested by the FBI and charged in Federal Court with taking a $25,000 bribe so that a developer could build a supermarket in their town.^[3]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 32,411 people, 14,351 households, and 8,538 families residing in the town. The population density was 5,720.2 people per square mile (2,207.0/km²). There were 14,867 housing units at an average density of 2,623.9 per square mile (1,012.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.98% White, 2.65% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.85% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.58% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. 3.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,351 households out of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,721, and the median income for a family was $51,655. Males had a median income of $36,624 versus $27,854 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,589. About 5.6% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people from North Providence

• Ernie DiGregorio, former NBA player
• Jim Gilchrist, founder of the controversial Minuteman Project
• Danielle Lacourse, Miss Rhode Island USA 2007, first runner-up at Miss USA 2007
• Zellio Toppazzini, NHL - AHL hockey player, Rhode Island Reds Player of the Century, Providence College Head Coach
• Bob Giammarco, former Providence radio talk show host and elected official in Cranston

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "Town council members accused of corruption". WJAR. 6 May 2010. http://www2.turnto10.com/jar/news/local/local_govtpolitics/article/3_town_councilmen_arrested_on_corruption_charges/36213/#comments. Retrieved 6 May 2010. 

External links

Rhode Island portal

• Town website
• North Providence Recreation Department