Westerly, Rhode Island

Westerly, Rhode Island
Town

Dixon House Square in downtown Westerly

Location of Westerly in Washington County, Rhode Island
Coordinates: 41°21′19″N 71°48′7″W / 41.35528°N 71.80194°W / 41.35528; -71.80194
Country United States
State Rhode Island
County Washington
Government
 • Town Council Christopher A. Duhamel
Jean L. Gagnier
Philip M. Overton
James V. Silvestri
Diana L. Serra
John P. Carson, Sr.
Mario P. Celico
Area
 • Total 74.8 sq mi (193.8 km2)
 • Land 30.1 sq mi (77.9 km2)
 • Water 44.7 sq mi (115.8 km2)
Elevation 36 ft (11 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 22,787
 • Density 757.0/sq mi (292.5/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 02808 (Bradford), 02891 (Westerly)
Area code(s) 401
FIPS code 44-77000[1]
GNIS feature ID 1220091[2]

Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, founded in 1669 by John Babcock. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state. The population was 22,787 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Norwich–New London, Connecticut New England city and town area.

On the western border of Westerly flows the Pawcatuck River, once renowned for its own species of Westerly salmon, three of which are on the town's crest. The Pawcatuck River flows from some fifteen miles (24 km) inland, emptying into Little Narragansett Bay. The Pawcatuck River also serves as the boundary between Westerly and Pawcatuck, Connecticut. Along the coast of Westerly lie salt ponds, which serve as shallow reeflike pools, whose outer walls form the long, white beaches for which the town became renowned. From west to east, these ponds are called Maschaug Pond, Winnapaug Pond, and Quonochontaug Pond. The town also has the fresh water lake Chapman's Pond, which is undergoing revitalization. A type of granite known as Westerly granite has long been quarried here. Westerly granite is ideal for statuary and has been used in numerous government buildings of several states along the eastern seaboard. The Westerly area was known for its granite and stone-cutting industry.[3][4][5]

Westerly becomes a large tourist attraction during the summer months, during which the population nearly doubles.[6] From east to west, well-known beaches include Weekapaug Beach, Westerly Town Beach, Misquamicut State Beach, East Beach, and Watch Hill Beach.

History

Westerly's primary industries today are textiles and tourism, but historically, Westerly was also famous for its granite, quarried in at least two locations in Westerly, in Bradford, and in Potter Hill.

Westerly was probably named for the settlement's location respective to Rhode Island's geography, being the westernmost town in the state. But there is also a possibility that the town got its name from the English village of Westerleigh, in the county of Gloucestershire. The English village was the home of one of Westerly's founding fathers Elder John Crandall (ca. 1612-1676). Elder John settled in Westerly in 1661, and the early history of Westerly contains many references to him and his sons.

The four trolley lines of the Groton and Stonington Street Railway, Norwich and Westerly Railway, Pawtucket Valley Street Railway, and the Ashaway and Westerly Railway converged in Westerly and shared track between the railroad station and Dixon House Square downtown. The lines were built in the 1890s and 1900s and ran until the 1920s.

Physician, American Revolution general, and Rhode Island Supreme Court justice Dr. Joshua Babcock and Chief Justice and Governor of Rhode Island Samuel Ward were born in Westerly.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 74.8 square miles (193.8 km²), of which, 30.1 square miles (77.9 km²) of it is land and 44.7 square miles (115.8 km²) of it (59.78%) is water.

Westerly sits atop a glacial moraine, a series of small hills of debris left behind by receding glaciers in the last Ice Age. A pristine sample of the moraine encompasses a 140-acre (0.57 km2) preserve owned in perpetuity by the Westerly Land Trust. Within the trust land are the rare "kettle" formations that extend out under the sea to Block Island.

Villages

Westerly consists of a number of small villages. Downtown Westerly on the Pawcatuck River is the municipal seat of the area, with the old town post office, library, YMCA, railroad station, former police headquarters (which is now located on Airport Road), granite buildings, and Wilcox Park.

Westerly Town Beach on Atlantic Ave. in Westerly.

Other villages include Avondale (with antique colonial-style and Queen Anne-style homes), Bradford (with its own post office and postal code), Dunn's Corners, Mastuxet, Misquamicut (a beachfront community with small amounts of nightlife and several hotels), Potter Hill (where the Town Forest is located), Shelter Harbor, Watch Hill (with its beaches and summer cottages), Weekapaug, White Rock, and Winnapaug (with its public golf courses). West'lyans normally identify themselves with the town, as opposed to the village in which they reside, except for Bradford, Shelter Harbor, Watch Hill, and Weekapaug.

The town holds a number of annual events such as the Pawcatuck River Duck Race in April, Virtu Art Festival in May, Shakespeare in the Park and The Summer Pops (hosted by the Chorus of Westerly) in June, and Riverglow in July. In recent years, the Westerly-Pawcatuck Chamber of Commerce's events have attracted many visitors, including Big Screen Movies on the Beach through July and August, Westerly's Columbus Day Parade in October, and several beachfront events.

The former granite mining and the stone-cutting industry is historically important. Its quarries produced blue granite, in addition to pinks and reds. The Smith Granite Company employed many granite cutting craftsmen and was one of the town's major employers until the quarries stopped operating in the 1950s. Hundreds of examples of their work can be seen in the battlefields of Gettysburg and in city squares, municipal buildings, cemeteries throughout the United States, and even the Georgia State Capitol.

The Guild Guitar Company was founded in 1952 by Alfred Dronge in New York City. They moved production to Westerly in 1967 and continued to make their well respected archtop, acoustic, and solid body guitars there until 1996, when they were bought by Fender Musical Instruments and production was moved to Corona, California.

A number of figures from the history of sports were residents of Westerly. Former major league baseball manager (Philadelphia) Eddie Sawyer is from Westerly, as is former Washington Senators pitcher Dave Stenhouse. Frankie Frisch, player-manager of the St. Louis Cardinals' famous "Gashouse Gang," retired to and lived the remainder of his life in Westerly, and Elisson "Tarzan" Brown is from the Westerly area, one of the finest marathon runners in the world. Another famous resident is country pop singer Taylor Swift who maintains a beachfront estate in the Watch Hill area.

Adjacent Towns

 North Stonington, Connecticut Hopkinton
Stonington, Connecticut Charlestown
   Westerly  
Atlantic Ocean

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
17902,298—
18002,3291.3%
18101,911−17.9%
18201,9723.2%
18301,915−2.9%
18401,912−0.2%
18502,76344.5%
18603,47025.6%
18704,70935.7%
18806,10429.6%
18906,81311.6%
19007,54110.7%
19108,69615.3%
19209,95214.4%
193010,99710.5%
194011,1991.8%
195012,38010.5%
196014,26715.2%
197017,24820.9%
198018,5807.7%
199021,60516.3%
200022,9666.3%
201022,787−0.8%
Est. 201522,693[7]−0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[8][9]
For demographic information on the urbanized area of Westerly, see Westerly (CDP), Rhode Island.

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 22,966 people, 9,402 households, and 6,130 families residing in the town. The population density was 763.3 people per square mile (294.7/km²). There were 11,292 housing units at an average density of 375.3 per square mile (144.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.17% White, 0.71% Black or African American, 0.57% Native American, 1.99% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.

Amtrak station in Westerly.

There were 9,402 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $44,613, and the median income for a family was $53,165. Males had a median income of $37,887 versus $26,800 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,092. About 4.3% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

The most frequent ancestries among the town's population are Italian (34.2%), Irish (17.9%) and English (14.2%). Many Italians moved to Westerly from Italy around the start of the 20th century (particularly from Sicily and Calabria), and Italian dialects are still spoken at the homes of many older residents.

Tropical cyclones

Due to its location, Westerly is vulnerable to tropical storms and hurricanes. Westerly was devastated in 1938, 1944, and 1954 by several major hurricanes. In 2012, Superstorm Sandy left beaches along the Westerly shoreline devastated and nearly unrecognizable, including Misquamicut. Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee stated that Misquamicut was “our New Jersey," referring to the amount of damage that was received in the state of New Jersey.

Economy

Washington Trust Bancorp Inc., a publicly traded regional bank with operations in Rhode Island and Connecticut, is headquartered in Westerly.

Transportation

Westerly has an airport with service by one commercial airline, the Westerly State Airport.

Westerly has U.S. Route 1 and state routes 1A, 3, and 91. Route 78 forms a bypass around Westerly, which has an endpoint in Rhode Island, three interchanges in Rhode Island, and the other endpoint in Connecticut. Interstate 395 in Connecticut is approximately 5 miles away, which can be accessed by Connecticut Route 2.

Points of interest

National Historic Register sites

References

  1. 1 2 "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 Register of Historic Places
  4. ↑ Civil War Monuments of Connecticut Suppliers & Materials
  5. ↑ Dan Pearson (August 30, 2004). "Modern Sculpture Makes Connection To Westerly's Past". The Day.
  6. ↑ http://www.westerlychamber.org/pages/communityprofiles
  7. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  9. ↑ Snow, Edwin M. (1867). Report upon the Census of Rhode Island 1865. Providence, RI: Providence Press Company.
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Coordinates: 41°22′39″N 71°49′38″W / 41.37750°N 71.82722°W / 41.37750; -71.82722

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