Introduction - Rhode Island
Rhode Island is located in New England in the Northeast Region of the United States. It may be the smallest of all fifty U.S. states but what it lacks in size, it makes up for with its rich history and scenic beauty. It's a state of diverse landforms, where you'll find rolling hills on one side and a picturesque coastline on the other. The Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean all border the small state. To the north and east is Massachusetts, to the west is Connecticut, and to the south the Atlantic Ocean. Written in a kid-friendly format, the following interesting lists of facts and information about Rhode Island answers who founded Rhode Island, why the oldest known monument to veterans in the United States was erected in Rhode Island, when Rhode Island became a state and much more.Click here for a great selection of Amazon.com books about Rhode Island.
Rhode Island Quick Facts
- Rhode Island was the 13th state in the United States of America.
- Rhode Island was granted statehood on May 29, 1790.
- The state capital of Rhode Island is Providence which is also the largest city.
- The population of Rhode Island is 1,051,511 (source 2013 United States Census Bureau estimate).
- In terms of the size of Rhode Island, it is the smallest of all the 50 states at just 1,045 square miles (2706.5 square km).
- Rhode Island ranks as the 43rd most populous state in the United States, (source 2013 United States Census Bureau estimate).
- The state flower of Rhode Island is the Violet.
- The origin of the name Rhode Island comes from the Greek island of Rhodes.
- Residents of Rhode Island are called Rhode Islanders.
- Two nicknames for this state are The Ocean State and Little Rhody.
- There are only two major bodies of water within Rhode Island which are the Sakonnet River and the Scituate Reservoir.
- Rhode Island, It's for Me is the official state song.
Rhode Island Interesting Facts
- Rhode Island's official name is actually Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
- Rhode Island is just 48 miles from North to South and 37 miles from east to west.
- At 812 feet (247.498 m) above sea level, Jerimoth Hill is the state's highest point.
- In 1953, John Fitzgerald Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport at St. Mary's, Rhode Island's oldest Roman Catholic Church which dates back to 1828.
- The first U.S. Open golf tournament was played at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island on October 4, 1895.
Rhode Island Historical Facts
- Roger Williams founded the first permanent white settlement in Rhode Island in 1636.
- Of the thirteen original colonies in the United States, Rhode Island was the last to become a state.
- The Slater Mill, a cotton spinning factory, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, is a national historical landmark and is considered to be the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.
- Cumberland, Rhode Island is home to a site called Nine Men's Misery. During King Philip's War, the Narragansett Indians tortured nine colonists there. In 1676, a memorial was erected in their honor, making it likely to be the oldest veterans memorial in the U.S.
- In 1772, a group of men attacked, looted and torched a British customs ship near Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. The event became known as the Gaspee Affair and was a blatant defiance of British authority during the period of time leading up to the American Revolution.