Portal:Rhode Island

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The Rhode Island Portal

Rhode Island (/ˌroʊd-/ ^ⓘ ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020; but it has grown at every decennial count since 1790 and is the second-most densely populated state, after New Jersey. The state takes its name from the eponymous island, though nearly all its land area is on the mainland. Providence is its capital and most populous city.

Native Americans lived around Narragansett Bay for thousands of years before English settlers began arriving in the early 17th century. Rhode Island was unique among the Thirteen British Colonies in having been founded by a refugee, Roger Williams, who fled religious persecution in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to establish a haven for religious liberty. He founded Providence in 1636 on land purchased from local tribes, creating the first settlement in North America with an explicitly secular government. The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations subsequently became a destination for religious and political dissenters and social outcasts, earning it the moniker "Rogue's Island".

Rhode Island was the first colony to call for a Continental Congress, in 1774, and the first to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown, on May 4, 1776. After the American Revolution, during which it was heavily occupied and contested, Rhode Island became the fourth state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, on February 9, 1778. Because its citizens favored a weaker central government, it boycotted the 1787 convention that had drafted the United States Constitution, which it initially refused to ratify; it finally ratified it on May 29, 1790, the last of the original 13 states to do so.

The state was officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations since the colonial era but came to be commonly known as "Rhode Island". In November 2020, the state's voters approved an amendment to the state constitution formally dropping "and Providence Plantations" from its full name. Its official nickname is the "Ocean State", a reference to its 400 mi (640 km) of coastline and the large bays and inlets that make up about 14% of its area. (Full article...)

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William Arnold (24 June 1587 – c. 1676) was one of the founding settlers of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and he and his sons were among the wealthiest people in the colony. He was raised and educated in England where he was the warden of St. Mary's, the parish church of Ilchester in southeastern Somerset. He emigrated to New England with family and associates in 1635. He initially settled in Hingham in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but he soon relocated to the new settlement of Providence Plantation with Roger Williams. He was one of the 13 original proprietors of Providence, appearing on the deed signed by Roger Williams in 1638, and was one of the 12 founding members of the first Baptist church to be established in America.

After living in Providence for about two years, Arnold moved with his family and others to the north side of the Pawtuxet River forming a settlement commonly called Pawtuxet, later a part of Cranston, Rhode Island. He and his fellow settlers had serious disputes with their Warwick neighbors on the south side of the river and, as a result, separated themselves from the Providence government, putting themselves under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This separation from Providence lasted for 16 years, and Arnold was appointed to keep the peace as the head of the settlement. He died sometime during the great turmoil of King Philip's War in 1675 or 1676. His son Benedict succeeded Roger Williams as President of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1657, and he became the first Governor of the colony under the royal charter of 1663. (Full article...)

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Anderson at the 1988 Emmy Awards

Harry Laverne Anderson (October 14, 1952 – April 16, 2018) was an American actor, comedian and magician. He is best known for his role as Judge Harry Stone on the NBC sitcom Night Court (1984–1992). He later played Dave Barry on the CBS sitcom Dave's World (1993–1997).

In addition to eight appearances on Saturday Night Live between 1981 and 1985, Anderson had a recurring guest role as con man Harry "The Hat" Gittes on Cheers (1982–1993). He toured extensively as a magician, and did several magic/comedy shows for broadcast, including Harry Anderson's Sideshow (1987). He played Richie Tozier in the 1990 miniseries It, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Harry Anderson is referenced several times in the hypertext novel Homestuck. (Full article...)

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... that James Diossa rescued the only public library and post office in Central Falls, Rhode Island, when the city went into bankruptcy?
... that three decades after chasing away surveyors for a previous railroad with guns, residents of Wickford, Rhode Island, built their own railroad?
... that a Rhode Island TV station broadcast for 14 months and then was off the air for 26 years before returning?
... that Northup Avenue Yard in Providence, Rhode Island, was described as "the finest in the New Haven system"?

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Texas could wear Rhode Island as a watch fob.

— Pat Neff

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Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge is a suspension bridge operated by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority that spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay, connecting the City of Newport on Aquidneck Island and the Town of Jamestown on Conanicut Island. The bridge is four lanes (two in each direction) and is part of RI 138.

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Image 1In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 2Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 3In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 4Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 5Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 6Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 7The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 8Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 9Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 10Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 11Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 12The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 13In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams (from Rhode Island)
Image 14A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 15The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 16The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 17Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 18The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 19Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 20Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 21County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 22Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 23A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 24The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 25The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 26Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 27A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 281884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 29In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams (from Rhode Island)
Image 30University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 31University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 32Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 33Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 34Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 35University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 36The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 37Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 38Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 39The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 40The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 41Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 42In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 43The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 44Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 45University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 46Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 47Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 48Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 49The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 50The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 51The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 52The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 53County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 54A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 55The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 561884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 57The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 58The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 59Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 60In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 61Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 62Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 63Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 64Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)

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The Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge with lightning

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This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged or categorized (e.g. Category:WikiProject Rhode Island articles) correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.