Hopkinton, Rhode Island

Hopkinton, Rhode Island

Location of Hopkinton within Washington County, Rhode Island
Government
 • Town Council Barbara A. Capalbo
Frank T. Landolfi
Sylvia K. Thompson
Thomas E. Buck
David F. Husband
 • Town Clerk Elizabeth J. Cook-Martin
Area
 • Total 44.1 sq mi (114.0 km2)
 • Land 43.0 sq mi (111.0 km2)
 • Water 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
Population (2010)
 • Total 8,188
 • Density 185.67/sq mi (71.82/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 02804 (Ashaway), 02808 (Bradford), 02832 (Hope Valley), 02833 (Hopkinton), 02873 (Rockville)
Area code(s) 401
Website http://www.hopkintonri.org

Hopkinton is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 8,188 at the 2010 census.

History

Hopkinton is named after Stephen Hopkins (a signer of the Declaration of Independence), who was governor of the colony of Rhode Island when the town was partitioned from Westerly and incorporated in 1757.[1][2] Hopkinton once featured a number of industrial villages, such as Locustville, Moscow, Centerville, and Wood River Iron Works, each being named after the mill they surrounded. Today only Hope Valley, Rockville, Ashaway and Bradford are recognized with a post office. A section of the town has its own post office known as simply "Hopkinton". The town hall is located in the village of Hopkinton City, which was once a major stagecoach hub..

Geography

Hopkinton is found at 41.461 N latitude and 71.778 W longitude and borders Richmond and Charlestown. It is on the Pawcatuck River on the Connecticut border.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.1 square miles (114 km2), of which, 43.0 square miles (111 km2) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) of it (2.58%) is water.

Hopkinton is the southernmost town along Rhode Island's portion of Interstate 95; as such it is the first Rhode Island town that northbound travelers encounter.

Villages

In Hopkinton, the two primary villages are Hope Valley in the north and Ashaway in the south. Two of the four elementary schools in the Chariho Regional School District are located in Hopkinton: one in Hope Valley and one in Ashaway. Other villages that are located (or partially located) in Hopkinton include Barberville, Bethel, Bradford, Burdickville, Canonchet, Centerville, Hopkinton City, Kierieian, Locustville, Moscow, Rockville, South Hopkinton, Woodville and Yawgoog. Almost all of these villages formed from mills on rivers. Some villages dominate others when it comes to postal addresses, home identification and where to attend school. As before mentioned, the two most dominant villages are Hope Valley and Ashaway, which have extended their borders as census-designated places into other less-known villages.

Adjacent Towns

 Voluntown, Connecticut Exeter
North Stonington, Connecticut Richmond
   Hopkinton  
Westerly Charlestown

Demographics

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 7,836 people, 2,965 households, and 2,182 families residing in the town. There were 3,112 housing units at an average density of 72.4 per square mile (27.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.82% White, 0.61% African American, 0.89% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.

There were 2,965 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,181, and the median income for a family was $59,143. Males had a median income of $39,804 versus $29,189 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,835. About 3.3% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.


Students in Hopkinton are part of the Chariho Regional School District.

Politics

In the state legislature Hopkinton is located in the 34th Senate District, represented by Republican Francis T. Maher, Jr,[4] and in the 38th District in the Rhode Island House of Representatives by Democrat Brian Patrick Kennedy.[5] At the Federal level, Hopkinton is located in Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District, which is currently represented by James Langevin (D). In the United States Senate, Hopkinton is represented by U.S. Senator John F. Reed (D) and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D).

Notable people

The Aldrich and the Rockefeller families each built small mansions in Hope Valley region of Hopkinton before the families merged. The Rockefeller house now serves as the rectory for St. Joseph's Parish.

National Historic Places

Hopkinton City Historic District in 2008

See also

References

  1. ↑ Snow, Edwin. Report upon the Census of Rhode Island. Providence Press Company, 1865, p. xxx.
  2. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 160.
  3. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ↑ http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Maher/
  5. ↑ http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Kennedy/

Coordinates: 41°27′40″N 71°46′39″W / 41.46111°N 71.77750°W / 41.46111; -71.77750

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