East Greenwich
| East Greenwich, Rhode Island | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Historic District in downtown East Greenwich
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 Location in Kent County and the state of Rhode Island. |
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| Coordinates: 41°39′N 71°29′W / 41.650°N 71.483°WCoordinates: 41°39′N 71°29′W / 41.650°N 71.483°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Rhode Island |
| County | Kent |
| Incorporated | 1677 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council and Manager |
| • Town Council | Michael B. Isaacs (R) Mark Schwager (D) Suzanne M. Cienki (R) Sean M. Todd (R) William C. Stone (D) |
| • Town Moderator | Arthur Chuck Barton, III (R) |
| • Manager | Thomas E. Coyle, III |
| Area | |
| • Total | 16.71 sq mi (43.3 km2) |
| • Land | 16.58 sq mi (42.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.14 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 13,146 |
| • Density | 792.9/sq mi (306.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 02818 |
| Area code(s) | 401 |
| FIPS code | 44-22240 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1220085 |
| Website | www.eastgreenwichri.com |
East Greenwich is an affluent town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 13,146 at the 2010 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island.
Formed as Greenwich in 1677, it was named for Greenwich, England. It was renamed Dedford in 1686 but reverted to its original name in 1689. In 1741 the more rural western three-quarters of the town was set off as West Greenwich, the remaining quarter of it thenceforth being called East Greenwich. Until 1854, it was one of the five state capitals for Rhode Island. The General Assembly, when meeting in East Greenwich, used the local courthouse, which is today the town hall. East Greenwich Village is located in the northeastern part of the town and extends north about 1.5 km into the town of Warwick, Rhode Island. The town is now known for its waterfront and downtown business district.
East Greenwich was founded in 1677 by the General Assembly in an attempt to solidify land claims against those of Connecticut and the Narragansett Proprietors. The Assembly designated 5000 acres to the new town and provided lots to settlers who would agree to live there. Locals quickly took the assembly up on this offer, and the quick establishment of the town helped hold back plans of Connecticut in pushing their border eastward. East Greenwich was therefore the only Rhode Island town established by an act of government, not commercial interests. In 1687, the Narragansett Proprietors attempted to settle land north of Wickford which overlapped with the land of East Greenwich; however, the Massachusetts governor Sir Edmund Andros, who had authority to settle the dispute, ruled in favor of the existing East Greenwich settlement.
In the 18th century, the government released previously reserved waterfront property in small lots. Beginning in 1711, the local government granted these lots to any person who would pay one shilling and promise to build a commercial building of a minimum size. By 1725, a community had developed, complete with a schoolhouse and a graveyard. However, citizens of the town complained that attending town meetings was too difficult due to the size of the town, which prompted the splitting of West Greenwich into its own town in 1741. The town erected a courthouse when East Greenwich was designated the shire town of the newly formed Kent County, which had been separated from Providence County in 1750.
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