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North Smithfield (RI)

North Smithfield, Rhode Island
Town
Forestdale school house from the nineteenth century
Forestdale school house from the nineteenth century
Location in Providence County and the state of Rhode Island.
Location in Providence County and the state of Rhode Island.
Coordinates: 41°59′17″N 71°33′7″W / 41.98806°N 71.55194°W / 41.98806; -71.55194
Country United States
State Rhode Island
County Providence
Government
 • Town Administrator Paulette D. Hamilton
 • Town Council Paul J. Zwolenski
Robert P. Boucher
Kimberly L. Alves
Roseanne Nadeau
Ernest H. Alter
Area
 • Total 24.7 sq mi (64.1 km2)
 • Land 24.0 sq mi (62.3 km2)
 • Water 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2)
Elevation 361 ft (110 m)
Population (2015)
 • Total 12,314
 • Density 498.6/sq mi (192.1/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 02824, 02896
Area code(s) 401
FIPS code 44-52480
GNIS feature ID 1219815
Website http://www.nsmithfieldri.org/

North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterford, Branch Village, Union Village, Park Square, and Slatersville. The population was 11,967 at the 2010 census.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.7 square miles (64 km2), of which, 24.0 square miles (62 km2) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) of it (2.83%) is water. North Smithfield is in a New England upland region. The Branch River and Blackstone Rivers provided much of the power for the early mills in the town.

In the 17th century British colonists settled in North Smithfield developing a farming community that they named after Smithfield, London in England. The town was part of Smithfield, Rhode Island until it was incorporated as North Smithfield in 1871. The first colonization occurred after a Native American, "William Minnian, (or Quashawannamut) "of Punkkupage" (present day Canton, MA) of Massachusetts Bay on May 14, 1666, deeded approximately 2,000 acres" to John Mowry and Edward Inman who partnered with Nathaniel Mowry, John Steere, and Thomas Walling in dividing up the purchased tract. In the early 18th century, a Quaker colony developed in what is now North Smithfield (then Smithfield), which extended into south Uxbridge, Massachusetts.


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