Providence County, Rhode Island
| Providence County, Rhode Island | |
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Providence County Courthouse
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 Location in the U.S. state of Rhode Island |
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 Rhode Island's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | June 22, 1703 |
| Seat | Providence (1703-1842) |
| Largest city | Providence |
| Area | |
| • Total | 436 sq mi (1,129 km2) |
| • Land | 410 sq mi (1,062 km2) |
| • Water | 26 sq mi (67 km2), 6.0% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2016) | 633,473 |
| • Density | 3,963/sq mi (1,530/km²) |
| Congressional districts | 1st, 2nd |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
Providence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 626,667 (59.5% of the state's total population). It is home to the state capital of Providence.
Providence County is included in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area.
In 2010, the center of population of Rhode Island was located in Providence County, in the city of Cranston.
Providence County was constituted on June 22, 1703, as the County of Providence Plantations. It consisted of five towns, namely Providence, Warwick, Westerly, Kingstown, and Greenwich and encompassed territory in present-day Kent and Washington counties. Washington County was split off as King's County in 1729, while Kent County was split off in 1750. The town of Cumberland was acquired from Massachusetts and added to Providence County in 1746-47, and the towns of East Providence and Pawtucket were made part of Providence County when the final border with Massachusetts was settled in 1862. County government in Rhode Island was abolished in 1842. Providence County, like other counties in Rhode Island, has no governmental functions (other than as court administrative and sheriff corrections boundaries which are part of state government).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 square miles (1,130 km2), of which 410 square miles (1,100 km2) is land and 26 square miles (67 km2) (6.0%) is water. It is the largest of Rhode Island's five counties by land area. The county is drained by the Blackstone River, which runs partly along the east border, the Woonasquatucket River in the central part of the county, joining with the smaller Moshassuck River in downtown Providence, and the Pawtuxet, which forms a portion of the southeastern boundary of the county. The Pawtuxet is dammed in the western part of the county to form the Scituate Reservoir, which supplies drinking water for Providence and surrounding communities.
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