Portal:Rhode Island

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

The Rhode Island Portal

Rhode Island (/ˌroʊd-/ ^ⓘ, pronounced "road") 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 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". On November 3, 2020, the state's voters approved an amendment to the state constitution formally dropping "and Providence Plantations" from its full name. Its official nickname, found on its welcome sign, 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...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Recognized content - show another

Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

General Sir Robert Pigot (portrait by Francis Cotes), the organizer of the raids

The Mount Hope Bay raids were a series of military raids conducted by British troops during the American Revolutionary War against communities on the shores of Mount Hope Bay on May 25 and 31, 1778. The towns of Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island were significantly damaged, and Freetown, Massachusetts (present-day Fall River) was also attacked, although its militia resisted British attacks more successfully. The British destroyed military defenses in the area, including supplies that had been cached by the Continental Army in anticipation of an assault on British-occupied Newport, Rhode Island. Homes as well as municipal and religious buildings were also destroyed in the raids.

On May 25, 500 British and Hessian soldiers, under orders from General Sir Robert Pigot, the commander of the British garrison at Newport, Rhode Island, landed between Bristol and Warren, destroyed boats and other supplies, and plundered Bristol. Local resistance was minimal and ineffective in stopping the British activities. Six days later, 100 soldiers descended on Freetown, where less damage was done because local defenders prevented the British from crossing a bridge. (Full article...)

List of recognized articles

Selected article - show another

CVS Health Corporation is an American for-profit healthcare company that owns CVS Pharmacy, a retail pharmacy chain; CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefits manager; and Aetna, a health insurance provider, among many other brands. The company is the world's second largest healthcare company, behind UnitedHealth Group. In 2023, the company was ranked 64th in the Forbes Global 2000.

CVS started in Lowell, Massachusetts by brothers Stanley and Sidney Goldstein and their partner Ralph Hoagland. The name stood for Consumer Value Stores. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know?

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

Quotes related to Rhode Island

Well, the last chunk of ice that broke off was about the size of the state of Rhode Island. Some people might call that pretty sensational.

— The Day After Tomorrow

More selected quotes

Related portals

edit

Selected picture

Credit: User:Khoule23

Jerimoth Hill is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, at 812 feet (247 m) above sea level. It was formerly controversial due to property complications, but it is now accessible to the public on weekends.

More selected pictures

General images

The following are images from various Rhode Island-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 2Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 3The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 4The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 5A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 6The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 7Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 8Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 9In 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 10Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 11The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 121884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 13The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 14Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 15The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 16University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 17The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 18Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 19Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 20University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 21Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 22Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 23Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 24In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 25The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 26Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 27Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 28Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 29Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 30County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 31University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 32A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 331884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 34Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 35The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 36Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 37Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 38Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 39Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 40Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 41Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 42Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 43Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 44The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 45Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 46County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 47The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 48In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 49The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 50The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 51Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 52In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 53In 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 54In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 55A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 56Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 57Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 58The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 59A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 60Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 61The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 62University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 63The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 64The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)

Topics

Selected panorama

Credit: User:Mark12211

Misquamicut State Beach in March 2007

More selected panoramas

Quality content

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.