Portal:Rhode Island

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The Rhode Island Portal

Rhode Island (/ˌroʊd-/ ^ⓘ ROHD) 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 for thousands of years 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". In November 2020, the state's voters approved an amendment to the state constitution formally dropping "and Providence Plantations" from its full name. Its official nickname 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...)

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Bob approaching New England near peak intensity on August 19

Hurricane Bob was one of the costliest hurricanes in New England history. The second named storm and first hurricane of the 1991 Atlantic hurricane season, Bob developed from an area of low pressure near The Bahamas on August 16. The depression steadily intensified, and became Tropical Storm Bob late on August 16. Bob curved north-northwestward as a tropical storm, but re-curved to the north-northeast after becoming a hurricane on August 17. As such, it brushed the Outer Banks of North Carolina on August 18 and August 19, and subsequently intensified into a major hurricane (Category 3 or greater on the Saffir–Simpson scale). After peaking in intensity with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h), Bob weakened slightly as it approached the coast of New England.

Bob made landfall twice in Rhode Island as a Category 2 hurricane on August 19, first on Block Island and then in Newport. Upon doing so, it became the only hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States during the 1991 season. Moving further inland, Bob rapidly weakened, and deteriorated to a tropical storm while emerging into the Gulf of Maine. Shortly thereafter, Bob made landfall in Maine as a strong tropical storm early on August 20. Bob entered the Canadian province of New Brunswick a few hours later, where it transitioned into an extratropical cyclone. By August 21, the remnants of Bob crossed Newfoundland and re-emerged into the open Atlantic Ocean. The remnants traveled a long distance across the northern Atlantic Ocean, and finally dissipated west of Portugal on August 29. (Full article...)

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The Big Blue Bug, also known as Nibbles Woodaway, is the giant termite mascot of Big Blue Bug Solutions located along I-95 in Providence, Rhode Island. It is claimed to be the world's largest artificial bug at 928 times the size of an actual termite, standing 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and 58 feet (18 m) long and weighing 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg). It was constructed over a four-day period from wire mesh and fiberglass in late 1980 at a cost of $20,000. (Full article...)

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Did you know?

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

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Political corruption is to Rhode Islanders as smog is to people who live in Los Angeles: nobody complains of its absence, but when it rolls around everyone feels right at home.

— Philip Gourevitch

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Credit: User:Juliancolton

Ninigret Pond is a coastal lagoon in Charlestown, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, located at 41°22′45″N 71°38′43″W / 41.3792677°N 71.6453401°W / 41.3792677; -71.6453401. It is the largest of nine such lagoons (often referred to as "salt ponds") in southern Rhode Island.

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

Image 1Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 2The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 3Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 4The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 5In 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 6Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 7Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 8The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 9The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 10In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 11Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 12University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 13The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 141884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 15Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 16Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 17County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 18The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 19Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 20The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 21In 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 22The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 23Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 24Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 25Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 26Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 271884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 28A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 29Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 30Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 31Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 32The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 33Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 34In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 35Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 36Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 37Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 38University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 39University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 40A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 41Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 42In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 43A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 44Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 45The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 46The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 47The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 48Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 49The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 50The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 51County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 52The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 53In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 54Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 55The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 56A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 57Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 58The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 59University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 60The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 61Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 62Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 63Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 64Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)

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Credit: Flickr user: boliyou

The skyline of Providence, Rhode Island

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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.