All Pawtucket All The Time

By Ken McGill, Registrar of Voters

City of Pawtucket

I think that we live in one of the most beautiful states in our country. No one can argue the beauty of Newport or Block Island on a warm summers’ night as you travel along Narragansett Bay on the Block Island Ferry. No one can argue the beauty of Diamond Hill in the winter or Exeter in the fall. Rhode Island is a great place to live and work and in my opinion, it would be a better place to live and work if we had weather like Florida, but that’s just me. This past week a friend of mine gave me a book called “A Guide to American States – Rhode Island the Ocean State”. In it there are many interesting fun facts about the state we call home and I thought I would share some of them with you.

-                     There are more than 100 beaches in Newport, Narragansett, Watch Hill and Block Island.

-                     The state song is “Rhode Island, It’s for Me” by Charlie Hall.

-                     The entire state is only 48 miles long north to south and 37 miles long from east to west.

-                     Potatoes are Rhode Island’s most important field crop.

-                     Rhode Island was once a whaling state.

-                     More than 300 species of birds have been identified in five wildlife refuges on the south coast.

-                     The only covered bridge in the state is located in Foster and is called the Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge.

-                     Farmland covers about 10% of Rhode Island.

-                     The Rhode Island Red Hen was first bred in the Town of Compton.

-                     It is thought that Portuguese sailor Miguel Corte-Real carved his name and a number of symbols into Dighton Rock in Rhode Island’s Taunton River.

-                     In 1774 Rhode Island had 59,700 residents who lived in twenty-nine municipalities.

-                     Pawtuxet Village, which was established in 1642, is the oldest village in New England.

-                     The White Horse Tavern, in Newport, is the oldest tavern in the United States having been built in 1673.

-                     Rhode Island has had some famous individuals born in our state including: Actor Harry Anderson, Sea Captain Robert Gray and Inventor Stephen Wilcox.

Rhode Island is a special place and Rhode Islanders are special people and this is why our little state will always be part of Pawtucket – Your Hometown!

-           Until next week and don’t forget – Answer the Census – We’re Counting on You