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Pawtucket, Rhode Island

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City of Pawtucket
City
Downtown across the Blackstone River
Downtown across the Blackstone River
Location of Pawtucket in Providence County, Rhode Island
Location of Pawtucket in Providence County, Rhode Island
CountryUnited States
StateRhode Island
CountyProvidence
Founded (town)1671
Incorporated (city)1886
Government
 • TypeMayor-council
 • MayorJames E. Doyle
Area
 • Total
9.00 sq mi (23.31 km2)
 • Land8.7 sq mi (22.6 km2)
 • Water0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Elevation
36 ft (11 m)
Population
 (2005)
 • Total
73,742
 • Density8,437/sq mi (3,258/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
02860-02862
Area code401
FIPS code44-54640Template:GR
GNIS feature ID1218926Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.pawtucketri.com

Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 72,958 at the 2000 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.

History

Walcott Brothers' factory in 1855

Pawtucket was the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. Slater Mill, built in 1793 by Samuel Slater on the Blackstone River falls in downtown Pawtucket, was the first commercially successful cotton-spinning mill with a fully mechanized power system in America.[1] He constructed and operated machines for producing yarn. Other manufacturers followed, transforming Pawtucket into a center for textiles, iron working and other products.

The textile business in New England would decline, particularly during the Great Depression, with many manufacturers closing or moving their facilities South where operations and labor were cheaper. But unlike numerous older mill towns in the region, Pawtucket retained much of its industrial base. Today, goods produced in the city include lace, non-woven and elastic woven materials, jewelry, silverware, metals and textiles. Hasbro, one of the world's largest manufacturer of toys and games, is headquartered in Pawtucket.

Originally, there were two Pawtuckets[citation needed]. Pawtucket west of the Blackstone River used to be part of nearby North Providence. East of the Blackstone River was originally settled as part of the Massachusetts town of Rehoboth.[citation needed] Once East Pawtucket (another alternate name for the area of Pawtucket east of the Blackstone) was transferred to Rhode Island in the 1860s, both sections (West and East Pawtucket) merged. It was later incorporated as a city.

Geography

Pawtucket is located at 41°52′32″N 71°22′34″W / 41.87556°N 71.37611°W / 41.87556; -71.37611Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.875499, -71.375981)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.0 square miles (23.3 km²), of which, 8.7 square miles (22.6 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²) of it (2.89%) is water. Pawtucket lies within three drainage basins. These include the Blackstone River, the tidal Seekonk River, and the Ten Mile River.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 72,958 people, 30,047 households, and 18,508 families residing in the city. Pawtucket was the fourth most populous of Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns. The population density was 8,351.2 people per square mile (3,223.0/km²). There were 31,819 housing units at an average density of 3,642.2/sq mi (1,405.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.39% White, 7.31% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 10.75% from other races, and 5.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.90% of the population.

There were 30,047 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the city, the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,775, and the median income for a family was $39,038. Males had a median income of $31,129 versus $23,391 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,008. About 14.9% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.

According to the 2000 census, 20.6% of Pawtucket residents are French or French-Canadian.[2] Like nearby cities Providence, RI; East Providence, RI; Fall River, MA; & New Bedford, MA; Pawtucket hosts a significant population (11.6%)[2] plus 8.5% Cape Verdean from across the Portuguese Empire. The segment from Cape Verde Islands was featured in this Zip Code USA article from National Geographic magazine.

Pawtucket is also one of the few areas of the US with a significant Liberian population, mostly refugees from Charles Taylor's regime.[citation needed]

Transportation

Railroad tracks between New York and Boston run through Pawtucket. Train service at the Pawtucket/Central Falls train station terminated in 1959. Pawtucket was omitted from the MBTA Commuter Rail service on the Providence/Stoughton Line, reestablished in July 2006. However, there is some discussion of restoring service to the Pawtucket/Central Falls train station.

Highways and roads

Interstate 95 and U.S. 1 also traverse the western part of Pawtucket.

Downtown Circulator

Pawtucket's Downtown Circulator was a one-way loop through downtown; it is similar to British concepts of ring roads. A similar concept was also tried in Providence.

The circulator used East Avenue, High Street, Summer Street, Goff Avenue, Dexter Street and Park Place West. Each half of the Circulator carried one direction of U.S. 1; sections also carried westbound RI 15 and northbound RI 114. It was signed with a big 'C' on overhead signs.

The circulator is no longer signed, though the road configuration remains. Providence's Downtown Ring Roads have suffered a similar fate.

  • The only remaining sign
    The only remaining sign
  • Map
    Map
  • Former overhead signs, with C sign at left
    Former overhead signs, with C sign at left

Culture

See also: List of Registered Historic Places in Pawtucket, Rhode Island

The City of Pawtucket hired Researcher Ann Galligan, of Northeastern University, to create an arts and cultural plan. Allowing the city to become more proactive in retaining and attracting artists will enable city officials to allocate resources more effectively to meet the needs of Pawtucket's growing artist community.

Pawtucket is becoming known as a center for arts and culture. This reposted 2004 NY Times article describes the city's efforts to attract artists as well as its continuing problems with red tape.

Each September, the city, in conjunction with members of the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative, produces an annual Arts Festival. The city also hosts Riversing, an independently-produced, day-long musical event.

The American-French Genealogical Society was founded in Pawtucket in 1978.[3]

Education

The Quality Hill section of Pawtucket is home to St. Raphael Academy. It is a private college preparatory school founded on the basis of St. John the Baptist de la Salle. "Saints" is a small school consisting of roughly 500 students with a student to teacher ratio of about 15:2. The "Saints and Lady Saints" are very successful in sports including baseball, football, basketball, and softball.St. Raphael Academy is a rival of *William E. Tolman. They took part in a Thanksgiving Day football game that was played in McCoy Stadium for over 45 years. This game is no longer played even though there is a strong desire of the people of Pawtucket to bring the game back.

Public education in Pawtucket is directed by the Pawtucket School Department and contains these schools: [4]

Senior High Schools

Junior High Schools

  • Samuel Slater
  • Joseph Jenks
  • Goff

Elementary Schools

  • Elizabeth Baldwin
  • M. Virginia Cunningham
  • Flora S. Curtis
  • Curvin McCabe
  • Fallon Memorial
  • Nathanael Greene
  • Agnes E. Little
  • Potter Burns
  • Francis J. Varieur
  • Henry J. Winters

Sports

A night game in 2002 at McCoy Stadium

Pawtucket is home to the Pawtucket Red Sox, the AAA affiliate/Minor League team of the Boston Red Sox and owned by Ben Mondor. The longest professional baseball game in history was played at McCoy Stadium. Pawtucket has a history of professional baseball dating back to 1892, including the Pawtucket Indians.

In 1934 the Narragansett Race Track opened for Thoroughbred horse racing. Until its closure in 1978, the track hosted several important races that drew some of the top horses from around the United States including Hall of Famers War Admiral, Seabiscuit, and Gun Bow.

Parks and recreation

Slater Memorial Park has full recreational facilities including, tennis courts and picnic areas.

  • The 1999 film Outside Providence is based in Pawtucket.
  • American Buffalo, a 1996 film, was filmed in Pawtucket.
  • Pawtucket has been frequently referenced in the cartoon series Family Guy, specifically the "Pawtucket Brewery" and the character "Pawtucket Pat".
  • In December 1993, a character on the short-lived NBC sitcom "Nurses" called Pawtucket a pit. Then-mayor Bob Metivier appeared on the show months later in a cameo looking for an apology.
  • Tolman High School in Pawtucket Rhode Island is in scenes of the movie "Mermaids."
  • Tolman High School is the first multi-million dollar high school east of the Mississippi. It is also the first one to have an indoor pool

Sister city

Pawtucket is twinned with Belper, Derbyshire, a town in England where Samuel Slater had been apprenticed to Jedediah Strutt, learning the secrets of Richard Arkwright's Water Frame (and is sometimes known in the area as "Slater the traitor").

Notable residents

The Arts Exchange (former Pawtucket Armory), with Gamm Theatre in annex

See also

References

  1. ^ Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor - History & Culture (U.S. National Park Service)
  2. ^ a b http://www.pawtucketri.com/about/2000census.pdf
  3. ^ American-French Genealogical Society: Home Page
  4. ^ "Pawtucket School Department District Homepage". Retrieved 2008-08-19.
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