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Cranston, Rhode Island

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Cranston, Rhode Island
City
Official seal of Cranston, Rhode Island
Seal
Location of Cranston in Providence County, Rhode Island
Location of Cranston in Providence County, Rhode Island
CountryUnited States
StateRhode Island
CountyProvidence
Incorporated (town)1754
Incorporated (city)1910
Government
 • MayorAllan Fung
Area
 • Total
29.9 sq mi (77.5 km2)
 • Land28.6 sq mi (74.0 km2)
 • Water1.4 sq mi (3.5 km2)
Elevation
62 ft (19 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total
79,269
 • Density2,775/sq mi (1,071.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code401
FIPS code44-19180 Template:GR
GNIS feature ID1218689Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.cranstonri.com

Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 79,269 at the 2000 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston [1]. Cranston is a part of the Providence metropolitan area.

Cranston was named one of the "100 Best Places to Live" in the United States by Money magazine in 2006 [2]. It is among the top 25 safest cities in the country, according to CQ Press's research.

The Town of Cranston was created in 1754 from a portion of Providence north of the Pawtuxet River. After losing much of its territory to neighboring towns and the City of Providence, Cranston itself became a city on 10 March 1910.


Geography

Cranston is located at 41°46′N 71°27′W / 41.767°N 71.450°W / 41.767; -71.450Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.7732, -71.4533).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.9 square miles (77.5 km²), of which, 28.6 square miles (74.0 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.5 km²) of it (4.54%) is water.

The following neighborhoods are located in Cranston:

Public High/Middle Schools

  • Cranston High School West
  • Cranston High School East
  • Western Hills Middle School
  • Hugh B. Bain Middle School
  • Park View Middle School

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 79,269 people, 30,954 households, and 20,243 families residing in the city of Cranston. The population density was 2,774.6 people per square mile (1,071.3/km²). There were 32,068 housing units at an average density of 1,122.5/sq mi (433.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.19% White, 6.79% African American, 0.30% Native American, 3.28% Asian, 3.10%, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.93% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.56% of the population.

Over 30% of Cranston's residents describe themselves as Italian American, one of the highest percentages of this ethnic group in cities with over 50,000 residents in the United States.

Cranston is a part of the Providence metropolitan area, which has an estimated population of 1,622,520.

There were 30,954 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% 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 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females of age 18 or over, there were 92.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,108, and the median income for a family was $55,241 (these figures had risen to $54,879 and $70,658 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[3]). Males had a median income of $40,031 versus $28,279 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,978. About 5.6% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Rhode Island Department of Corrections has its headquarters and its adult prison facilities in Cranston.[4] The Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families operates the Rhode Island Training School (RITS), a juvenile correctional facility, in Cranston. The Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles in headquartered in Cranston.[5]

Transportation

Four freeways travel through Cranston: I-95, I-295, RI 10 (the Huntington Expressway) and RI 37. Other state-numbered roads in Cranston are U.S. 1, US 1A, RI 2, RI 5, RI 12, RI 33, RI 51, RI 115 and RI 117.

Cranston is served by Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) buses. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor passes through but has no station in the city. The MBTA's Providence/Stoughton Line will also pass through upon the completion of the new train station at T.F. Green Airport, but will not include a station in Cranston.

Sites

"Howard Prison" in Cranston, Rhode Island at the turn of the 20th century

The first auto race track in the country, Narragansett Park, opened in present-day Stadium in September 1886.

Cranston is home to the Budlong Pool, one of the largest outdoor swimming pools in the country. Built in the 1940s as a Works Progress Administration project, it is a staple of the community. It is located at 198 Aqueduct Road, off Reservoir Avenue (part of RI 2).

Sprague Mansion, an 18th-century homestead, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places [6]. The Thomas Fenner House, built around 1677, is one of the oldest houses in Rhode Island. Edgewood Yacht Club is a notable structure on the National Register of Historic Places located on the Providence River.

The Cranston Country Club is the only public golf course in Cranston.

Notable residents

Flood of 2010

In March of 2010, after an overwhelming amount of rain, the Pawtuxet River overflowed. This caused many major sites such as the Warwick Mall and the CLCF Building to be shut down and repaired.

See also

Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane has stated that the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island is modeled after Cranston.[citation needed]

Sister cities

References

  1. ^ http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt
  2. ^ "MONEY Magazine: Best places to live 2006: Cranston, RI snapshot". Money.cnn.com. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  3. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/STTable?_bm=y&-context=st&-qr_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_S1901&-ds_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_&-CONTEXT=st&-tree_id=307&-redoLog=false&-geo_id=16000US4419180&-format=&-_lang=en
  4. ^ "Contact Us." Rhode Island Department of Corrections. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.
  5. ^ "DLLR's Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning." Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Retrieved on August 23, 2010.
  6. ^ "Sprague Mansion, Cranston, RI". Riroads.com. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  7. ^ Reichler, Joseph L., ed. (1979) [1969]. The Baseball Encyclopedia (4th edition ed.). New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 0-02-578970-8. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  8. ^ Grimes, William. "Abraham Nathanson, Bananagrams Inventor, Dies at 80", The New York Times, June 9, 2010. Accessed June 12, 2010.
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