Wakefield-Peacedale, Rhode Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wakefield and Peace Dale are villages located in the town of South Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island. As of the 2000 census, the villages had a combined total population of 8,468.
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[edit] Geography
Wakefield-Peace Dale is located at (41.441234, -71.499290)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the villages together have a total area of 13.2 km² (5.1 mi²). 12.6 km² (4.9 mi²) of them is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of them is water. The total area is 4.70% water.
[edit] Demographics
Peace Dale was founded around 1800 by South Kingstown industrialist Rowland Hazard, who named the village after his wife, Mary Peace. Arounded 1804, Hazard reputedly pioneered the use of carding machines to process wool in Rhode Island. In 1814, Hazard was also one of the first American manufacturers to employ narrow-width power looms, and also was the first woolen manufacturer to combine all his manufacturing processes under one roof. Around 1820 Hazard renamed the nearby industrial village of Wakefield after the town and family of the same name in England, who were friends of his. Prior to this, the village had been called McCoon's or Mumford's Mill for the snuff mill that by the 1820's had been converted to manufacturing woolen textiles. Rowland Hazard II (1829-1898) was an intitial investor in the Solvay Process Company and its first president. His son, Frederick R. Hazard, succeeded him as president of the company, with works at Solvay, New York. More about the Hazard family appears in the article about Solvay, New York.
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 8,468 people, 3,221 households, and 2,174 families residing in the villages. The population density was 671.4/km² (1,739.4/mi²). There were 3,385 housing units at an average density of 268.4/km² (695.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the villages was 90.34% White, 2.01% African American, 3.08% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.56% from other races, and 2.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.56% of the population.
There were 3,221 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the villages the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.
[edit] Incomes
The median income for a household in the villages was $50,313, and the median income for a family was $61,541. Males had a median income of $47,470 versus $26,922 for females. The per capita income for the villages was $24,191. About 3.9% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
[edit] References
A Stroll Through Memory Lane Vol. I by Oliver T. Stedman. West Kingston RI : Kingston Press c. 1978
Lost South Kingstown : with a history of ten of its early villages by Kathleen Bossy and Mary Keane. Kingston, R.I. : Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, c. 2004
History of Washington and Kent counties, Rhode Island by J.R. Cole. New York : W. W. Preston & Co., 1889
