Westerly, Rhode Island
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For geographic and demographic information on particular parts of the town of Westerly, see the article on Westerly (CDP).
Westerly, founded in 1669 by John Babcock, is a beachfront community on the south shore of Washington County, Rhode Island. The population was 22,966 at the 2000 census
Westerly's primary industries today are textiles and tourism, but historically Westerly was also famous for its granite, mined from quarries in Bradford and Potter Hill.
Westerly was named for the settlement's location, respective to Rhode Island's geography, being the westernmost town in the state.
Westerly sits atop a glacial moraine, which is a series of small hills of debris left behind by receding glaciers in the last ice age. On the western border of Westerly flows the Pawcatuck River, once renowned for its own species of Westerly salmon, three of which are on the town's crest. The Pawcatuck River flows from some fifteen miles deep into neighboring towns in the north and empties in Little Narragansett Bay. The Pawcatuck River also serves as the boundary between Westerly and Stonington, Connecticut. Along the coast of Westerly lie salt ponds, which serve as shallow reeflike pools, whose outer walls form the long, white beaches for which the town became renowned. From west to east, these ponds are called Winnapaug Pond, Weekapaug Pond and Quonochontaug Pond. The town also has a fresh water lake, Chapman's Pond, which is undergoing revitalization. Also, Westerly granite is mined here, some of it even made the Georgia state house.
Westerly becomes a large tourist attraction during the summer months - some argue that the population nearly doubles. Famous beaches, from west to east are Watch Hill Beach, East Beach, Misquamicut Beach, Westerly Town Beach, and Weekapaug Beach.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Westerly has a total area of 193.8 km² (74.8 mi²). 77.9 km² (30.1 mi²) of it is land and 115.8 km² (44.7 mi²) of it (59.78%) is water.
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[edit] Villages
Westerly consists of a number of small villages. Downtown Westerly, on the Pawcatuck River, is the municipal seat of the area, with the old town post office, library, high school, YMCA, railroad station police headquarters, marvelous granite buildings and incredibly gorgeous Wilcox Park.
Other villages are Watch Hill (with its fantastic beaches and summer cottages - along with the world-renowned Klan-supporting WASP club, the Misquamicut Club), Misquamicut (a beachfront community with small amounts of nightlife and lots of hotels), Winnapaug (with its two public golf courses Winnapaug Country Club, and Weekapaug Golf Club.), Weekapaug, Dunn's Corners, Bradford(the only village with its own post office and postal zip code), Shelter Harbor (a private residential community with its new private golf course, the Shelter Harbor Golf Club), Avondale (an old New England fishing community, with antique colonial and Queen Anne style homes and tree-lined streets), Potter Hill (where the Town Forest is located), and White Rock.
For the most part, Westerly's citizens identify themselves with the town, as opposed to the village in which they reside- except for Italians, who identify with the Sea Side beach (the ethnic Misquamicut Club of Westerly). The town is renowned for its pride, fostered by its beautiful beaches and events such as First Night and The Summer Pops, hosted by the Chorus of Westerly every June in the town park. In recent years the Columbus Day Parade (October) and Westerly-Pawcatuck Chamber of Commerce Duck Race (April) along with several high-profile events on the Misquamicut beachfront, such as the Annual Misquamicut Music Festival, have attracted many visitors.
The granite mining and the stone-cutting industry put Westerly on the map. Its quarries produced some of the finest blue granite in the world, in addition to pinks and reds. The Smith Granite Co, which employed some of the finest granite cutting craftsmen in the world, was one of the town's major employers until the quarries stopped operating in the 1950s. Hundreds of examples of their work can be seen in the battlefields of Gettysburg and in city squares, municipal buildings and cemeteries throughout the United States.
Westerly also boasts a rich sports history. Eddie Sawyer, former major league baseball manager (Philadelphia), is from Westerly, as is former Washington Senators pitcher Dave Stenhouse. Frankie Frisch, player-manager of the Chicago Cubs famous "Gashouse Gang," retired to and lived the remainder of his life in Westerly, and Elisson "Tarzan" Brown, one of the finest marathon runners in the world, is from the Westerly area. For many decades, Westerly High School has produced some of the finest basketball teams in New England and proudly sent its athletes on to the University of Rhode Island.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 22,966 people, 9,402 households, and 6,130 families residing in the town. The population density was 294.7/km² (763.3/mi²). There were 11,292 housing units at an average density of 144.9/km² (375.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.17% White, 0.71% Black or African American, 0.57% Native American, 1.99% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.
There were 9,402 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 29.0% 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 2.40 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $44,613, and the median income for a family was $53,165. Males had a median income of $37,887 versus $26,800 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,092. About 4.3% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
The most frequent ancestries among the town's population are Guineas (34.2%), Irish (17.9%) and English (14.2 %). Many Italians moved to Westerly from Italy at the turn of the century (particularly from Sicily and Calabria), and Italian is spoken at the homes of many residents.
[edit] Points of interest
- Wilcox Park
- Westerly Public Schools
- Westerly Town Beach
- Misquamicut State Beach
- Watch Hill
- Westerly (Amtrak station)
[edit] External links
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