Kingston, Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island Location within the state of Rhode Island
Coordinates: 41°28′46″N 71°31′31″W / 41.47944, -71.52528
Country	United States
State	Rhode Island
County	Washington
Area
- Total	1.6 sq mi (4.1 km²)
- Land	1.6 sq mi (4.1 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	246 ft (75 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	5,446
- Density	3,474.6/sq mi (1,341.6/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	02881
Area code(s)	401
FIPS code	44-38980[1]
GNIS feature ID	1217812[2]

Kingston is an unincorporated village and national historic district in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island in the United States. The area known as Kingston is about 1.6 square miles in size, with a population of slightly over 5,000 (as of 2002). Kingston sits at 252 feet above sea level at Latitude: 41.48 N, Longitude: 71.53 W.

Kingston is the home of the University of Rhode Island and the Kingston Azalea Gardens. West Kingston is located on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor with the historic 120 year old Kingston Station.

The village was originally called Little Rest, but was renamed Kingston in 1826. It was the county seat for Washington County (formerly Kings County) from 1752 until 1894.

Kingston has the distinction of having youngest average age (19 years old) of any census designated place over 5000 residents that is not a Jewish Hasidim settlement. Kiryas Joel, a village in Orange County, New York and Monsey, a hamlet in Rockland County, New York have lower average ages. However, unlike Kingston these places have a low average due to the fact that they are largely communities of devout Hasidim, believing in large families and more traditional roles of women in society. The extremely low average age in Kingston is not readily explained and is not typical of other similar college towns.

Kingston's architecture (Federal, Greek Revival, Late Victorian) recalls its heyday as the county seat. Several of Kingston's historic buildings have been converted to new uses. The Kingston Free Library was once the county court house; the Rhode Island General Assembly met there in (alternating with the county seats in Newport and Providence) from 1754 until 1852. At the Little Rest court house in March 1790, Rhode Islanders (led by the Country Party) rejected voting on the U.S. Constitution, only to ratify it by a narrowest margin of any of the original 13 states (34-32) at a convention in Newport three months later. The Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, founded in 1958, is in the former county jail. Other historic buildings in the village are open to the public. South Kingstown established the Kingston Historic District in 1959, and much of Kingston village became a National Register Historic District in 1974.

The University of Rhode Island was established at Kingston in 1889 as the Rhode Island Agricultural College, by funding from The Hatch Act of 1887. The Agricultural School became Rhode Island College in 1909 and the University of Rhode Island in 1953.

Nearest other populated areas

• Wakefield, Rhode Island (3 miles)
• Peace Dale, Rhode Island (3 miles)
• Narragansett, Rhode Island (5 miles)
• Hope Valley, Rhode Island (13 miles)
• Newport, Rhode Island (14 miles)

Large businesses in Kingston

• American Power Conversion

Schools and universities in Kingston

• The University of Rhode Island
• West Kingston Elementary

Points of interest

• Dr. Everett Christopher Memorial Arboretum
• URI Botanical Gardens
• Pettaquamscutt Historical Society
• Tavern Hall Preservation Society/Elisha Reynolds House(1738)
• Kingston (Amtrak station)

External links

• Cultural Resource Inventory for South Kingstown, RI
• National Register of Historical Places - Historic Districts for Washington County Rhode Island
• Pettaquamscutt Historical Society (Historical society for the town of South Kingstown)
• [1]

References

1. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

• 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
• A History of Kingston, R.I. 1700 – 1900: Heart of Rural South County by Christian M. McBurney. Kingston, R.I. : The Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, c. 2004

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Washington County, Rhode Island Towns Charlestown | Exeter | Hopkinton | Narragansett | New Shoreham | North Kingstown | Richmond | South Kingstown | Westerly CDPs Ashaway | Bradford | Hope Valley | Narragansett Pier | Wakefield-Peacedale | Westerly Other villages Alton | Kingston | Quonochontaug | Saunderstown | Watch Hill | Wickford

Coordinates: 41°28′48″N, 71°31′22″W