Cranston, Rhode Island facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cranston, Rhode Island
City
The William Hall Library, Rosedale Apartments, Pawtuxet Village, the Furnace Hill Brook Historic and Archeological District
Seal
Location in Providence County and the state of Rhode Island.
Country	United States
State	Rhode Island
County	Providence
Incorporated (town)	1754
Incorporated (city)	1910
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
Area
• Total	30.02 sq mi (77.75 km2)
• Land	28.34 sq mi (73.41 km2)
• Water	1.67 sq mi (4.33 km2)
Elevation	62 ft (19 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	82,934
• Density	2,926/sq mi (1,129.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	02823, 02831, 02905, 02907, 02909, 02910, 02920, 02921
Area code(s)	401
FIPS code	44-19180
GNIS feature ID	1218689
Website	www.cranstonri.gov

Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second largest in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston. 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. It is among the top 25 safest cities in the country, according to CQ Press's research. Cranston ranked 36th on the list of “America’s 50 Best Cities to Live” in a 2014 survey done by 24/7 Wall St.

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.

History

Much of the area comprising modern-day Cranston was purchased by Roger Williams from the Narragansett Indians in 1638 as part of the Pawtuxet Purchase, and the first settler in the area was William Arnold, who was followed shortly by William Harris, William Carpenter and Zachariah Rhodes. Stephen Arnold, a brother-in-law of Rhodes and William Arnold, built a gristmill on the Pawtuxet falls and laid out the "Arnold Road" (modern-day "Broad Street") connecting it to the Pequot Trail leading to Connecticut. Arnold's son, Benedict Arnold, became the first Governor of Rhode Island under the charter of 1663. After area residents were unable to agree upon a name for a new town for decades, the Town of Cranston was eventually created by the General Assembly in 1754 from a portion of Providence north of the Pawtuxet River. Historians debate whether the town was named after Governor Samuel Cranston, the longest-serving Rhode Island governor or his grandson, Thomas Cranston, who was serving as Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives at the time that the town was created. In the early 1770s town meetings were held at the taverns of Caleb Arnold and Nehemiah Knight where Cranstonians voted in favor of a resolution opposing the British Parliament's Coercive Acts, and the town heavily supported the Patriot cause during the Revolutionary War. After losing much of its territory to neighboring towns and the city of Providence over the nineteenth century, 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; -71.450 (41.7732, -71.4533).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.9 square miles (77 km²), of which, 28.6 square miles (74 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of it (4.54%) is water.

It is roughly three percent of Rhode Island's total land mass.

The following neighborhoods and villages are located in Cranston:

• Alpine Estates
• Apple Hill Estates
• Arlington
• Bellefonte
• Castleton Estates
• Auburn
• Dean Estates
• Eden Park
• Edgewood
• Fiskeville (also in Scituate)
• Forest Hills
• Friendly Community
• Garden City
• Garden Hills
• Glen Woods
• Hillside Farms
• Laurel Hill
• Howard
• Jackson (also in Scituate, RI)
• Knightsville
• Meshanticut
• Oakhill Terrace
• Oaklawn
• Orchard Valley Estates
• Pontiac
• Stadium
• Thornton (this includes part of Johnston, RI)
• Pawtuxet Village
• Webster
• Westend
• Woodridge
• Western Hills Village

Demographics

2020

As of the 2020 US Census, there were 82,934 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 78.78% White, 6.34% African American, 0.50% Native American, 6.23% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 4.6% from other races, and 2.66% from two or more races. Latino of any race were 18.1% of the population. Non-Hispanic Whites were 65.4% of the population.

The most common Hispanic background in Cranston is Dominican American and Guatemalan American, reflective of Rhode Island's Latino population as a whole. There is also a relatively large Cambodian American population centered around Park and Pontiac Ave in the center of the city. Italian Americans are still the predominant ethnicity throughout Cranston, numbered at 38% of the population. This gives Cranston one of the largest Italian American communities in the United States, similar to neighbouring Johnston, Rhode Island and North Providence, Rhode Island.

2010

As of the 2010 US Census, there were 80,387 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the village was 81.93% White, 5.26% African American, 0.32% Native American, 5.17% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.6% from other races, and 2.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.83% of the population.

1990 census

As of the census of 1990, there were 79,269 people, 30,954 households, and 20,243 families living in the city of Cranston. The population density was 2,774.6 persons per square mile (1,071.3/km²). There were 32,068 housing units at an average density of 1,122.5 per square mile (433.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.19% White, 3.69% African American, 0.30% Native American, 3.28% Asian, 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.

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. 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 the age of 18 and 8.5% of those ages 65 or older.

Infrastructure

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 also passes through but does not include a station in Cranston. However, a station stop has been proposed. Currently, the nearest MBTA stations are in Providence and Warwick at T.F. Green Airport, the former which is also served by Amtrak.

Sites

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

The first auto race track in the country, Narragansett Park, located off Park Avenue, opened present-day Stadium Ball Field in September 1886 as a trotting track. Not to be confused with Narragansett Park a Thoroughbred horse track, located in Pawtucket, RI, which closed in 1978.

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. The Thomas Fenner House, built around 1677, is one of the oldest houses in Rhode Island. Edgewood Yacht Club which is no longer standing was a notable structure on the National Register of Historic Places located on the Providence River.

Flood of 2010

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

In popular culture

• Seth MacFarlane, creator of the animated sitcom Family Guy, said in an interview with a news program on WNAC-TV, Channel 64 in Providence, that the town in the show is modeled after Cranston, Rhode Island.

Sister cities

• Itri, Italy

Economy

Companies with corporate headquarters in Cranston include jewelry maker Alex and Ani and Coastway Community Bank. The first Del's Lemonade stand was opened in Cranston in 1948.

Sports

Little League

• 1996 United States Champions (CWLL)
• 2015 New England Champions (CWLL)

Education

School Committee

The Cranston School Committee consists of seven non-partisan members, six representing each of the city wards and one city-wide representative. Committee members are elected at city general elections to a two-year term, and as of 2014^[update], members are limited to five consecutive two-year terms. The current Cranston School Committee chairperson is Daniel R. Wall, who represents Ward 6.

Notable people

See also

In Spanish: Cranston para niños