Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,871 at the 2020 U.S. census. Portsmouth is the second-oldest municipality in Rhode Island, after Providence; it was one of the four colonies which merged to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, the others being Providence, Newport, and Warwick.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which (39.14%) is land and (60.86%) is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck Island, which it shares with Middletown and Newport. In addition, Portsmouth encompasses some smaller islands, including Prudence Island, Patience Island, Hope Island and Hog Island. Part of the census-designated place of Melville lies within the town boundaries.

History

Portsmouth was settled in 1638 by a group of religious dissenters from Massachusetts Bay Colony, including Dr. John Clarke, William Coddington, and Anne Hutchinson. It is named after Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Roger Williams convinced the settlers that they should go there instead of settling in the Province of New Jersey, where they had first planned on going.

It was founded by the signers of the Portsmouth Compact. Its original name was Pocasset and it was officially named Portsmouth on May 12, 1639. It became part of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (see Aquidneck Island) and eventually part of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

Schools

Public

The Portsmouth School Department operates public schools:

  • Portsmouth High School
  • Portsmouth Middle School
  • Howard W. Hathaway Elementary School
  • Melville Elementary School
  • Prudence Island School (a Charter/Co-op "Home School" as of September 2009)

Private

  • Portsmouth Abbey School (9th Grade through 12th Grade)
  • Saint Philomena School (Pre-Kindergarten through 8th Grade)
  • The Pennfield School (Nursery through 8th Grade)

Commerce

Portsmouth is home to the Portsmouth Business Park, as well as a few small plazas with a variety of businesses. Portsmouth is also home to the Raytheon Missiles & Defense division. Adjacent to Raytheon is the Newport Car Museum which opened in 2017 and receives 50,000 visitors a year.

Sports

Portsmouth is the headquarters of US Sailing, the national governing body of sailing in the U.S. It is also home to the Newport International Polo Series held at Glen Farm.

Music

On September 21, 2017, plaques were unveiled by Roger Williams University, along with Al Gomes and Connie Watrous of Big Noise, at the Baypoint Inn & Conference Center honoring music icons The Beach Boys. The plaques were to commemorate the band's concert on September 22, 1971 in Portsmouth. The concert was the first-ever appearance of South African Ricky Fataar as an official member of the band and Filipino Billy Hinsche as a touring member, essentially changing The Beach Boys' live and recording act's line-up into a multi-cultural group. Diversity is a credo of Roger Williams University, which is why they chose to celebrate this moment in the band's history.

Jimmy Buffett performed at the Sunset Cove restaurant on July 2, 2023, which was his final public performance before his death on September 1 of that year.

Demographics

2020 U.S. Census

As of the census of 2020, there were 17,871 people and 7,280 households in the town. The population density was . There were 8,610 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 89.05% White, 1.63% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.72% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 6.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.63% of the population.

There were 7,280 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 24.2% had a female householder with no spouse present and 12.3% had a male householder with no spouse present. 8.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the town, the population age distribution is 19.3% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 19.6% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years.

The median income for a household in the town was $119,500, and the median income for a family was $151,063. The per capita income for the town was $64,438. About 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

2010 U.S. Census

The 2010 U.S. census

  • Patrick Kennedy, U.S. congressman for Rhode Island's First district (1995–2011)
  • Scotty Kilmer, auto mechanic educator followed by millions on YouTube
  • Frances Latham (1610–1677), wife of Governor Jeremy Clarke, early settler of Portsmouth, known as the "mother of governors"
  • Ronald Machtley, U.S. congressman, President of Bryant University
  • Michelle McGaw, state representative from the Rhode Island House of Representatives representing Little Compton, Tiverton, and Portsmouth
  • Cortlandt Parker (1884–1960), US Army major general
  • Peleg Slocum (1654–1733), Quaker, former proprietor of Dartmouth, Massachusetts and former owner of Cuttyhunk Island
  • Cole Swider, professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers
  • Ryan Westmoreland, former baseball player, Boston Red Sox prospect

<gallery class="center" widths="175px" heights="137px">

File:Borden Farm, Portsmouth RI crop.jpg|The Second Empire mansion at Borden Farm was built

File:Friends Meetinghouse 2, Portsmouth, Rhode Island.jpg|The Friends Meeting was built

File:Union Church, Portsmouth, Rhode Island.jpg|The Union Church was built in 1865

Image:Portsmouth Rhode Island School House.jpg|The 1725 schoolhouse owned by the Portsmouth Historical Society is one of the oldest surviving in the U.S.

File:IMG 3915 - panoramio.jpg|The Green Animals Topiary Garden

Image:Mount Hope Bridge-1.jpg|The Mount Hope Bridge, connecting Portsmouth with Bristol, Rhode Island

</gallery>

References

Notes

Further reading

  • Garman, James E. (1996). Traveling Around Aquidneck Island 1890–1930. Portsmouth: Hamilton Printing. .
  • Pierce, John T. (1991). Historical Tracts of the Town of Portsmouth. Portsmouth: Hamilton Printing. .
  • Town of Portsmouth
  • Portsmouth Historical Society