| Official Name: | North Kingstown, Rhode Island |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Nickname: | "NK" |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Rhode Island |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Washington |
| Leader Title: | Town Council |
| Leader Name: | Gregory A. Mancini Dr. Kimberly Ann Page Katherine Anderson Matthew B. McCoy Lawrence C. Mandel |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Km2: | 151.1 |
| Area Land Km2: | 112.9 |
| Area Water Km2: | 38.2 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 58.3 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 43.6 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 14.7 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 27732 |
| Population Density Km2: | 245.6 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 25 |
| Elevation Ft: | 82 |
| Coordinates: | 41.5806°N -71.4539°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 02852 (North Kingstown), 02874 (Saunderstown), 02877 (Slocum) |
| Area Code: | 401 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 44-51580[1] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1220088[2] |
| Website: | www.northkingstown.org |
North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and is part of the Providence metropolitan area. The population was 27,732 in the 2020 census. North Kingstown is home to the birthplace of American portraitist Gilbert Stuart, who was born in the village of Saunderstown. Within the town is Quonset Point, location of the former Naval Air Station Quonset Point, known for the invention of the Quonset hut, as well as the historic village of Wickford.
The area was first settled by Roger Williams and Richard Smith who set up trading posts near Wickford where Smith's Castle is today. The town of Kings Towne was founded in 1674, by the colonial government, and included the present day towns of North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Exeter, and Narragansett. In 1723, Kings Towne was split into two parts, North Kingstown and South Kingstown, with North Kingstown, having the earliest settlements, retaining the 1674 establishment date. In 1742, the town of Exeter was taken from the western part of North Kingstown.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 58.3sqmi, of which 43.6sqmi is land and 14.8sqmi (25.28%) is water.
As of the 2010 census, there were 26,486 people, 10,436 households, and 7,347 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 94.7% White, 1.0% African American, 0.6% American Indian/Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, 0.5% from some other race other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.
Of the 10,436 households, 70.4% were families, 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, and 29.6% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of householders living alone. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02. 75.4% of households resided in owner-occupied units and 24.6% in rental units.
According to the 2017 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the town was $87,311 (adjusted to inflation), the median income for a family was $105,954, and the median income for married-couple families was $120,103.[3]
Wickford Junction is a terminus station on the Providence/Stoughton Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail, providing weekday train service to Providence Station and Boston's South Station. At 63 miles from Boston, it is the most distant station in the MBTA's 135-station commuter-rail network, and the only one in its most expensive fare zone.
RIPTA also services in the town inbound to Providence and outbound to Narragansett or Newport.
North Kingstown is also served by a passenger ferry connecting to the island of Martha's Vineyard.[4]
North Kingstown School Department is the municipal school district. It operates North Kingstown High School.