List of municipalities in Rhode Island explained

Rhode Island is a state located in the Northeastern United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, Rhode Island is the 8th least populous state with inhabitants and the smallest by land area spanning 1033.81sqmi of land.[1] It is divided into 39 municipalities, including 8 cities and 31 towns, grouped into 5 historical counties that have no municipal functions as the state has no county level of government.[2] The entire area of the state is incorporated; all Rhode Island residents live within the borders of a city or town though some communities within towns and cities are census-designated places.

Municipalities in Rhode Island can incorporate as a town or city by a special act of the state legislature and there is no minimum population requirement. Eight municipalities were re-incorporated as cities operating under a charter, while the other 31 remain as towns which perform similar services. Since Rhode Island has no county level of government, cities and towns provide services commonly performed by county governments in other states.[3] The state's cities and towns may adopt one of four forms of government: council - manager, mayor - council, town council - town meeting, or administrator - council.[4] The primary difference between these forms of government is how the chief executive is selected. The Council - manager system involves an elected council who exercise overall control of the local government and a chief executive termed city or town manager who is generally appointed by and responsible to the council for the administration of local policies.[5] Council - manager systems may elect a mayor but they have no formal administrative functions with the potential exception of a degree of veto power. Mayor - council systems have a similarly elected council however the mayor is elected and yields administrative power. In the town council - town meeting system, there is no full-time chief executive.

The largest municipality by population in Rhode Island is the state capital of Providence, with 190,934 residents. The smallest municipality by population is New Shoreham on Block Island, with 1,410 year-round residents. The largest municipality by land area is Coventry which spans 59.05mi2, while Central Falls is the smallest at 1.2mi2. Rhode Island and Hawaii are the only two states in which all of the municipalities have a population greater than 1,000 people.

Cities and towns

NameTypeCountyForm of governmentPopulation
(2020)[6] 		Population
(2010)		ChangeLand area
(2020)		Population densityYear established
Year incorporated
[7] [8]
sq mikm2
BarringtonTownBristolCouncil - manager8.22disp=tableNaNdisp=table16531770
BristolTownBristolCouncil - manager9.82disp=tableNaNdisp=table16801746
BurrillvilleTownProvidenceCouncil - manager55.03disp=tableNaNdisp=table17301806
Central FallsCityProvidenceMayor - council1.2disp=tableNaNdisp=table17301895
CharlestownTownWashingtonCouncil - manager36.45disp=tableNaNdisp=table16691738
CoventryTownKentCouncil - manager59.05disp=tableNaNdisp=table16391743
CranstonCityProvidenceMayor - council28.34disp=tableNaNdisp=table17541910
CumberlandTownProvidenceMayor - council26.45disp=tableNaNdisp=table17461746
East GreenwichTownKentCouncil - manager16.39disp=tableNaNdisp=table16771677
East ProvidenceCityProvidenceMayor - council13.24disp=tableNaNdisp=table18121958
ExeterTownWashingtonTown meeting57.47disp=tableNaNdisp=table16411641
FosterTownProvidenceTown meeting50.8disp=tableNaNdisp=table16361781
GlocesterTownProvidenceTown meeting54.18disp=tableNaNdisp=table16391730 - 1731
HopkintonTownWashingtonTown meeting42.95disp=tableNaNdisp=table16391757
JamestownTownNewportCouncil - manager9.45disp=tableNaNdisp=table16391678
JohnstonTownProvidenceMayor - council23.43disp=tableNaNdisp=table16361759
LincolnTownProvidenceCouncil - manager18.12disp=tableNaNdisp=table16501871
Little ComptonTownNewportTown meeting20.52disp=tableNaNdisp=table16821746
MiddletownTownNewportCouncil - manager12.72disp=tableNaNdisp=table16391743
NarragansettTownWashingtonCouncil - manager13.89disp=tableNaNdisp=table18881901
NewportCityNewportCouncil - manager7.67disp=tableNaNdisp=table16391784
New ShorehamTownWashingtonCouncil - manager9.08disp=tableNaNdisp=table16641672
North KingstownTownWashingtonCouncil - manager43.14disp=tableNaNdisp=table16411674
North ProvidenceTownProvidenceMayor - council5.62disp=tableNaNdisp=table16361765
North SmithfieldTownProvidenceCouncil - manager23.8disp=tableNaNdisp=table17301871
PawtucketCityProvidenceMayor - council8.68disp=tableNaNdisp=table16711954
PortsmouthTownNewportCouncil - manager22.98disp=tableNaNdisp=table16381640
ProvidenceCityProvidenceMayor - council18.4disp=tableNaNdisp=table16361832
RichmondTownWashingtonTown meeting40.29disp=tableNaNdisp=table16361730
ScituateTownProvidenceTown meeting48.16disp=tableNaNdisp=table16361730
SmithfieldTownProvidenceCouncil - manager26.31disp=tableNaNdisp=table16361730
South KingstownTownWashingtonCouncil - manager56.45disp=tableNaNdisp=table16571723
TivertonTownNewportTown meeting29.05disp=tableNaNdisp=table16941746
WarrenTownBristolCouncil - manager6.12disp=tableNaNdisp=table16201747
WarwickCityKentMayor - council35.04disp=tableNaNdisp=table16421931
WesterlyTownWashingtonCouncil - manager29.52disp=tableNaNdisp=table16611669
West GreenwichTownKentTown meeting50.26disp=tableNaNdisp=table16391741
West WarwickTownKentCouncil - manager7.79disp=tableNaNdisp=table16481913
WoonsocketCityProvidenceMayor - council7.74disp=tableNaNdisp=table18671888
Total - - - 1033.82sqmi - -

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: GCT-PH1  - Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010  - State - Place and (in selected states) County Subdivision . . . June 17, 2016 . September 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200916215109/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/deeplinks?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffactfinder.census.gov%2Fbkmk%2Ftable%2F1.0%2Fen%2FDEC%2F10_SF1%2FGCTPH1.ST10%2F0400000US01 . dead .
  2. Web site: Rhode Island: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing . September 2012. United States Census Bureau. 2010 United States Census. June 17, 2016. 18.
  3. Web site: A Brief Summary of Municipal Incorporation Procedures by State . . Senate of Georgia . March 16, 2017.
  4. Web site: Municipal Charters in Rhode Island . Rhode Island Department of Revenue: Division of Municipal Finance . April 29, 2017.
  5. Web site: Council - Manager Form of Government . Town of Coventry, Rhode Island . April 29, 2017 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161119025138/http://coventryri.org/council-manager-form-of-government . November 19, 2016.
  6. Web site: Explore Census Data . U.S. Census Bureau . August 25, 2021 .
  7. Web site: Rhode Island Cities & Towns . Rhode Island Interactive . Rhode Island Government . March 5, 2017.
  8. Book: Snow, Edwin M. . Rhode Island Census Board. Report Upon the Census of Rhode Island, 1865: With the Statistics of the Population, Agriculture, Fisheries and Manufactures of the State. 1865. University of Michigan. xxvii .

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