Bristol, Rhode Island

Bristol is a town in Rhode Island and the county seat of Bristol County. Bristol, a deep water seaport, is named after Bristol, England.

NOTE: Rhode Island has no county governments, so Bristol is the main town of Bristol County.

Bristol gained national fame despite its small size as a result of having the oldest, continuous Independence Day celebrations in the United States, earning Bristol its nickname, "America's Most Patriotic Town."

Bristol's diverse heritage is influced by a strong Portuguese-American presence, mostly Azorean, and Italian-American. Major industries include boat building (and related marine industries), manufacturing and tourism ^*. The town's school system is united with neighboring Warren, Rhode Island.

History

The first battle of King Philip's War took place here in 1675; although Philip was eventually defeated, his Indian name, Metacom, is now the name of a main road in Bristol.

King Philip also made nearby Mount Hope (Montaup) his base of operations. "King Philip's Chair," a rocky ledge on the mountain, was a lookout site for enemy ships on Mount Hope Bay. After that war concluded, the town was settled in 1680 as part of the Plymouth Colony. It remained a part of Massachusetts until the Crown transferred it to the Rhode Island Colony in 1747.

During the American Revolutionary War, the British Navy bombarded Bristol twice. On October 7, 1775, a group of ships led by Captain Wallace and the HMS Rose sailed into town and demanded provisions. When refused, Wallace shelled the town, causing some damage. The attack was stopped when Lt. Gov. William Bradford rowed out to the Rose to negotiate a cease-fire, but then a second attack took place on May 25, 1778. This time, 500 British and Hessian troops marched through the main street (now called Hope Street) and burnt 30 barracks and houses, taking some prisoners to Newport.

Bristol also is noted for having the oldest, continuous Independence Day celebrations in the United States. The first mention of this comes from July 1777, when a British officer noted sounds coming from across Narragansett Bay:

"This being the first anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the Rebel Colonies, they ushered in the morning by firing 13 cannons, one for each colony, we suppose. At sunset, the rebel frigates fired another round of 13 guns, each one after the other. As the evening was very still and fine the echo of the guns down the Bay had a grand effect."

The first formal celebrations were held in 1785 and continue today, organized by the Bristol Fourth of July Committee ^*. The festivities start over a month before the Fourth of July, and end with the Military, Civic and Firemen's Parade, an event that draws over 200,000 people from Rhode Island and around the world. These elaborate celebrations give Bristol its nickname, "America's most patriotic town."

Bristol is home to Roger Williams University, named for Rhode Island founder Roger Williams.

Notable Inhabitants:

Nathanael Herreshoff, yacht designer & builder
Ira Magaziner, chief Internet policy advisor to Clinton Administration
Samuel Pomeroy Colt, entrepreneur, politician, lawyer, gentleman farmer & philanthropist ^*
Anthony Quinn, actor

Museums:

Geography

Bristol is situated on 10.1 square miles of a peninsula, with Narragansett Bay on its west and Mount Hope Bay on its east. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 53.4 km² (20.6 mi²). 26.2 km² (10.1 mi²) of it is land and 27.2 km² (10.5 mi²) of it (50.99%) is water. Bristol's harbor is home to over 800 boat moorings in seven mooring fields.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,469 people, 8,314 households, and 5,653 families residing in the town. The population density was 858.1/km² (2,222.2/mi²). There were 8,705 housing units at an average density of 332.4/km² (860.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.14% White, 0.62% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.

There were 8,314 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,689, and the median income for a family was $54,656. Males had a median income of $37,587 versus $26,413 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,532. About 5.2% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

External links