Warwick

Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000. Founded by Samuel Gorton in 1642, Warwick has witnessed major events in American history.

The City of Warwick (and T.F. Green Airport) is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) south of downtown Providence, 63 miles (101 km) southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, and 171 miles (275 km) northeast of New York City.

Warwick was decimated during King Philip's War (1675–76) and was the site of the Gaspee Affair, a significant prelude to the American Revolution. Warwick is also the home of revolutionary war general Nathanael Greene, George Washington's second-in-command, and the Civil War hero of the battle of Gettysburg, General George S. Greene.

Warwick is home to Rhode Island's main airport, T. F. Green Airport, which serves the greater Providence area and also functions as a reliever for Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. It is also the home of the 43rd Military Police Brigade of the Rhode Island Army National Guard.

Early history

Warwick was founded in 1642 by Samuel Gorton when Narragansett Indian Chief Sachem Miantonomi agreed to accept 144 fathoms of Wampumpeague for what was known as "The Shawhomett Purchase". This included the present day towns of Coventry and West Warwick. However, the purchase was not without dispute. The two sachems of the area, Sacononoco and Pumham, stated that Miantonomi had sold the land without asking for their approval. The two sachems took their case to Boston, Massachusetts where they placed their lands under Massachusetts rule. In 1643 Massachusetts sent a militia force to Shawomett to arrest Gorton and his followers. After a tense standoff, all but three of the Gortonists surrendered to the Massachusetts force. This event caused the other three towns on Narragansett Bay (Providence, Portsmouth, and Newport) to unite and get a royal charter allowing the towns on Narragansett Bay to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

In 1648, Gorton was granted a Charter by Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, Lord Admiral and head of the Parliamentary Commission on Plantation Affairs. Because of this, the name of the settlement was changed from Shawhomett to Warwick. While Massachusetts continued to lay claim to the area, it made no further effort to enforce it.

In 1772, Warwick was the scene for the first violent act against the Crown. In what was to be called the Gaspee Affair, local patriots mooned and then boarded the Gaspee, a revenue cutter charged with enforcing the Stamp Act 1765 and Townshend Acts in Narragansett Bay, where smuggling was common. It was here that the first blood of the American Revolution was spilled when the commanding officer of the Gaspee, Lt. Dudingston, was shot in his crotch while resisting the taking of his ship. The Gaspee was stripped of all cannon and arms before being torched.

During the Revolution, Warwick militiamen participated in the battles of Montreal, Quebec, Saratoga, Monmouth, and Trenton, and were present for the surrender at Yorktown.

Transportation

T. F. Green Airport is a station on the Providence/Stoughton Commuter Rail Line, providing weekday service to Providence Station and Boston's South Station.

Geography

Warwick is located at 41°43′N 71°25′W / 41.717°N 71.417°W / 41.717; -71.417 (41.7181, -71.4152).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.6 square miles (128 km2), of which, 35.5 square miles (92 km2) of it is land and 14.1 square miles (37 km2) of it (28.46%) is water.

The following villages are located in Warwick:

• Apponaug
• Arnold's Neck
• Brush Neck Cove
• Buttonwoods
• Cedar Tree Point
• Chepiwanoxet
• Coles
• Conimicut
• Cowesett
• Dryden Heights
• Duby Grove
• East Natick
• Gaspee point
• Goddard Park
• Grant Point
• Greenwood
• Governor Francis Farms
• Hillsgrove
• Hoxsie
• Knight
• Lakewood
• Lincoln Park
• Lockwood Corner
• Nausauket
• Natick
• Norwood
• Oakland Beach
• Old Buttonwoods
• Pawtuxet Village (also in Cranston)
• Pocasset
• Pontiac (also in Cranston)
• Potowomut
• Riverview
• Shawomet
• Warwick Neck
• Wildes Corner