Smithfield, Rhode Island

Smithfield, Rhode Island
Smithfield, Rhode Island
Town
	Flag Seal
	Location in Providence County and the state of Rhode Island.
	Coordinates: 41°55′18″N 71°32′58″W / 41.92167°N 71.54944°W
Country	United States
State	Rhode Island
County	Providence
Incorporated	1731
Named for	Smithfield, London
Government
• Type	Council-manager
• Town Council	T. Michael Lawton (D); Sean M. Kilduff (D); Michael P. Iannotti (R); Rachel S. Toppi (R); John J. Tassoni Jr. (I)
• Town Manager	Randy Rossi
Area
• Total	27.8 sq mi (71.9 km2)
• Land	26.6 sq mi (68.9 km2)
• Water	1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2)
Elevation	367 ft (112 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	22,118
• Density	831.5/sq mi (311.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	02828, 02917, 02814
Area code	401
FIPS code	44-66200
GNIS feature ID	1219817
Website	smithfieldri.com

Smithfield is a town that is located in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. It includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Hanton City, Stillwater and Greenville. The population was 22,118 at the 2020 census. Smithfield is the home of Bryant University, a private four year college.

History

Greenville Bank at the turn of the twentieth century

The area comprising modern-day Smithfield was first settled in 1663 as a farming community by several British colonists, including John Steere.^[3] The area was originally within the boundaries of Providence until 1731 when Smithfield was incorporated as a separate town. The town was named after John Smith, a first settler of Providence, according to the town's official website.^[4]

Chief Justice Peleg Arnold lived in early Smithfield, and his 1690 home still stands today. There was an active Quaker community in early 18th century Smithfield that extended along the Great Road, from what is today Woonsocket, north into south Uxbridge, Massachusetts. This Quaker community, and its members, became influential in the abolition movement, with members such as Effingham Capron and Abby Kelley Foster, and also gave rise to other Quaker settlements including one at Adams, Massachusetts, where Susan B. Anthony was born as an early member. Elizabeth Buffum Chace is a well-known person from Smithfield who was influential in both the abolition of slavery, and the women's rights movement.

Captain James Buxton, a Revolutionary War figure, served with a Massachusetts regiment at Valley Forge, was promoted to the rank of Captain, and later granted Massachusetts land for his war service by Governor John Hancock.^[5]

During the Industrial Revolution, Smithfield transformed from an agrarian community to a manufacturing center, with several textiles mills being founded along the Woonasquatucket River by the mid-1800s.

In 1871, the towns of North Smithfield, Lincoln, and Central Falls became separate municipalities. The colonial ghost town of Hanton City is located within the boundaries of present-day Smithfield, but was a completely separate community in the eighteenth century.

In 1943, a U.S. Army Air Corps Lockheed RB-34 crashed on Wolf Hill, killing all three servicemen aboard.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 71.9 km² (27.8 sq mi), of which 68.9 km² (26.6 sq mi) of is land and 3.1 km² (1.2 sq mi) of is water. The total area is 4.25% water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	3,171	—
1800	3,120	−1.6%
1810	3,828	22.7%
1820	4,678	22.2%
1830	6,857	46.6%
1840	9,534	39.0%
1850	11,500	20.6%
1860	13,283	15.5%
1870	2,605	−80.4%
1880	3,085	18.4%
1890	2,500	−19.0%
1900	2,107	−15.7%
1910	2,739	30.0%
1920	3,199	16.8%
1930	3,967	24.0%
1940	4,611	16.2%
1950	6,690	45.1%
1960	9,442	41.1%
1970	13,468	42.6%
1980	16,886	25.4%
1990	19,163	13.5%
2000	20,613	7.6%
2010	21,430	4.0%
2020	22,118	3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6]

As of the 2020 United States Census, Smithfield has 22,118 residents with a median age of 43.7 years and 15.4% of the population under the age of 18. The racial makeup as of 2020 was 84.7% White, 1.2% African Americans, 0.2% Native American, 7.5% Asian, 1.8% from other races and 4.3% of two or more races. Hispanic and Latino of any race made up 3.7% of the population.^[7] The median household income is $85,337 and 3.4% of the population live below the poverty line.^[8]

Education

Smithfield contains three public elementary schools (Pleasant View, Raymond LaPerche, and Old County Road School), a middle school (Vincent J. Gallagher Middle School) and a public high school, Smithfield High School which was ranked 17th out of 52 high schools in Rhode Island in 2006.^[9] St. Phillip's School, a private Roman Catholic academy offering education in grades K–8, is situated in Greenville.^[10] Mater Ecclesiae College, a Catholic college, was also located in the town in a facility that was formerly the St. Aloysius Orphanage until the college closed in 2015.^[11]^[12] Partnered with Saint Raphael Academy^[13] in Pawtucket, the private Catholic boarding school Overbrook Academy^[14] currently resides those same facilities for middle school, high school, and summer camp programs.

Bryant University

Bryant University, a private university with programs in business and the arts and sciences, is located in Smithfield.

In 1971, the university moved to its current campus in Smithfield when the founder of Tupperware, Earl Silas Tupper, a Bryant alumnus, donated the current 428 acres (1.73 km²) of land to be the new campus. The famous Bryant Archway was also relocated. The old Emin Homestead and Captain Joseph Mowry homestead occupied much of the land that makes up the present day Smithfield campus. The land was purchased and farmed for three generations between the late 19th century and the mid-20th century. Today, many descendants of the original Emin settlers still live near the Bryant campus. The school also claims a handful of family members as alumni and offers a scholarship for accounting students as a tribute to the Emin family. Historical pictures of the Emin Homestead can still be found in the Alumni house.^[15]

Economy

Principal employers

According to Smithfield's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[16] the principal employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of employees
1	Fidelity Investments	3,900
2	Bryant University	850
3	Town of Smithfield	500
4	Citizens Bank	400
5	Honeywell	300
6	Village at Waterman Lake	300
7	Stop & Shop	300
8	FGX International	250
9	Target Corporation	200
10	Rubius Therapeutics	100