Newport County, Rhode Island
Street maps, historic prints and keepsakes for 6 Newport County towns.
The oldest is Newport, established 1639. The largest by population is Newport (25,163).
| Town | Established | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Jamestown | – | 5,559 |
| Little Compton | 1682 | 3,616 |
| Middletown | 1743 | 17,075 |
| Newport | 1639 | 25,163 |
| Portsmouth | – | 17,871 |
| Tiverton | 1694 | 16,359 |
About these towns
Jamestown: In 1524, Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano and his crew visited Narragansett Bay. Dutch Island was used by fur traders c. 1622, and English colonists in 1638 made arrangements with the Native Americans to use Conanicut Island for grazing sheep.
Little Compton: Little Compton was originally inhabited by the Sakonnet Indians and their settlement was called Sakonnet or Saughonet. The name has been interpreted in a variety of ways including "where the water pours forth".
Middletown: Issues including unjust taxation and a growing population caused the freeholders living in the northern section of Newport to petition the General Assembly for independence.
Newport: Newport was founded in 1639 on Rhode Island, which is now called Aquidneck Island. Its eight founders and first officers were Nicholas Easton, William Coddington, John Clarke, John Coggeshall, William Brenton, Jeremy Clark, Thomas Hazard, and Henry Bull.
Portsmouth: Portsmouth was settled in 1638 by a group of religious dissenters from Massachusetts Bay Colony, including Dr. John Clarke, William Coddington, and Anne Hutchinson.
Tiverton: Tiverton was incorporated by English colonists in 1694 within Bristol County in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. As well as being part of Old Dartmouth.
JamestownRhode Island
Little ComptonRhode Island · Est. 1682
MiddletownRhode Island · Est. 1743
NewportRhode Island · Est. 1639
PortsmouthRhode Island
TivertonRhode Island · Est. 1694Founding years, populations and town notes come from each town's Wikipedia and Wikidata entries. All Rhode Island towns.