Rhode Island
Superlatives:
The
State of Rhode Island and Providence
Plantations is the smallest
state in the, union, however it does have the longest official
state name.
Rhode Island is 1212
square miles in area; measures
47 miles from North to South and 37 miles from East to West.
The first Permanent
Settlement: (Providence
Plantations) was
established in 1636 by Roger Williams.
The
RI State Flag
was officially adopted in 1797.
The
State Bird is the
Rhode Island Red
The
State Flower is the
Violet.
The
State Rock is
Cumberlandite,
(Not found outside the state).
The
State Mineral is
Bowenite,
(A close relation to Jade found in the
northern part of the state).
The
State Seashell
is the
Quahog,
(Hard Shell Clam).
The highest Point
above Sea Level is
Jerimoth Hill
(812 feet).
As of the 2001 census, the
state's population
is 1,058,920.
The State
Per-Capita Income in 2000
was $29,113.00.
Rhode Island contains 14
Universities and Colleges
within it's borders.
The official state
poverty level is 11.9
percent as of 1999 and the 2001 unemployment rate was 4.7
percent.
The
First African American Army Regiment
- 1st Rhode Island
(1778)
In 1950
Ann & Hope Textile Mill
converted to the first
factory outlet store in the nation.
The first water-powered
cotton mill
- Slater Mill, Pawtucket
The first law against
slavery (1652)
The first open golf
tournament - Newport (1895)
The
oldest library
building in the U.S. is the
Redwood Library and Athenaeum
in Newport, Rhode Island.
The
oldest schoolhouse
in the United States is located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
(1716)
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