Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode
Island, United States. Founded in 1669 by John Babcock, it is a beachfront
community on the south shore of the state. The population was 22,787 at the
2010 census. The town is part of the Norwich–New London, Connecticut, New
England city and town area. On the western border of Westerly flows
the Pawcatuck River, once renowned for its own species of Westerly salmon,
three of which are on the town's crest. The Pawcatuck River flows from some
fifteen miles inland, emptying into Little Narragansett Bay. The Pawcatuck
River also serves as the boundary between Westerly and Pawcatuck,
Connecticut. Along the coast of Westerly lie salt ponds, which serve as shallow
reeflike pools, whose outer walls form the long, white beaches for which the
town became renowned. From west to east, these ponds are called Maschaug Pond,
Winnapaug Pond, and Quonochontaug Pond. The town also has a fresh water lake,
Chapman's Pond, which is undergoing revitalization. A type of granite, known
as Westerly granite, has long been quarried here. Westerly granite, ideal
for statuary, has been used in numerous government buildings of several states
along the eastern seaboard. The Westerly area was known for its granite and
stone-cutting industry. Westerly becomes a large tourist
attraction during the summer months during which the population nearly
doubles. From east to west, well-known beaches include Weekapaug Beach,
Westerly Town Beach, Misquamicut State Beach, East Beach and Watch Hill Beach.
History Westerly's primary industries today are
textiles and tourism, but historically Westerly was also famous for its
granite, quarried in at least two locations in Westerly also in Bradford
and Potter Hill. Westerly was named for the settlement's
location, respective to Rhode Island's geography, being the westernmost town in
the state. There is also a possibility that Westerly got its name from the
English village of Westerleigh, in the county of Gloucestershire. The English
village was the home of one of Westerly, Rhode Island's founding fathers, Elder
John Crandall. Elder John settled in Westerly in 1661 and the early history
of Westerly contains many references to him and his sons.
Westerly sits atop a glacial moraine, a series of small hills of debris left
behind by receding glaciers in the last Ice Age. A pristine sample of the
moraine encompasses a 140-acre preserve owned in perpetuity by the Westerly Land
Trust. Within the trust land are the rare "kettle" formations that extend out
under the sea to Block Island. Four trolley lines - the Groton and
Stonington Street Railway, Norwich and Westerly Railway, Pawtucket Valley
Street Railway, and the Ashaway and Westerly Railway, converged in Westerly
and shared trackage between the railroad station and Dixon House Square downtown.
The lines were built in the 1890s and 1900s and ran until the 1920s.
Physician, American Revolution general, and Rhode Island Supreme Court justice,
Dr. Joshua Babcock and Chief Justice and Governor of Rhode Island Samuel Ward
were born in Westerly. Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of
74.8 square miles, of which, 30.1 square miles of it is land and 44.7 square
miles of it is water. Villages
Westerly consists of a number of small villages. Downtown Westerly, on the
Pawcatuck River, is the municipal seat of the area, with the old town post
office, library, YMCA, railroad station, former police headquarters, granite
buildings and Wilcox Park. Other villages include Avondale,
Bradford, Dunn's Corners, Mastuxet, Misquamicut, Potter Hill, Shelter
Harbor, Watch Hill, Weekapaug, White Rock, and Winnapaug. Apart from
Bradford, Shelter Harbor, Watch Hill, and Weekapaug, West'lyans normally
identify themselves with the town, as opposed to the village in which they
reside. The town holds a number of annual events
such as the Pawcatuck River Duck Race in April, Virtu Art Festival in May,
Shakespeare in the Park and The Summer Pops in June, and Riverglow in July. In
recent years, the Westerly-Pawcatuck Chamber of Commerce's Big Screen Movies
on the Beach through July and August, Westerly's Columbus Day Parade in
October, and several beachfront events have attracted many visitors.
The former granite mining and the stone-cutting industry is historically
important. Its quarries produced blue granite, in addition to pinks and reds.
The Smith Granite Company, which employed many granite cutting craftsmen,
was one of the town's major employers until the quarries stopped operating in
the 1950s. Hundreds of examples of their work can be seen in the battlefields of
Gettysburg and in city squares, municipal buildings, cemeteries
throughout the United States, and even the Georgia State Capitol.
The Guild Guitar Company, founded in 1952 by Alfred Dronge in New York City,
moved production to Westerly in 1967 and continued to make its well respected
archtop, acoustic and solid body guitars there until 1996, when they were bought
by Fender Musical Instruments and production was moved to Corona,
California. A number of figures from the history of
sports were residents of Westerly. Eddie Sawyer, former major league baseball
manager, is from Westerly, as is former Washington Senators pitcher Dave
Stenhouse. Frankie Frisch, player-manager of the St. Louis
Cardinals' famous "Gashouse Gang," retired to and lived the remainder of
his life in Westerly, and Elisson "Tarzan" Brown, one of the finest
marathon runners in the world, is from the Westerly area. Another famous
resident is country pop singer Taylor Swift who maintains a beachfront estate
in the Watch Hill area. Adjacent Towns
Demographics For demographic information on the
urbanized area of Westerly, see Westerly, Rhode Island.
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,966 people, 9,402 households, and
6,130 families residing in the town. The population density was 763.3 people per
square mile. There were 11,292 housing units at an average density of 375.3 per
square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 95.17% White, 0.71% Black or
African American, 0.57% Native American, 1.99% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and
1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the
population. There were 9,402 households out of which
29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married
couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband
present, and 34.8% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of
individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.0%
from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were
65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females
there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6
males. The median income for a household in the
town was $44,613, and the median income for a family was $53,165. Males had a
median income of $37,887 versus $26,800 for females. The per capita income for
the town was $24,092. About 4.3% of families and 6.7% of the population were
below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those
age 65 or over. The most frequent ancestries among the
town's population are Italian, Irish and English. Many Italians moved to Westerly
from Italy around the start of the 20th century, and Italian dialects are still
spoken at the homes of many older residents.
Economy Washington Trust Bancorp Inc, a publicly
traded regional bank with operations in Rhode Island and Connecticut, is
headquartered in Westerly. Points of interest
Wilcox Park Westerly High School
Westerly Town Beach Misquamicut State Beach
Watch Hill Westerly
Westerly State Airport National Historic Register sites
Babcock-Smith House Bradford Village Historic District, in
Hopkinton and Westerly Former Immaculate Conception Church
Lewis-Card-Perry House Main Street Historic District
North End Historic District Nursery Site, RI-273
Watch Hill Historic District Westerly Armory
Westerly Downtown Historic District Wilcox Park Historic District
References ^ a b "American FactFinder". United
States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25.
Retrieved 2008-01-31. ^ National Register of Historic Places
^ Civil War Monuments of Connecticut Suppliers & Materials
^ Dan Pearson. "Modern Sculpture Makes Connection To Westerly's Past". The Day.
www.westerlychamber.orgcommunityprofiles External links
City Data Local Newspaper
Westerly, RI Information Chamber of Commerce
Westerly Fire Department Dunn's Corners Fire Department
Local Radio Station