Neighborhoods in Johnston: Thornton, Graniteville, Hughesdale, Morgan Mills, Manton, Simmonsville, Pocasset, West End, Belknap, and Frog City.
History
The area was first settled by English settlers in the seventeenth century as a farming community. In 1759 the town officially separated from Providence and was incorporated on March 6, 1759. Johnston was named for the current colonial attorney general, Augustus Johnston, who was later burned in effigy during the Stamp Act protests in 1765 and then fled Rhode Island as a Tory during the American Revolution in 1779. The first house of worship in Johnston opened when the Baptist Meeting House in Belknap was constructed in 1771. During the American Revoluation Rhode Island's only gunpowder mill was constructed in Graniteville, and the town hosted American General John Sullivan for a dinner in 1779 upon his departure from Rhode Island to fight in New York. In 1790 the Belknap School, the first public school in the town, was founded. In 1791 the Providence and Norwich Turnpike was chartered.
Demographics
At the 2000 census, there were 28,195 people, 11,197 households and 7,725 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,191.4 per square mile. There were 11,574 housing units at an average density of 489.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 96.66% White especially Italian Americans, 0.65% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.89% of the population. There were 11,197 households of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.02. Age distribution was 20.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males. The median household income was $43,514, and the median family income was $54,837. Males had a median income of $40,210 versus $29,314 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,440. About 6.8% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over. In 2000, 46.7% of Johnston residents identified themselves as being of Italian heritage. This was the highest percentage of Italian Americans of any municipality in the country.
Government
The town is governed by a mayor and a five-member town council.
Education
The Johnston Public School System has four elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Johnston Senior High School is a 2005 Rhode Island Department of Education Regents' Commended School. In 2008, the Johnston School Committee decided to close both Graniteville and Calef Elementary schools. Students affected by the closures were transferred to Brown Avenue Elementary School and Winsor Hill Elementary School. This decision was not without controversy, as school officials, parents and teachers complained of inadequate staffing, increased neighborhood traffic and lack of attention for special-needs students.
Media
Johnston has one local weekly newspaper, the Johnston Sun Rise. The paper is complimentary, and can be found in many Johnston businesses. WJARNBC News Channel 10 broadcasts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The news station is set in Cranston, Rhode Island. WLNE-TV ABC 6 Rhode Island News Channel broadcasts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. WPRI-TV 12 Fox 64 Providence Eyewitness News Channel broadcasts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. New England Cable News channel is a cable news station based in Boston which covers all of New England's news.
Economy
Insurance company FM Global is based in Johnston. In 2018, Providence-based Citizens Bank opened a $285 million corporate campus in the town. The project encompasses 425,000 square feet and employs around 3,000 people. Announced in March of 2020, Massachusetts-based grocer Market Basket will open its first Rhode Island store in the town of Johnston. As of July 19, 2020, a grand opening date has not yet been set. The opening will create 350 local jobs.
