The town of Richmond was originally part of the territory of Westerly, Rhode Island, which remained in dispute for several years among the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut Colony, and Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1665, King Charles II dissolved the charters of those three colonies and renamed the disputed area "King’s County". In May 1669, the General Assembly of Rhode Island organized King's County into the town of Westerly, and the town of Westerly organized itself into four separate areas: Westerly, Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton. On April 19, 1873, there was a bridge washout in the village of Richmond Switch, which today is known as Wood River Junction. A passenger train approached, unaware of the bridge washout, and ran off the tracks and into the water. Eleven people died; others were swept down stream and were unaccounted for. The Washington County Fair is the largest fair in the state and has been held in Richmond since 1970.
Geography
Richmond is south of the state's capital, Providence, Rhode Island. It is a mostly forested, landlocked community According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.8 square miles, of which 40.6 square miles is land and 0.2 square miles is water. Richmond borders Charlestown to the south, Exeter to the north and northeast, Hopkinton to the west, and South Kingstown to the southeast. Richmond is the only town in Washington County that does not border another county or the ocean. A tract in Richmond is owned by the state and managed for wildlife food and habitat as the Carolina Management Area. The Carolina Management Area is primarily forest, but also includes wetlands and agricultural land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,222 people, 2,537 households, and 2,034 families residing in the town. The population density was 178.1 people per square mile. There were 2,620 housing units at an average density of 64.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 96.97% White, 0.40% African American, 0.91% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.23% of the population. There were 2,537 households out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.3% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.14. In the town, the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $59,840, and the median income for a family was $64,688. Males had a median income of $41,357 versus $29,115 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,351. About 1.9% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The town government is directed by a 5-member town council that is headed by a council president at the Richmond Town Hall. For the purpose of school administration, Richmond is a member town of the Chariho Regional School District with the neighboring towns of Charlestown and Hopkinton. Richmond is represented in the Rhode Island State Senate by Elaine Morgan and in the Rhode Island House of Representatives by Justin Price. In May 2007 Richmond voters approved a referendum to create a Home Rule Charter Commission. The Charter Commission subsequently created a Richmond Home Rule Charter, and the Town Council unanimously approved its placement on the November 2008 ballot. Richmond voters approved the Charter by a 70%-30% margin. The Rhode Island General Assembly gave their approval on May 20, 2009, and the Charter took effect on May 28, 2009 when Governor Donald Carcieri allowed it to become law without his signature. The Charter retains many features of the prior government: the 5-member town council headed by a council president; an elected town clerk; and a Finance Board and an annual Financial Town Meeting. The major changes included 4-year terms for the town councilors instead of 2 years, effective in November 2010, and the creation of a Town Administrator who reports directly to the town council.
Notable people
Billy Gilman, country artist and runner-up of Season 11 of The Voice. Gilman is from the village of Hope Valley and is often mistaken as being from Hopkinton because most of the village is located in that town.
