User:Zachribas/South Kingstown Rhode Island

South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States of America
South Kingstown Rhode Island, is a town located in Washington County, also known as South County of Rhode Island. South Kingstown is the third largest town in the State of Rhode Island and is 56 Square miles. The town boast a year round population of over 30,000 residents and sees great fluctuations in its population due to tourism and university students. "The Town has a unique combination of environmental and recreational attractions including more than 10 miles of breathtaking and undisturbed beaches and an extensive system of parks and play fields.  Additionally, the Town has nearly 11,000 acres of protected open space, representing more than 30% of our 57 square mile land area - a number that has increased significantly over the past five years."

History
South Kingstown was originally founded in 1722. South Kingstown was originally part of Kings Towne which was founded in 1656 however, was divided into North Kingstown, Rhode Island and South Kingstown. South Kingstown was originally settled in 1658 after the Pettaquamscutt Purchase. South Kingstown in history for a tragic event called the Great Swamp Massacre. During the King Philip's War, a group of Puritans murdered several native American Men Women and Children aftern an attempt in 1675 for the Native American tribe, the Narragansetts to reclaim lost land.

Governance
South Kingstown Rhode Island is run by a group of elected leaders called town councilmen and women. There are always 5 town council members including a president and vice president. These town council members are in charge of electing a town manager to may day to day decisions regarding running the town. Currently the President of the town council is Abel Collins. The Vice President is Bryant Dacruz and joined by town council members Deborah Kelso, Rory McCentree, and Joe Vaele. TThese leaders are elected by town residents. The town manager of South Kingstown is Stephen AlfredTown residents are also able to elect school committee members who are responsible for allocating the budget of the school district and making other many important decisions like hiring school superintendents.

Schools
South Kingstown has one public high school known as South Kingstown High School, two middle schools (Curtis Corner Middle School, and Broad Rock Middle School) and four elementary schools (Wakefield Elementary School, Peace Dale Elementary School, Matunuck Elementary School, and West Kingston Elementary School.) The town is also home to many private schools such as the Prout School and Monsignor Clarke Elementary as well as many charter schools such as the Compass School and the Quest School.

The town is also home to the main campus of the University of Rhode Island. The University of Rhode Island has roughly 16,000 students in total and numerous faculty that mostly live within the boundaries of the town. The University of Rhode Island was founded in 1888 and was founded in the village of Kingston, Rhode Island. Many professors and students live in Kingston, a village thats part of South Kingstown. University of RHode Island is also home to the Ryan Center. The famous URI Mens Basketball team in addition to many other popular sports and artists perform at this large venue that can seat over 8,000 people.

Transportation
South Kingstown is widely accessible by roadways. A short distance off Route 95 (MTA Maryland LocalLink) South Kingstown is easily accessible for many tourists. The village of Kingston in South Kingstown has a Amtrak train station. In addition South Kingstown is home to many Rhode Island Public Transit Authority bus stops in addition to the University of Rhode Island Campus Shuttle. In the neighboring town, North Kingstown, there is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Commuter Rail Line train. This station is roughly 5 miles north of the South Kingstown line and accessible for many South Kingstown citizens. The nearby town of Narragansett boasts a large ferry system that can transport people to Block Island, Long Island, and Marthas Vineyard. South Kingstonw is home to a 7 mile long bike path that connects many of the major attractions of the town.

Tourism
South Kingstown is home to many beaches that attract many visitors mainly from New York and Connecticut. East Matunuck State Beach is a popular public beach in the town. This beach is roughly two miles long and is bordered by a jetti that is a popular fishing location. Matunuck town beach is another popular beach. South Kingstown also has many popular fishing locations and boating locations such as Narrow River and Wordens Pond. South Kingstown attracts many visitors for the towns famous restaurants such as Matunuck Oyster Bar and Phils restaurant. South Kingstown is also home to the South County Museum. The South County Museum displays artifacts from the early 1800s when South Kingstown had many working agricultural mills. In addition this museum has information about the native american tribe The Narragansetts. The University of Rhode Island is also a large attraction and attracts many families visiting the area. In addition many families enjoy hiking trails in the Matunuck village of town and enjoy the outdoors while kyacking down the narrow river.

Villages
South Kingstown is divided into many villages. Each of these villages used have unique areas. Some of these villages have their own zip codes however, they are all part of South Kingstown.

Wakefield
Wakefield is known as the town center of South Kingstown. Wakefield has most of the businesses in town. Also, Wakefield is home to the financial district and high school of the town. Wakefield is surrounded by many sidewalks and has an elementary school and high school. South County Hospital is also located in Wakefield as well as Thundermist Urgent Care center. The majority of the athletic complexes and the South Kingstown recreation center is geographically in Wakefield. The Town Hall as well as the Police Station is located in Wakefield. Main Street which is a popular street for walking, shopping, and dining in many unique restaurants.

Peace Dale
Peace dale is another urban village like Wakefield in South Kingstown. Peace Dale boasts its own elementary school. In Peace dale transportation is very convenient with many sidewalks in addition to numerous RIPTA bus stops. Peace Dale is known for its affordable housing in addition to subsidized housing for low income, disadvantaged individuals and is one of the most densely populated locations of South Kingstown. Many historic mills are located in Peace Dale

Matunuck
Matunuck is home to another one of the towns elementary schools. Matunuck is a poplar village of South Kingstown for tourists to visit as it is located on the ocean. Therefore, there are many summer houses in this village. Many visitors are attracted to the towns only town-owned beach. Matunuck town beach is a small beach with nearby ball fields and numerous picnic and grilling stations. The parking lot is small of this beach however it is rarely full. The Ocean Mist is a destination beach bar/ restaurant in South Kingstown. There is a small airport that many visitors choose to fly into. Also this airport also serves Block Island. There are many beach front small cottage communities in Matunuck such as Roy Carpenters beach, and Matunuck Clark Village. Matunuck is also home to many walking trails in addition, to open farming fields and the South Kingstown Land Trust administrative offices. The Robert Beverly Hale Library is a historic library that was erected in 1822 that still stands in Matunuck.

East Matunuck
East Matunuck is another village located in South Kingstown. East Matunuck is a village that is most commonly viisted by tourists. The majority of summer houses are located in East Matunuck. In this village is a world renown oyster bar called Matunuck Oyster Bar. This restuarant is known for growing allof its food and for world class innovative methods for aquaculture to farm organisms like Oysters. The owner of Matunuck Oyster bar, Perry Raso is know internationally as an innovative aquaculture farmer and travels the world educating future farmers and participating in Ted Talks and similar broadcasts. Jims Dock and Captain Jacks are other notable restaurant in the area.East Matunuck is home to the largest state beach in Rhode Island called East Matunuck State Beach. This beach is 2 miles long and ends in a historic jetty. This area of South Kingstown is a very popular place to fish. Also many visitors and town residents keep there boats in nearby slat ponds that are connected to the Atlantic ocean. Two popular ponds in this area where fishing and boating is popular is Potters Pond and Point Judith Pond.

Kingston
Kingston is the largest village of South Kingstown. Kingston is home to the University of Rhode Island. There is a large food eporium complex in Kignston in addition to all of the university of Rhode Islands academic, athletic, residential, and administrative buildings. The South Kingstown Bike Path also ends in Kingston at the Kingston train station. Biscuit City is a popular neighborhood in Kingston that was an early pioneer for textile manufacturing through the use of utilizing power from a river. Many early manufacturing mills can still be found in the Biscuit City nature path system. In addition to the Amtrak Train Station there are is a bike path that runs through this village. Kingston has many RIPTA stops in addition to the Rhody shuttle which is a shuttle for students of the University of Rhode Island and faculty.

Public Safety
South Kingstown is protected by two police departments. The town police department is called South Kingstown Police Department which is headed by Chief Geaber and has 52 officers and many administrative personell. In addition all of the emergency dispatching for police fire and ambulance is covered by the South Kingstown Police Department. The University of Rhode Island Police Department primarily serves the University of Rhode Island Campus and the surrounding areas in Kingston. The University of Rhode Island also has its own student run ambulance corps which provides a basic life support service to the University of Rhode Island and provides aide to the greater town of South Kingstown when necessary.

South Kingstown has two fire protection services. The Union Fire District of South Kingstown responds to the entirety of town and is made up of 8 station. Kingston Fire Department is a separate District and like the Union Fire District Raises all of its money from a separate fire tax.

"Early History – Narrangansett Indian Tribe". Retrieved 2020-05-24.

2. "Government | South Kingstown, RI". www.southkingstownri.com. Retrieved 2020-05-24.

"Early History – Narrangansett Indian Tribe". Retrieved 2020-05-24.

"Government | South Kingstown, RI". www.southkingstownri.com. Retrieved 2020-05-24.