CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND

'Cranston' is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 79,269 as of the 2000 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston [1].

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Transportation

Sites

Notable residents

Trivia

References

External links

Geography

Cranston is located at (41.773200, -71.453289).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 77.5 km² (29.9 mi²). 74.0 km² (28.6 mi²) of it is land and 3.5 km² (1.4 mi²) of it (4.54%) is water.
The following neighborhoods are located in Cranston:

★ Arlington

★ Alpine Estates

★ Bellafonte

★ Auburn

★ Dean Estates

★ Eden Park

★ Edgewood

★ Fiskeville (also in Scituate)

★ Forest Hills

★ Garden City

★ Garden Hills

★ Howard

★ Jackson (also in Scituate)

★ Knightsville

★ Meshanticut

★ Oaklawn

★ Pontiac

★ Stadium

★ Thornton

★ Pawtuxet Village

★ Woodridge

Demographics

Being directly south of Providence, Cranston is officially a part of the Providence metropolitan area. As of the census of 2000, there were 79,269 people, 30,954 households, and 20,243 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,071.3/km² (2,774.6/mi²). There were 32,068 housing units at an average density of 433.4/km² (1,122.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.19% White, 3.69% African American, 0.30% Native American, 3.28% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.93% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.56% of the population.
There were 30,954 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females of age 18 or over, there were 92.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,108, and the median income for a family was $55,241. Males had a median income of $40,031 versus $28,279 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,978. About 5.6% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Four freeways travel through Cranston: I-95, I-295, RI 10 (the Huntington Expressway) and RI 37. Other state-numbered roads in Cranston are US 1, US 1A, RI 2, RI 5, RI 12, RI 33, RI 51, RI 115 and RI 117.
Cranston is served by Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) buses. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor passes through but has no station in the city. The MBTA's Providence/Stoughton Line will also pass through upon the completion of the new train station at T.F. Green Airport, but will not include a station in Cranston.

Sites

The first auto race track in the country, Narragansett Park, opened in Knightsville in September 1915.
Cranston is home to the Budlong Pool, one of the largest outdoor swimming pools in the country. Built in the 1950s as a Works Progress Administration project, it is a staple of the community. It is located at 198 Aqueduct Road, off Reservoir Avenue (part of RI 2).
Sprague Mansion, an 18th-century homestead, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places [2].
The Cranston Country Club is the only public golf course in Cranston.

Notable residents

★ Sasha Cagen, public intellectual and creator of the Quirkyalone movement

★ Hugh Duffy, major league baseball player^[1]

★ Elisabeth Hasselbeck - of Survivor fame and co-host of The View

★ Nehemiah R. Knight - Governor of Rhode Island 1817-1821 and U.S. Senator 1821-1841, born in Cranston

★ Jack Reed U.S Senator from Rhode Island

★ A.J. Smith - General Manager of the San Diego Chargers spent several years as a coach at Cranston High School West

★ Dennis Wholey - Talk show host; was born in Cranston

Trivia

★ The leading female character in the 1970 film Love Story, Jennifer Cavalleri, is said to hail from Cranston.

★ Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne in Dumb & Dumber are from Cranston.

References

1. The Baseball Encyclopedia, , , , Macmillan Publishing, 1979, ISBN 0-02-578970-8

External links

★ Pawtuxet Cove

★ City of Cranston Official Site

★ Cranston Public Library homepage

★ Cranston Public Schools homepage