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Our Jamestown, RI real estate website provides a wealth of information for home buyers and home sellers. Below, you will find information on the history and culture of the community as well as links to more detailed information such as demographics and schools. You may view a virtual tour, search homes for sale, access information on different types of properties such as condos, farms, foreclosures, and vacation homes. We also offer valuable reference materials for home buyers and home sellers. This website will give you everything you need to buy or sell a home in Jamestown, RI.
Jamestown RI Community Profile & History
Jamestown, Rhode Island was incorporated on November 4, 1678, and was renamed in honor of Prince James, later King James II. Because it sits on several islands in Narragansett Bay, the community has never been developed as a commercial area or port, but instead remains a quiet residential town.
Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano visited Narragansett Bay in 1524, venturing ashore at one point to make contact with the local Wampanoag Indians. Beginning in about 1625, Dutch Island was used for trade with the local Indians, and in 1638 the English began to use Conanicut Island - where most of the present-day town sits - as grazing land for sheep. The establishment of a ferry service to the bustling town of Newport stimulated the community's growth, and there were about 150 residents upon the town's incorporation in 1678.
By the early 1700s, many of the town's current roads had been built, and upon the arrival of the steam powered ferry in 1872 the town emerged as a popular summer resort. The community's population tripled between 1870 and 1900, and there were nine hotels in town by 1903. Although the golden age of the resort hotels came to a close soon thereafter, the town's fortunes were bolstered by its several military fortifications. Two of these - Fort Getty and Fort Wetherill - are now home to popular state parks.
In 1940, the Jamestown Verrazano Bridge was completed, connecting the town with the mainland. The Newport Bridge, completed in 1969, gave Jamestown access to both sides of Narragansett Bay. Conanicut Island is 9.5 square miles in area, with a good highway system following most of its shoreline. The south end of Beaver Tail Light is a high rocky coast protruding into the Atlantic Ocean, where some of the best surfcast fishing in the world can be found. Narragansett Bay surrounds the northern end of the island.
Residents and visitors alike enjoy more than 300 years of rich history in the many museums and historical sites the town offers. Among the popular sites are Narragansett Avenue, where the British marched in 1775 while burning the town; the Sydney L. Wright Museum, where Indian and colonial artifacts from pre-historic and early settlements are displayed; and the Jamestown Museum, which offers memorabilia from the 300-year-old ferry service among other exhibits.
Jamestown Rhode Island Community Information
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