West Greenwich, Rhode Island

West Greenwich is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 6,528 at the 2020 census. West Greenwich was named for the historic town of Greenwich, Kent, England. It was separated from East Greenwich in 1741. Students go to Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School in West Greenwich.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (1.34%) is water. Escoheag Hill is located within the town and is the site of a former ski area. Wickaboxet State Forest is also located in West Greenwich.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Template:Sronly	%±
1790	2,054		—
1800	1,757		%
1810	1,619		%
1820	1,927		%
1830	1,817		%
1840	1,415		%
1850	1,350		%
1860	1,258		%
1870	1,133		%
1880	1,018		%
1890	798		%
1900	606		%
1910	481		%
1920	367		%
1930	402		%
1940	526		%
1950	847		%
1960	1,169		%
1970	1,841		%
1980	2,738		%
1990	3,492		%
2000	5,085		%
2010	6,135		%
2020	6,528		%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 6,528 people and 2,401 households in the town. The population density was . There were 2,575 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 89.89% White, 0.84% African American, 0.19% American Indian, 2.82% Asian, 1.01% from other races, and 5.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.27% of the population.

Of the 2,401 households, 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.1% were married couples living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 6.7% had a male householder with no spouse present. 6.7% of households were one person and 1.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 2.89.

The age distribution was 17.9% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% 65 or older. The median age was 43.7 years.

The median household income was $137,485 and the median family income was $137,993. 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 0.0% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Government

West Greenwich town vote
by party in presidential elections

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2016	style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|57.88% 1,953	style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|34.35% 1,159	7.77% 262
style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2012	style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|50.28% 1,590	style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|47.53% 1,503	2.18% 69
style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|2008	style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|48.65% 1,567	style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|49.39% 1,591	1.96% 63
style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2004	style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|51.66% 1,466	style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|45.81% 1,300	2.54% 72
style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|2000	style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|43.80% 1,035	style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|48.24% 1,140	7.96% 188
style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|1996	style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|35.67% 808	style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|45.96% 1,041	18.37% 416
style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|1992	style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|32.96% 773	style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|34.54% 810	32.49% 762
style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1988	style="text-align:center"; style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|58.45% 989	style="text-align:center"; style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|41.19% 697	0.35% 6

In the Rhode Island Senate, West Greenwich is split into three senatorial districts, one of which is currently held by Democrat Leonidas P. Raptakis (District 33) and other by Republican Elaine J. Morgan (District 34). The other, District 21, is currently vacant but was last held by Republican Nicholas D. Kettle before his resignation in February 2018 following a sex scandal. At the federal level, West Greenwich is a part of Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district, which is currently represented by James R. Langevin.

In presidential elections, West Greenwich tends to be a fairly independent or swing municipality with a slight Republican tilt. That red lean was strengthened in 2016 when Donald Trump won the town by 23.5 points, the best performance for a Republican in the town in three decades.

Historic places

• Louttit Library (1936)
• West Greenwich Baptist Church and Cemetery (1822)
• Stephen Allen House (1787)
• Hopkins Hollow Village (1728)

External links

• Town Website