Rhode Island State Parks
There Are Fifteen Wonderful Rhode Island State Parks
There are fifteen State Parks in Rhode Island and nine state beaches. They are all managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Divison of Parks and Recreation.
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To See A List Of Rhode Island State Parks Just Click Here |
The official name of the state is "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations," which is probably the biggest name for the smallest state in the Union. It covers 1214 square miles of land on the Atlantic coast of America. Its nickname is "The Ocean State" as it has many large bays ind inlets along its coastline. |
The Beautiful Old Town Of Newport
The most important of the coastal bays is Narragansett which has over thirty islands lying in its waters, the largest of them are Aquidneck, Conanicut and Prudence. Despite having the word "Island" as part of its name, most of the state is actually on mainland U.S.A.
The origins of the name Rhode Island are unclear and it is thought it may refer to either the red colors of the beautiful Autumn foliage or the red clay of Aquidneck Island where the town of Newport is now found. It may also have been that an early explorer likened it to the Greek island of Rhodes.
The history of this small state is deeply involved in the development of America as a country. It was the very first of the thirteen colonies to declare its independence from Britain when it made its announcement on May 4th 1776. It was then the last to ratify the new Constitution.
Sunset Over The Rhode Island State House
It played an important part in the American Revolution and the first blood to be shed in that conflict actually took place as early as 1772, when a group of residents from Providence attacked a British ship that was attempting to enforce the unpopular trade regulations.
Rhode Island was also one of the first places in America where the Industrial Revolution took hold. A water powered textile mill created by Samuel Slater and Moses Brown became only the second cotton mill in the country when it was built.
However, Rhode Island was unfortunately deeply involved in the slave trade in the years following the revolutionary war.
It was estimated that merchants in the state at one time controlled over sixty percent of the trade in slaves from Africa.
The Stunning Rhode Island Coastline Attracts Many Visitors
(Photo by DBKing
Present day Rhode Island is an extremely attractive state with one of its foremost industries being tourism. Over 39,000 jobs are found in this industry and over $3 billion is generated in revenues every year. The popularity of the Rhode Island State Parks and beaches contribute significantly to those revenue dollars.
Many Wealthy People Have Second Homes On The Rhode Island Coast
There are a number of the Rhode Island State Parks located on the islands in Narragansett Bay. For example Brenton Point State Park is on Aquidneck and both Beavertail State Park and Fort Wetherill State Park are on Conanicut Island.
There may be only fifteen state parks in Rhode Island but they are all beautiful and full of interest for their visitors.
Here is a list of Rhode Island State Parks
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This is a state map of Rhode Island showing the main towns.
