Jamestown, Rhode Island

connects Jamestown with Newport, a city on Aquidneck Island According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of , of which is land and is water. The total area is 72.55% water. Rhode Island Route 138 is the only state highway in Jamestown, connecting the town and island to North Kingstown to the west (over the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge) and Newport to the east (over the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge). ==History==

In 1524, Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano and his crew visited Narragansett Bay. Dutch Island was used by fur traders , and English colonists in 1638 made arrangements with the Native Americans to use Conanicut Island for grazing sheep. , which connected Jamestown with North Kingstown, Rhode Island from 1940 until its demolition in 2006 Ferries were in operation between Conanicut Island and Newport by 1675. In 1678, Conanicut Island was incorporated as the town of Jamestown, when there were about 150 residents. It was named for James, Duke of York, who became King James II in 1685. By 1710, many of Conanicut Island's current roads were in place. In 1728, the town of Jamestown built a windmill for grinding corn, which used the sea breeze for power since there was no source of running water to turn a waterwheel. American Revolution Two hundred British and Hessian troops, commanded by James Wallace, landed at East Ferry on Conanicut Island on December 10, 1775. They then marched to West Ferry where they burned the ferry house. The British took over the colonial militia batteries at Fort Dumpling (now part of Fort Wetherill) and the Conanicut Battery at Beavertail, just south of Fort Getty at the end of Battery Lane. They left Narragansett Bay in October 1779; as they departed, they destroyed the fortifications which they had occupied and burned down the Beavertail Lighthouse. The first Jamestown Bridge opened in the summer of 1940, replacing West Ferry service with a continuously available link to the west. In 1969, the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge was completed, establishing Route 138 as a continuous highway from South County to Newport. With its completion, traditional ferry service was eliminated. The bridge is pictured on the 2001 Rhode Island state quarter. In 1992, the Jamestown-Verrazano Bridge replaced the narrow steel bridge erected in 1940. It was accompanied by construction of a new western-end access road and a cross-Conanicut Island highway. ==Demographics==

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Jamestown has a population of 5,559, and 2,563 total households in the town. The population density was . There were 3,122 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 93.47% White, 0.70% African American, 0.13% Indigenous American, 0.77% Asian, 0.52% from some other race, and 4.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.27% of the population. The median home price in Jamestown was $641,800, which is higher than most other towns in the region. Homes worth between $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 accounted for 17% of the homes in Jamestown and 17% were worth $2,000,000 or more. The median real estate taxes paid amounted to $4,988. Private preschool enrollment on Jamestown was 36% of the total school age population. Of the residents, 97% were high school graduates or better and 65% had a bachelor's degree or higher. Those with a professional degree (e.g., law or medicine) made up 5.7% of the town population. The median household income in Jamestown was $141,442. Over 16% or the residents were self-employed and 71% were employed full time. Households with retirement income accounted for 26.6% of the residents. Single earner households made of 33% of the household in Jamestown. 4.3% of Jamestown's population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those 65 years and older. Jamestown Public Schools encompasses two buildings: Melrose School for elementary students and Lawn School for middle school students. For high school, public school students matriculate to either North Kingstown High School or Narragansett High School. ==In popular culture==

Portions of several movies have been filmed in and around Jamestown, including Wind; Me, Myself & Irene; American General (PBS); Evening; Dan in Real Life; Moonrise Kingdom; and Irrational Man. The comic strip Wallace the Brave was created and drawn by Jamestown resident Will Henry and set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Snug Harbor, which is loosely based on Jamestown. ==Notable people==

• Benedict Arnold, Governor; purchased land in Jamestown 1657, great-grandfather of the notorious turncoat Benedict Arnold • Brenda Bennett, musician and former member of Vanity 6, currently resides in Jamestown • Charles L. Bevins, architect; lived in Jamestown • John Biddle (yachting cinematographer) spent his childhood summers here and later moved back to the island, living there until his death • Eleanor Albert Bliss, bacteriologist; was born in Jamestown • Caleb Carr (governor), lived in Jamestown and was buried on the island • John A. Cloud, former United States Ambassador to the Republic of Lithuania, lives here • Dwight Dickinson, former United States Ambassador to Togo, lived here • Daniel Fones, leading Rhode Island military commander in King George's War, was born and raised in Jamestown • Paul Housberg, lives here, a glass artist recognized for his use of fused and kiln formed glass as an architectural medium • Luke McNamee, four-star admiral and Governor of Guam, lived in Jamestown • John Mecray, marine painter and co-founder of the Museum of Yachting, lived in Jamestown • Jonathan M. Nelson, founder of Providence Equity Partners, built a home in Jamestown in 2009 • Peter F. Neronha, the current Rhode Island Attorney General and former United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island, was born, raised, and currently resides in Jamestown • Jack Reed, U.S. senator; former state senator • William Trost Richards, landscape artist; lived and worked on the island from 1881 till death in 1905 • Marla Romash, political consultant and pastry chef, currently resides in Jamestown • James Taylor, musician; has a summer home in Jamestown ==National Historic Places and notable sites in Jamestown==

• Artillery Park • Beavertail Lighthouse • Thomas Carr Farmstead Site (Keeler Site RI-707) • Conanicut Battery • Conanicut Island Lighthouse • Dutch Island Lighthouse • Fort Dumpling Site • Fort Getty • Friends Meetinghouse (Jamestown, Rhode Island) • Hazard Farmstead (Joyner Site RI-706) • Horsehead-Marbella • Jamestown Archeological District • Jamestown Windmill • Old Friends Archeological Site • Watson Farm • Windmill Hill Historic District ==References==