The 16th Senatorial District

Central Falls

The City of Central Falls was formerly a part of the Town of Lincoln, and was incorporated as a city February 21, 1895.

Central Falls, the smallest municipality in the state (1.3 square miles), is also one of the most densely populated cities in the country.

This tiny city just west of Pawtucket, on the Blackstone River has a history of industrial development. Central Falls was at one time called Chocolate Mill, after the chocolate factory established there in 1790.

Due to this inherent characteristic, Central Falls and Pawtucket are often alluded to as the "Twin Cities". Historically, it is best known as one of the areas where King Philip wreaked vengeance upon the white settlers, and a tablet at High and Aigan Streets marks the stop where Captain Michael Pierce, and a company of Plymouth soldiers were ambushed and almost annihilated by Indians, March 26, 1676.

Central Falls has several large manufacturing plants, with its economy sustained primarily by a diversified manufacturing industry.

Population: The population count for The City of Central Falls as of April 1, 2000, was 18,928. This represented a 7.32% increase (1,291 persons) from the 1990 population of 17,637.
Rank: In 2000 Central Falls ranks 19th in population among Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns.
Median Age: In 2000 the median age of the population in Central Falls was 30.2.

Age Distribution: In 2000, 70.8% or 13,397 persons residing in Central Falls were 18 years of age or older. 12,485 were 21 and over, 2,502 were 62 and over, and 2,177 were 65 and over.

Population Density: The 2000 population density of Central Falls is 15,652 persons per square mile of land area. Central Falls contains 1.21 square miles of land area (3,132,076 Sq. meters) (773.96 acres) and 0.08 square miles of water area (211,996 square meters) (773.96 acres).

Housing Units: The total number of housing units in the The City of Central Falls as of April 1, 2000, was 7,270. This represented a decrease of 67 units from the 7,337 housing units in 1990.
Of the 7,270 housing units 574 were vacant. 6 of the vacant units were for seasonal of recreational use.

Households: In 2000, there are 6,696 households in Central Falls with an average size of 2.74 persons. Of these, 4,356 were family households with an average family size of 3.38 persons.

Race:
Total Population of One Race: 17,532
White: 10,820
Black of African American: 1,101
American Indian and Alaska Native: 108
Asian: 128
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 8
Some Other Race: 5,367
Total Population of two or More Races: 1,396
Hispanic or Latino: In 2000, 9,041 persons of Hispanic origin resided in Central Falls. This represented 47.8% of the population. An increase of 3,922 or 76.6% from the 1980 Hispanic population of 5,119.

Cumberland

The Town of Cumberland was one of five towns received from Massachusetts by Royal Decree. The Town was known as Attleboro Gore until 1746, when it was incorporated in Rhode Island as the Town of Cumberland. Cumberland was named in honor of William, the Duke of Cumberland.
Cumberland's early industrial growth centered around the abundant water-power of the Blackstone and Abbott Run Rivers.

Minerals such as iron and copper were once mined in Cumberland. The town was once known as the mineral deposit of New England because of the extensive mineral deposits within its border. Several shafts over one hundred years old are still visible, but mineral deposits are no longer commercially mined.

Today, manufacturing and retail trade are the largest sources of income in Cumberland. The continued industrial and commercial growth has contributed greatly to Cumberland's tax base. The Town still retains its early rural charm even with the steady growth in industry, commerce and population.

Cumberland's country atmosphere, convenient location, and continued growth make this town an excellent choice for residence and business interests.

Population: The population count for The Town of Cumberland as of April 1, 2000, was 31,840. This represented a 9.65% increase (2,802 persons) from the 1990 population of 29,038.
Rank: In 2000 Cumberland ranks 9th in population among Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns.
Median Age: In 2000 the median age of the population in Cumberland was 39.3.

Age Distribution: In 2000, 75.8% or 24,150 persons residing in Cumberland were 18 years of age or older. 23,245 were 21 and over, 5,914 were 62 and over, and 5,098 were 65 and over.

Population Density: The 2000 population density of Cumberland is 1,188 persons per square mile of land area. Cumberland contains 26.79 square miles of land area (69,391,007 Sq. meters) (17,147.02 acres) and 1.46 square miles of water area (3,771,463 square meters) (934.4 acres).

Housing Units: The total number of housing units in the Town of Cumberland as of April 1, 2000, was 12,572. This represented an increase of 1,355 units from the 11,217 housing units in 1990. Of the 12,572 housing units 374 were vacant. 36 of the vacant units were for seasonal of recreational use.

Households: In 2000, there are 12,198 households in Cumberland with an average size of 2.59 persons. Of these, 9,034 were family households with an average family size of 3.05 persons.

Race:
Total Population of One Race: 31,547
White: 30,803
Black of African American: 180
American Indian and Alaska Native: 25
Asian: 264
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 8
Some Other Race: 267
Total Population of two or More Races: 293
Hispanic or Latino: In 2000, 667 persons of Hispanic origin resided in Cumberland. This represented 2.1% of the population. An increase of 227 or 51.6% from the 1980 Hispanic population of 440.

Pawtucket

Pawtucket is a city of 72,644, persons founded in 1671, at the strategic falls of the Blackstone River and the upper tidewaters of Narragansett Bay. It is a city with a special place in the industrial history of the United States. For it was here at the Slater Mill Historic Site that Samuel Slater successfully constructed and operated machines for spinning cotton yarn in 1793. Besides textiles, a variety of machines and iron working shops grew up alongside the textile industry.

The industrial development of Pawtucket continued to expand for the next century making it a highly developed and important manufacturing center. Although the textile industry is no longer dominant, a number of specialty textile operations still remain in Pawtucket, making products such as lace, non-woven, and elastic woven materials.. Pawtucket now has 300 diversified industries with the three largest being jewelry and silverware, metals and textiles.

The past decades have seen concerted efforts to diversity the economy of the State, and Pawtucket has participated in that undertaking. In the case of Pawtucket, major political reforms preceded extensive physical changes to the city. a home rule charter went into effect in 1954 providing a strong mayoral and unicameral City Council form of government, a clear organizational format, with professional officials and staff. Since 1956 the city has been a leader in community development programs, modernized and upgraded facilities and services, it has maintained consistent budgeting and fiscal methods, and instituted modern planning, programming, and management techniques.

The City of Pawtucket today includes: major residential areas with 30,000 housing units, an employment center with 300 industries and 1,000 commercial and service establishments, and convenient links to the other major metropolitan areas by Interstate 95. City development policies over the last twenty years have been targeted to 1) improve the quality of residential neighborhoods and the housing stock, through rehabilitation programs, 2) expand the employment opportunities through stabilizing manufacturing centers and the creation of new industrial opportunities, and 3) assistance to the commercial sector with rehabilitation loans and location incentive loans.

Population: The population count for The City of Pawtucket as of April 1, 2000, was 72,958. This represented a 0.43% increase (314 persons) from the 1990 population of 72,644.
Rank: In 2000 Pawtucket ranks 4th in population among Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns.
Median Age: In 2000 the median age of the population in Pawtucket was 35.4.

Age Distribution: In 2000, 75.1% or 54,807 persons residing in Pawtucket were 18 years of age or older. 52,088 were 21 and over, 12,405 were 62 and over, and 10,828 were 65 and over.

Population Density: The 2000 population density of Pawtucket is 8,351 persons per square mile of land area. Pawtucket contains 8.74 square miles of land area (22,626,731 Sq. meters) (5,591.23 acres) and 0.26 square miles of water area (671,932 square meters) (166.4 acres).
Housing Units: The total number of housing units in the The City of Pawtucket as of April 1, 2000, was 31,819. This represented an increase of 204 units from the 31,615 housing units in 1990. Of the 31,819 housing units 1,772 were vacant. 71 of the vacant units were for seasonal of recreational use.

Households: In 2000, there are 30,047 households in Pawtucket with an average size of 2.41 persons. Of these, 18,520 were family households with an average family size of 3.07 persons.

Race:
Total Population of One Race: 69,059
White: 55,004
Black of African American: 5,334
American Indian and Alaska Native: 217
Asian: 621
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 42
Some Other Race: 7,841
Total Population of two or More Races: 3,899
Hispanic or Latino: In 2000, 10,141 persons of Hispanic origin resided in Pawtucket. This represented 13.9% of the population. An increase of 4,930 or 94.6% from the 1980 Hispanic population of 5,211.