Cranston, formerly known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second-largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston. Cranston is a part of the Providence metropolitan area.

Cranston was named one of the “100 Best Places to Live” in the United States by Money in 2006. Cranston ranked 36th on the list of “America’s 50 Best Cities to Live” in a 2014 survey done by 247wallst.com

The Town of Cranston was created in 1754 from a portion of Providence north of the Pawtuxet River. After losing much of its territory to neighboring towns and the city of Providence, Cranston itself became a city on March 10, 1910.

History

Much of the land was purchased by Roger Williams from the Narragansett Indians in 1638 as part of the Pawtuxet Purchase, and the first settler in the area was William Arnold, who was followed shortly by William Harris, William Carpenter, and Zachariah Rhodes. Stephen Arnold, a brother-in-law of Rhodes and William Arnold, built a gristmill on the Pawtuxet falls and laid out the Arnold Road (modern-day Broad Street) connecting it to the Pequot Trail leading to Connecticut. Arnold’s son Benedict Arnold became the first Governor of Rhode Island under the charter of 1663. Residents were unable to agree upon a name for a new town for decades, and the Town of Cranston was eventually created by the General Assembly in 1754 from a portion of Providence north of the Pawtuxet River. Historians debate whether the town was named after Governor Samuel Cranston, the longest-serving Rhode Island governor, or his grandson Thomas Cranston, who was serving as Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives at the time that the town was created.^{[citation needed]} In the early 1770s, town meetings were held at the taverns of Caleb Arnold and Nehemiah Knight, where residents voted in favor of a resolution opposing the British Parliament’s Coercive Acts; the town heavily supported the Patriot cause during the Revolutionary War. The town lost much of its territory to neighboring towns and the city of Providence over the nineteenth century, and Cranston became a city on March 10, 1910.

Many Italian Americans in Cranston are descended from immigrants of Itri, Italy who settled mainly in the Knightsville section of Cranston during the early 1900s. Cranston is known for the St. Mary’s Feast, inspired by the Feast of the Madonna della Civita celebrated in Itri. Since 1905, the St. Mary’s Feast has been a week-long festival celebrated in July in Cranston with vendors, a carnival, fireworks, and a religious procession from St. Mary’s Church on Sunday. In 2000, Cranston and Itri became sister cities.

For many years, Cranston was the third-largest city in Rhode Island, after Providence and Warwick, both of which it borders, but in 2017, it surpassed Warwick to take second place. Though Cranston’s overall population density was already much greater than the geographically larger Warwick, a major factor contributing to its growth has been a large and semirural section west of Interstate 295, which has seen a high volume of housing development in recent years; Warwick has significantly less open land available for development.

Flood of 2010

The Pawtuxet River overflowed in March 2010 after an overwhelming amount of rain. This caused many major sites to be shut down and repaired, such as the Warwick Mall, Contour Dental Laboratories, and the CLCF Building.

Education

School committee

The Cranston School Committee consists of seven nonpartisan members, six representing each of the city wards and one city-wide representative. Committee members are elected at city general elections to a two-year term, and as of 2014, members are limited to five consecutive two-year terms. The current Cranston School Committee chairperson is Michael Traficante, a city-wide representative.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census counted 82,934 people, 32,676 households, and 19,522 families in Cranston. The population density was 2,925.9 per square mile (1,129.7/km). There were 34,182 housing units at an average density of 1,205.9 per square mile (465.6/km²). The racial makeup was 68.14% (56,514) white or European American (65.66% non-Hispanic white), 5.65% (4,683) black or African-American, 0.58% (485) Native American or Alaska Native, 6.99% (5,799) Asian, 0.05% (45) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 9.99% (8,282) from other races, and 8.59% (7,126) from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race was 18.17% (15,067) of the population.

Of the 32,676 households, 27.9% had children under the age of 18; 43.7% were married couples living together; 31.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 30.0% of households consisted of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.2. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 25.0% of the population.

19.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 104.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 106.4 males.

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $74,425 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,217) and the median family income was $89,180 (+/- $3,837). Males had a median income of $51,447 (+/- $2,606) versus $35,032 (+/- $2,123) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $42,882 (+/- $1,971). Approximately, 4.1% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under the age of 18 and 8.8% of those ages 65 or over.

The most common Hispanic background in Cranston is Dominican American and Guatemalan American, reflective of Rhode Island’s Latino population as a whole. Also, a relatively large Cambodian American population is centered around Park and Pontiac Avenues in the center of the city. Italian Americans are still the predominant ethnicity throughout Cranston, numbered at 38% of the population. This gives Cranston one of the largest Italian-American communities in the United States, similar to neighboring Johnston and North Providence, Rhode Island.

2010

As of the 2010 US Census, 80,387 people resided in the city. The racial makeup of the village was 81.93% White, 5.26% African American, 0.32% Native American, 5.17% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.6% from other races, and 2.66% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 10.83% of the population.

1990 census

As of the census of 1990, 79,269 people, 30,954 households, and 20,243 families lived in the city of Cranston. The population density was 2,774.6 persons per square mile (1,071.3/km²). The 32,068 housing units had an average density of 1,122.5 per square mile (433.4/km). The racial makeup of the city was 89.19% White, 3.69% African American, 0.30% Native American, 3.28% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.93% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.56% of the population.

Of the 30,954 households, 28.7% had children under 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were not families. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.41, and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city, the age distribution was 21.6% under 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females of age 18 or over, there were 92.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,108, and for a family was $55,241. Males had a median income of $40,031 versus $28,279 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,978. About 5.6 of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under 18 and 8.5% of those 65 or older.