European settlers arrived in Burrillville in the 17TH Century. For many years after, and throughout the 18TH Century, farming was the predominant occupation of the Burrillville inhabitants, who cleared most of the town's forested lands for their fields and pastures. Burrillville natural features, landscape, and waterways have played an important role in the town's development. During the first half of the 19TH Century, Burrillville larger waterways - the Chepachet, Clear, Pascoag, and Branch River system were harnessed to power the textile mills, which formed the nuclei for more than a dozen hamlets and villages. The textile industry in Burrillville remained active into the 20TH Century, but gradually the mills ceased operating; many were torn down or destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. Improved transportation facilities, and a changing economy in Burrillville have resulted in most of the townspeople working outside of the town. As a result, it has become a bedroom community. The former Burrillville mill villages are no longer dependent on the mill fortunes, and most of these settlements survive as lovely and pleasant residential communities in Burrillville.
Government in Burrillville:
Burrillville was Established in 1730, Incorporated in 1806 Form of Government:in Burrillville: Seven-member Town Council/Manager Burrillville Council Meetings: The second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 7:00 pm Burrillville Fiscal Year Begins: July 1
BurrillvilleTown Building 105 Harrisville Main Street Harrisville, Rhode Island 02830 FAX: 568-0490 Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Burrillville General Demographic Characteristics
Burrillville Population: The population count for The Town of Burrillville as of April 1, 2005, was 15,796. This represented a -2.67% decrease (434 persons) from the 1990 population of 16,230.
Burrillville Rank: In 2005 Burrillville ranks 24th in population among Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns.
Burrillville Median Age: In 2005 the median age of the population in Burrillville was 37.5.
Burrillville Age Distribution: In 2005, 74.4% or 11,753 persons residing in Burrillville were 18 years of age or older. 11,150 were 21 and over, 2,091 were 62 and over, and 1,800 were 65 and over.
Burrillville Population Density: The 2005 population density of Burrillville is 284 persons per square mile of land area. Burrilville contains 55.56 square miles of land area (143,908,049 Sq. meters) (35,560.73 acres) and 1.58 square miles of water area (4,097,389 square meters) (1,011.2 acres).
Burrillville Housing Units: The total number of housing units in the The Town of Burrillville as of April 1, 2005, was 5,821. This represented an increase of 70 units from the 5,751 housing units in 1990.Of the 5,821 housing units 262 were vacant. 127 of the vacant units were for seasonal of recreational use.
Burrillville Households: In 2005, there are 5,559 households in Burrillville with an average size of 2.75 persons. Of these, 4,253 were family households with an average family size of 3.15 persons.
Burrillville Race: > Burrillville Total Population of One Race: 15,712 > Burrillville White Population: 15,569 > Burrillville Black of African American: 34 > Burrillville American Indian and Alaska Native: 31 > Burrillville Asian Population: 34 > Burrillville Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 4 > Some Other Race in Burrillville: 40 >Burrillville Total Population of two or More Races: 84 >Burrillville Hispanic or Latino Population: In 2005, 132 persons of Hispanic origin resided in Burrillville. This represented 0.8% of the population. An increase of 61 or 85.9% from the 1980 Hispanic population of 71.
