Foster, a residential and agricultural town, was set off from the town of Scituate, and incorporated on August 24, 1781. Foster historic man-made environment dates primarily from the mid-18TH to the mid-19TH Century; and within that time frame, many houses and farms date to the years between 1760 and 1820. The highest point in Rhode Island, Jerimoth Hill, 812 feet above sea level, is located in northwest Foster. At key focal points villages grew up. Hopkins Mills was the first to develop in the early 1700's. Foster Center, the present seat of government, developed later in the 18TH Century, and it was here that the first Foster town meeting was held in 1781. The village of Clayville took form in the early 19TH Century, as did Moosup Valley, North Foster, and Mount Vernon. Foster is rich in historic resources - houses, farmsteads, stone walls, roads, and mill ruins - and in the natural beauty of its setting - brooks, waterfalls, woods, swamps, and the plant and animal life they shelter. Foster remains sparsely settled with almost four-fifths of the town's 52.2 square miles being hilly, and 88.2 percent of the land being forested.
Government in Foster, Rhode Island
Foster was Established in 1636, Incorporated in 1781 Foster Form of Government: Five member Town Council - Home Rule Charter adopted in 1976. Foster Council Meetings: The first Thursday after the first Monday of each month at 7:30 pm. Financial Town meeting held the first Tuesday in May. Foster Fiscal Year Begins: July 1
Foster Town Hall 181 Howard Hill Foster, Rhode Island 02825 FAX: 397-9736 Hours 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Foster General Demographic Characteristics
Foster Population: The population count for The Town of Foster as of April 1, 2005, was 4,274. This represented a -0.97% decrease (42 persons) from the 1990 population of 4,316.
Foster Rank: In 2005 Foster ranks 37th in population among Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns.
Foster Median Age: In 2005 the median age of the population in Foster was 39.8.
Foster Age Distribution: In 2005, 74.1% or 3,169 persons residing in Foster were 18 years of age or older. 3,040 were 21 and over, 538 were 62 and over, and 447 were 65 and over.
Foster Population Density: The 2005 population density of Foster is 84 persons per square mile of land area. Foster contains 51.14 square miles of land area (132,451,097 Sq. meters) (32,729.63 acres) and 0.73 square miles of water area (1,895,784 square meters) (467.2 acres).
Foster Housing Units: The total number of housing units in the The Town of Foster as of April 1, 2005, was 1,578. This represented an increase of 53 units from the 1,525 housing units in 1990. Of the 1,578 housing units 43 were vacant. 9 of the vacant units were for seasonal of recreational use.
Foster Households: In 2005, there are 1,535 households in Foster with an average size of 2.77 persons. Of these, 1,199 were family households with an average family size of 3.14 persons.
Foster Race: >Foster Total Population of One Race: 4,216 >Foster White Population: 4,157 >Foster Black of African American: 9 >Foster American Indian and Alaska Native: 10 >Foster Asian Population: 25 >Foster Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 4 >Some Other Race in Foster : 11 >Foster Total Population of two or More Races: 58 >Foster Hispanic or Latino: In 2005, 34 persons of Hispanic origin resided in Foster. This represented 0.8% of the population. An increase of 18 or 112.5% from the 1980 Hispanic population of 16. Foster, Rhode Island Official Web Site
