The Town of Smithfield was set off from Providence and chartered as a town in 1730. It was extensively settled by the Quakers. In 1871, a portion of Smithfield was annexed to Woonsocket and the remainder of the community was divided into three towns, Smithfield, North Smithfield and Lincoln. Smithfield earliest industry, textiles, was developed along the numerous streams in the town, which provided abundant water power. Agriculture was also a very important part of Smithfield early economy. Today Smithfield is a growing community located in the center of the industrial triangle formed by the cities of Providence, Woonsocket and Worcester, Massachusetts. Agriculture still plays an important role in the town due to the numerous apple orchards located there. Smithfield is known throughout Rhode Island as "Apple Country". Smithfield has a solid industrial base, as several companies have built ultra modern plants in the town in recent years. Bryant College, a nationally recognized college of business, is located in Smithfield on the beautiful Tupper Campus. The College's Koffler Rotunda is an architectural marvel. The magnificently modern and functional\"unistructure" building houses most administrative and academic functions under one roof. The rotunda is two-story and domed with plexiglass.
Government in Smithfield, Rhode Island
SmithfieldEstablished in 1636, Incorporated in 1730 Smithfield Form of Government: Five-member Town Council and Town Manager. Smithfield Council Meetings: The first, third and fourth Tuesdays monthly at 7:30 pm. Smithfield Fiscal Year Begins: July 1
Smithfield Town Hall 64 Farnum Pike Esmond, Rhode Island 02917 FAX: 232-7244 Hours: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Smithfield General Demographic Characteristics
Smithfield Population: The population count for The Town of Smithfield as of April 1, 2005, was 20,613. This represented a 7.57% increase (1,450 persons) from the 1990 population of 19,163.
Smithfield Rank: In 2005 Smithfield ranks 18th in population among Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns.
Smithfield Median Age: In 2005 the median age of the population in Smithfield was 38.7.
Smithfield Age Distribution: In 2005, 80.5% or 16,594 persons residing in Smithfield were 18 years of age or older. 14,501 were 21 and over, 3,887 were 62 and over, and 3,429 were 65 and over.
Smithfield Population Density: The 2005 population density of Smithfield is 775 persons per square mile of land area. Smithfield contains 26.59 square miles of land area (68,857,513 Sq. meters) (17,015.19 acres) and 1.18 square miles of water area (3,057,612 square meters) (755.2 acres).
Smithfield Housing Units: The total number of housing units in the The Town of Smithfield as of April 1, 2005, was 7,396. This represented an increase of 1,088 units from the 6,308 housing units in 1990. Of the 7,396 housing units 202 were vacant. 42 of the vacant units were for seasonal of recreational use.
Smithfield Households: In 2005, there are 7,194 households in Smithfield with an average size of 2.47 persons. Of these, 4,990 were family households with an average family size of 3.02 persons.
Smithfield Race: > Smithfield Total Population of One Race: 20,468 > Smithfield White Population: 20,066 > Smithfield Black of African American: 165 > Smithfield American Indian and Alaska Native: 25 > Smithfield Asian Population: 183 > Smithfield Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 3 > Some Other Race in Smithfield : 26 > Smithfield Total Population of two or More Races: 145 > Smithfield Hispanic or Latino: In 2005, 191 persons of Hispanic origin resided in Smithfield. This represented 0.9% of the population. An increase of 78 or 69.0% from the 1980 Hispanic population of 113.
