New Shoreham is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island that is coextensive with Block Island. The town was named for Shoreham, Kent, in England. According to the Census Bureau, it has a total area of 109.5 sq mi (284 km²), of which 9.7 sq mi (25 km²) is land and 99.8 sq mi (258 km²) (91.11%) is water. New Shoreham holds the distinction of southernmost town in both Washington County as well as all of the state of Rhode Island.

New Shoreham, Rhode Island
Town
The public library in New Shoreham
Location of New Shoreham in Washington County, Rhode Island
Country	United States
State	Rhode Island
County	Washington
Settled	1637
Incorporated	November 6, 1672
Government
• Type	Open town meeting
• Town Council	Allan MacKay Christopher G. Warfel Mark A. Emmanuelle
• Town Moderator	Margaret M. O'Neill
Area
• Total	109.5 sq mi (283.6 km2)
• Land	9.7 sq mi (25.2 km2)
• Water	99.8 sq mi (258.4 km2)
Elevation	13 ft (4 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,410
• Density	145/sq mi (56.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	02807
Area code	401
FIPS code	44-50500
GNIS feature ID	1220043[1]
Website	www.new-shoreham.com

The students of New Shoreham in grades kindergarten through 12th grade attend Block Island School. Harbor Church was founded on October 23, 1765 and is located at 21 Water Street in New Shoreham.[2]

Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 1,010 people, 472 households, and 250 families in the town. The population of New Shoreham was 1,410 at the 2020 census, making it the least-populous municipality in the state.

The population density was 103.8 inhabitants per square mile (40.08/km²). There were 1,606 housing units at an average density of 165.0 per square mile (63.71/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.82% White, 0.59% African American, 0.79% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.

Of the 472 households 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.0% were non-families. 35.0% of households were one person and 12.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.82.

The age distribution was 18.3% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median household income was $44,779 and the median family income was $59,844. Males had a median income of $39,432 versus $28,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,188. About 8.0% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Hayward Alker (1937–2007), professor of international relations
• William G. Angel (1790–1858), member of the U.S. House of Representatives
• Kenneth Bacon (1944–2009), journalist and former United States Department of Defense official
• Catharine Littlefield Greene (1755–1814), wife of Nathanael Greene
• William Paine Sheffield Sr. (1820–1907), politician
• John Underhill (1597–1672), soldier, captain, and early Massachusetts Bay Colony settler

References