26 Interesting Rhode Island Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published October 7, 2025

Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state, at about 48 miles (77 km) long and 37 miles (60km) wide. Despite its size, it is one of the most densely populated states._[3]
Rhode Island has over 400 miles (640 km) of coastline, leading it to be known as the "Ocean State."_[3]
Rhode Island was the only state to reject the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture and sale of alchohol in 1920._[10]
Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce allegiance to Great Britain in 1776, and they were the last to ratify the Constitution in 1790, holding out until the Bill of Rights was added._[10]
Samuel Slater (1768–1835) launched the U.S. Industrial Revolution by building the nation's first water-powered cotton mill in Rhode Island, in 1793._[10]
The Flying Horse Carousel in Watch Hill is the oldest operating platform carousel in the nation._[2]
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island._[3]
Newport, Rhode Island, is home to Gilded Age "cottages" that were once owned by affluent New York and Philadelphia tycoons. Some of the most famous of these "cottages" are Marble House, Rough Point, The Breakers, The Elms, and Rosecliff, where the 1974 movie The Great Gatsby was filmed._[11]
The founder of Rhode Island, Roger Williams, was kicked out of Massachusetts for his extreme views on freedom of speech and religion. Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams acknowledged that Williams inspired the First Amendment._[6]
Providence is home to the world's largest artificial bug, a 58-foot-long termite known as the Big Blue Bug._[15]
The Rhode Island red chicken became the official state bird in 1954._[3]

A noble state bird, indeed!

Rhode Islander Nathanael Greene was one of George Washington's most trusted generals and one of the most influential leaders of the Revolutionary War._[7]
Built in 1673, Rhode Island's White Horse Tavern is the oldest operating tavern in the United States._[5]
Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, founded the first Baptist Church in America in 1638. The congregation's existing church building was constructed in 1775._[14]
Dutch explorer Adrian Block named the state "Roodt Eylandt," which means "red island," after the red clay on its beaches._[9]
Nicknames for Rhode Island include "Little Rhody" and "The Southern Gateway of New England."_[9]

Hope.

- Rhode Island State Motto

Rhode Island's state beverage is coffee milk._[3]
Rhode Island is technically not an island. Rather, it is composed of many islands._[6]
Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 452 times. It is the second most-densely populated state, after New Jersey. Alaska has the lowest population density._[6]
Portsmouth, Rhode Island, has the oldest one-room schoolhouse in the United States, built in 1716._[6]

The word "sideburns" is from General Ambrose Burnside, a Civil War veteran and senator from Rhode Island

Three-time governor of Rhode Island Ambrose Burnside had distinctive facial hair that became commonly known as "sideburns."_[1]
After Ann Hutchinson was kicked out of Massachusetts for challenging the Puritan patriarchy, she established Portsmouth, Rhode Island. She was the first woman in America to be a town founder._[3]
Rhode Island has a shorter motto than any other American state: "Hope."_[4]
Rhode Island's state seashell is a quahog. Quahog is also the name of a fictional town in the TV series Family Guy._[13]
It is illegal to bite off someone's limb in Rhode Island._[8]
Rhode Island pirate Captain Kidd is believed to have buried treasure in Newport. Treasure hunters and historians are still looking for it to this day._[12]