New Shoreham #36: RI’s Best Communities 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
New Shoreham
A true jewel set just 13 miles off Rhode Island's southern shoreline, this charming, still-rustic island draws sailors, beachlovers, and even celebrities to its verdant hills and hollows. And while Block Island may be nearly 10 square miles of heaven to visit, its only town of New Shoreham comes up short as an overall community in which to live year-round. Why? In a word: affordability.
Although generations of Block Islanders have lived and worked in modest homes, the reality is that this sought-after getaway is the least affordable community in all of Rhode Island (this year's median housing price was $1.27 million, nearly double the average from last year's data). That, coupled with a crime rate that reflects a high number of property crimes (New Shoreham ranks in the bottom 3 on GoLocalProv's Safety rankings, at #37), keeps this dream escape from being a realistic alternative for Rhode Islanders.
New Shoreham by the numbers
Established: 1664
Population: 1,051
Median household income: $75,417
Median housing price: $1,275,000
2012 Best Communities rankings
Overall ranking: 36
Affordability ranking: 39
Education ranking: 17
Economic condition ranking: 2
Safety ranking: 37
Arts & Culture ranking: 17
Restaurants & Bars ranking: 12
History in a nutshell:
Whereas the town on Block Island, New Shoreham, takes its name from Shoreham in Sussex County, England, the island itself has a Dutch connection - named for the Dutch navigator, Adrian Block, who visited there in 1614. The first European settlers arrived in 1661 and three years later it came under the jurisdiction of the Rhode Island colony. In 1672, the town of New Shoreham was formally incorporated. Beginning in the Victorian era, tourism took over the quiet island as steamships brought delighted visitors from the mainland. The broad hotels that still stand along the waterfront remind of the love affair with New Shoreham, and Block Island as a whole, that has never gone away. Remarkably, approximately 20 percent of the land is set aside for conservation.
Famous residents:
William Stringfellow, attorney and radical Anglican theologian
Kenneth Bacon, Department of Defense spokesman who later served as president of Refugees International
Jens Risom, Danish-American furniture designer
Christopher Walken, American actor
Famous residents source: Wikipedia
Photo: Dan Connolly
For more Best Communities coverage, don't miss GoLocalTV, fresh every day at 4pm and on demand 24/7, here.
Related Articles
- RI’s Best Communities 2012: How We Got the Rankings
- East Providence #32: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- PODCAST: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Bristol #11: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Providence #3: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Central Falls #39: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Tiverton #31: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Westerly #24: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- The Top 10: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Glocester #10: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- East Greenwich #2: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Woonsocket #38: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Scituate #30: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Foster #23: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Coventry #17: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Richmond #9: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- South Kingstown #1: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Pawtucket #37: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Lincoln #29: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Narragansett #22: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Exeter #16: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Portsmouth #8: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- New Shoreham #36: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- West Warwick #28: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Newport #21: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Cranston #15: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Barrington #7: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- North Providence #35: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Cumberland #27: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- North Smithfield #20: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Hopkinton #6: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Johnston #34: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Burrillville #26: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Charlestown #19: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Smithfield #13: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- North Kingstown #5: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Rhode Island’s Best Communities 2012
- Warren #33: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- West Greenwich #25: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Middletown #18: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Jamestown #12: RI’s Best Communities 2012
- Warwick #4: RI’s Best Communities 2012