Woonsocket, Rhode Island

Woonsocket is a city in the northern part of Providence County, Rhode Island, on the border with Massachusetts. It covers 7.96 sq mi (20.62 sq km) and has a population of 41,000 people (2011 estimate), down from 43,000 people in 2000.

Downtown Historic District of Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downtown_Woonsocket_Historic_District.jpg
Author: Marcbela


The Woonsocket area was inhabited by three different tribes of Native Americans, namely the Nipmucs, the Wampanoags and the Narragansetts, when the first European settlers arrived in the 17th century. In 1661, Roger Williams purchased the area from the Indians and named it Niswosakit.

The modern city of Woonsocket traces its origin to Woonsocket Falls Village founded in the 1820s. The town itself was founded in 1871, when the villages of Hamlet, Bernon and Globe merged. Prosperity from the textile mills in neighboring Pawtucket spilled over to Woontucket, which was made a city in 1888.

The Great Depression closed down the textile industry of the area. It received a second lease on life during the Second World War, when the Woonsocket area became the manufacturing center for fabric for the war. After that, its economy was in doldrums for a couple of decades, while the city diversified into other forms of manufacturing as well as high technology and financial services.

Visiting Woonsocket

Take Interstate 295 to Exit 9B, then continue north on RI State Route 146 (Eddie Dowling Highway). Turn off Route 146 to Route 99 (Woonsocket Industrial Highway) and continue north to reach the city.

Places of Interest in Woonsocket

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About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.