Town of Tiverton
Updated Demographic and Economic Characteristics
* Annual information for 2000-2006 is available by downloading this Excel file
Government
Tiverton Hall
343 Highland Rd.
Tiverton, RI 02878
Fax: 401-624-8640
Hours: 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Established: 1694
- Incorporated: 1746
- Form of government: Seven-member town council headed by a council president.
- Council meetings: The second and fourth Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m., financial town meeting held the first Wednesday in May.
- Fiscal year begins: July 1
A summary profile of Census 2000 characteristics is available from the RI Office of Statewide Planning at: http://www.planning.ri.gov/census/citytown.htm
Community Links
Hyperlinks provided by the Office of Municipal Affairs, Rhode Island Department of Administration.
- Tiverton municipal departments and officials
- Tiverton state senator and representative
- Town of Tiverton
- Newport County Chamber of Commerce
- Newport County Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Sakonnet Online (The Sakonnet Times)
- Area points of interest and attractions please visit the state tourism website
History
Tiverton was originally incorporated in 1694, as part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A long boundary dispute between Rhode Island and Massachusetts was settled in 1746, and along with the towns of Cumberland, Barrington, Bristol and Little Compton, Tiverton was annexed to Rhode Island. The town was incorporated in 1747.
For approximately three years during the Revolution when the British held Aquidneck Island, Tiverton was an asylum for Americans fleeing from British occupation, and the town became a mustering point for Colonial forces who gathered together to drive the British off the island. In its early day, Tiverton was chiefly a farming community with some fishing and boat construction. Until 1900 the manufacture of menhaden oil, a fish derivative, was one of the primary industrial pursuits. Cotton and woolen mills were established as early as 1827.
Today, trade establishments are the major employers in the town. Recent years have seen Tiverton grow as a summer resort and residential area. Development has been concentrated in the area known as North Tiverton.
Irena Nedeljkovic-Cunningham